Is It Spring?
The flowers, plants and birds are shouting yes!
Here they come-weeds, weeds and more weeds!
I don’t know about you, but, as much as I love spring, I’m not quite ready for it yet. It’s only the beginning of March. I would like winter to stay a little longer because it feels like summer was just here and is right around the corner again on some days.
The unwanted plants or weeds as we humans call them-are out in full force. I love plants of all kinds but many people and the HOA’s in many neighborhoods don’t particularly care for where some of them want to grow. A lot of research has been done on how to get rid of the weeds without harming the plants we want to keep. Both natural ways and chemicals are used. Which do you prefer?
I am in a neighborhood that has an HOA and so like many of you, I have to either pick the weeds, spray them or have someone else do it. I am not a fan of using any type of pesticide at any time because of the long term issues they cause for the entire planet. They are harmful for everything on the planet. So, I found a “natural” way to get rid of the unwanted plants.
While speaking with the plants, I explained that I didn’t want them in my yard at this time. I decided to spray a gentle solution to help them leave. I also asked them to forgive me. You might find this a little funny or strange, but I know they are sentient beings. I treat them with the same respect as all sentient beings.
I’m sure many of you have heard of using vinegar and soap. Well that’s what I use. I use a combination of white vinegar, sea salt or Epsom salt, dish soap and essential oils.
Here’s the recipe that I like:
1 gallon of white vinegar
2 cups of salt- either sea or Epsom
¼ cup of dish soap
2 drops of your favorite essential oil
Directions:
Put the vinegar into a pot. Heat until almost boiling. Add the salt and stir until dissolved. Next comes the essential oil and the soap. I use Mrs. Meyers for my dish soap. It already has the essential oils blended in, which makes it easy. Stir gently so as not to create too many bubbles.
Then pour slowly into a 1-gallon sprayer-it will be pretty hot so be careful. Lots of bubbles will form as well, so take your time.
I generously spray all of the areas where there are “weeds”. On windy or rainy days it’s best not to spray because the solution won’t stick. Most of them should be dead the next day. There are some that are stubborn, so it might take a few more times spraying. I waited a few days to see what I might have missed or that were stubborn, and then sprayed again. I will say that this solution works almost as good as the poison, but I like it because it’s not as harmful to everything else. It’s usually a few weeks before the next bunch show up. Then I have to repeat the process. i hope that you will find this as useful as I have.
Here’s an article I came across that has other options to use instaed of roundup or other chemicals.