Salt kills weeds better than Round-up (any downside???)

[drivesitfar]

ALL: I put down another $5 25 pound bag of salt along a fence in my alley and here's the before pictures. after pictures are only after a couple weeks and hopefully i won't have to get my weed eater out this spring and summer to keep them trimmed.

i'm only using the salt where the run off from rain doesn't go into planting areas or lawn. so far my gravel parking area is doing great where salt was applied and i just need to put more where it wasn't and new growth is starting to show up.

i appreciate all the great ideas about the farm supplies, but not easily found in the city.

 

[nonhog]

I wonder what effect salt would have on bugs and moles, if any?
I live below street level so big rains would make using salt only an option in certain areas. Like around my shop.

So I am considering salting those areas and using the torch/ round up/ vinegar and pulling which all ****.( LOL ) in the other areas.

Fun thread!

 

[G McKay]

I could have told you that salt kills weeds. It kills any plants. I go out at night and pee on my weeds all the time. It doesn't take too long before they die.

 

[ADSR]

ALL: I put down another $5 25 pound bag of salt along a fence in my alley and here's the before pictures. after pictures are only after a couple weeks and hopefully i won't have to get my weed eater out this spring and summer to keep them trimmed.

i'm only using the salt where the run off from rain doesn't go into planting areas or lawn. so far my gravel parking area is doing great where salt was applied and i just need to put more where it wasn't and new growth is starting to show up.

i appreciate all the great ideas about the farm supplies, but not easily found in the city.

I need to mix some of this up pretty quick.

 

[GRX]

To confirm what has been said above about Salt leeching into surrounding areas.

 

[pablo94sc]

I've been thinking about killing the weeds on the cracks and crevices on my patio and driveway. Gave me a permanent solution I had forgotten about. Thanks.

 

[6768rogues]

I buy super concentrated generic Roundup at Tractor Supply. It is not too much money for a 2.5 gallon jug. I mix it in a 25 gallon trailer type sprayer and tow it, spraying about 700 feet of gravel driveway and around trees, etc. A jug lasts 2 years.

 

[taumac]

Ok now sure where I heard this. In Florida we have a problem with carpet grass in are St Augustine grass. Only thing that kills it and not the St Augustine grass is backing soda. It's also a great on weeds.

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk

 

[stikman56]

I tried it....ONCE! It sucked for me so back to the poison I went. can't spay the weeds every few days, I need them to die and stay dead.

 

[DenisG]

There's an interesting comparison of glycophosphate vs homemade herbicides (salt + vinegar solution) here:
http://weedcontrolfreaks.com/2014/06/salt-vinegar-and-glyphosate/

I found it interesting because you would not normally think of sodium chloride and acetic acid as toxic or mutagenic (probably because they are much more commonly used).

 

[barnjunkie]

All: interesting comments so far. i'm also thinking of salting the blackberries in an area where i want nothing to grow. not sure if that will work, but round-up only kills them for maybe a season if that.

I've seen vinegar eat a cast iron vise so not surprised that it might kill a few weeds.

If I had salt and blackberries together in one place, I think I would need to buy a thirty ought six to keep the deer away.

 

[frank001]

Funny how the road in front of my house has salt spread on it at least 50 times a winter, then the plow comes by and throws the salt rich snow 5 feet deep into my front yard, every year. My lawn is fine.

Exactly. With all the salt used on roads in many places in the winter, I don't know why people are freaking out about trying some as weed control.

 

[Dan_inthewind]

I started using the Epson salt, vinegar and soap mix. Have yet to find any thing else that works as good. If it hits it, it kills it!

 

[MoparTrucks]

Herbicides are mixed as either amines (salts) or esters and if you have really hard to control weeds try using an ester....just watch out for drift because esters have a lot higher vapor pressure and are a lot more soluble than amines.

I use 24D Amine and other broad leaf herbicides on my pastures (I mix it up from year to year) because it doesn't kill desirable grasses if you apply it properly and I have found 24D also kills black berry brambles. For my gravel roads and barnyard area I use Glyphosate in spot application as the grass or weeds appear usually once every few weeks.

