Cheap, Non-Toxic Dandelion Killer
Make a Weed Killer from Common Household Products
When spring arrives, so do dandelions. Here is an easy, inexpensive, safe way to kill dandelions in your lawn.
Weed Killing Alternative
When dandelion season approaches, many people run out and buy the first product they find which kills dandelions with little regard for cost or safety. After all, who wants dandelions in the grass? The Jones’ don’t and we wouldn’t want to offend them!
One of the leading brands of weed killer is Ortho Weed B Gon Max Killer for Lawns. It usually costs around twenty dollars for a self-pumping 1 gallon container. It also contains 2,4-D, which has been linked with cancer. However, according to the Material Data Safety Sheet for Weed-B-Gon Max, it is practically non-toxic. This has been determined by testing it on rabbits, rats, and guinea pigs.
It seems strange that while the product data sheet says that it is practically non-toxic, it states the following under Immediate Concerns “CAUTION - Avoid contact with eyes, skin, or clothing. - Wash thoroughly with soap and water after handling. - KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN.”
A Cheap Green Alternative
If leaving dandelions in your yard is not an alternative, you can make your own dandelion and weed killer using inexpensive and safe household ingredients.
Ingredients
1 gallon of white vinegar
1 lb. table salt
8 drops of liquid dish soap.
Instructions
Mix vinegar and salt in a pan on the stovetop. (If you use a stainless steel pan that is grungy looking, it will acquire a like-new bright finish).
Bring to a boil so that the salt dissolves into the vinegar. Turn off the stove.
Stir in the dish soap.
Allow the mixture to cool enough so that it won’t burn you or melt your spray bottle. (You can let it cool completely if you aren’t in a hurry to go out and kill dandelions).
Pour the mixture into the bottle and spray on plants.
It is best to use a stream setting on your bottle and aim directly into the middle of the dandelion rosette so that you do not kill the surrounding grass.
Your dandelions will be dead in less than a day.
Cost Analysis of the Earth-Friendly Alternative
A one-gallon jug of generic vinegar cost $1.94. A one-pound container of salt cost 33 cents. The cost of dish soap is nominal. The total cost for one gallon of non-toxic dandelion killer is $2.27.
Benefits of Commercial Weed Killers
There is one benefit to commercial weed killers, which cannot be overlooked, they will not kill the grass. Using alternative weed killers does put your grass at risk if you are not careful about how you apply the weed killer.
To learn more about the history and culture of dandelions read the article Dandelion: History and Culture: A Beneficial Plant Found in all the Wrong Places.