I would never put down salt in the quantities needed to kill weeds on any land I own nor would I put down any chemical where I can't control the runoff or drift.

 

[gnpenning]

What are the target weeds that you are trying to kill? There is a wide range of herbicides out there that have a broad range of weeds that they work on. Not all herbicides kill all weeds. It is best to target the weeds you want to kill. 2,4D Amine works well for many applications. There are 2 types of 2,4D. Some herbicides will kill pre-emergent some only post-emergent, and some only in early stages of plant growth. Milestone has a residual that stays in the soil for up to or over a year. We can not use it on our certified hay fields. It will pass thru the manure and kill plants and trees in the back country where certified hay is required. In the city it would be great in the right place.

Some herbicides can be grazed with no affect on livestock the same day applied others have a waiting period. For those that get manure to spread on their gardens find out what weed killer is used on the hay and fields it may keep your garden from reaching it's potential.

This is just an example of the difference between herbicides.

In my area many of us are on wells and the ph of the water can and will make the herbicide less than 30% effective. We have to put additives in the water to adjust for the ph imbalance.

For those in the cities you may find farm stores in city or in out lying cities. You may be surprised. Also check large nurseries for needed supplies.

Whatever you do follow the directions and the application rates (more is not always better), wear PPE.

 

[300Deluxe]

I've tried a salt/vinegar/dish soap/water solution that I read about, and it killed the weeds in my driveway very quickly. However, they were quick to grow back.

I now use a super concentrated herbicide purchased from the local co-op that takes about 2 weeks to kill, but lasts a lot longer. It's typically used for weed control around fences.

 

[sberry]

Most herbacides need to e applied properly to work well, they have a half life greatly influenced by ph and take up by hardness. Also plant groth stage, atmospheric conditions and time of day may be critical and are different for different things. 24d, more wet spray under slow drying conditions. RU, dry stronger mixture in the midde of the day, not drenched but misty with a shot of foliar fertilizer to help uptake. Almost all weeds kill better in earlier stages of growth and when healthy, ideal is day after a rain.
Application in smoking hi heat isn't good, some places out west they don't work well without irrigation. There are wait times before tillage or mowing.

 

[Banjorear]

I have been told vinegar works for that kind of application, i.e. driveways, sidewalks, and similar areas.

Vinegar works great. Especially if applied during a hot, dry day.

 

[sberry]

They compared gallons of mix but don't recall the coverage and application rates? RU works better with 10 gallons of water than 20 and at as little as a quart concentrate to an acre. How many gallons of vinegar solution would this take?
They even have a super spray that uses it straight.

 

[sberry]

I rarely use it. I am trying to get grass to grow in borders so use 24D and a little post over some crop for grass. The only place for RU for us is total burn down following a crop or prior to planting.
We do use a Paraquat type sprayed shielded band as a defoliant. Roundup would kill adjacent plants, the Paraquat only kills what leaves it contacts. Non systemic.

 

[EricP]

If I was looking for a long term weedkiller then I'd reach something with Imazapyr like Polaris. Glyphosate (RoundUp) and 2-4D do not reside in the soil and therefore only kill the vegetation they are sprayed on. New weeds will emerge right behind them. Imazapyr on the other hand resides in the soil for quite some time, say 12 months depending on concentration, after it is applied and will prevent new vegetation from sprouting. I'd never use salt as it stays in the soil too long which could be problematic for future plantings.

 

[Fishplate]

not that i'd drink salt water, but out on a desert with zero water i'd try to find a way to dilute it if that was the only option for days

Erm...whatchoo gon' dilute it wif?

But...there is an easy way to desalinate it, if you have two cups and a piece of plastic. If you're going to be in the desert, you need to Be Prepared.

 

[laser3kw]

I could have told you that salt kills weeds. It kills any plants. I go out at night and pee on my weeds all the time. It doesn't take too long before they die.

how do you draw the comparison between "salt" and "pee"?

 

[GRX]

how do you draw the comparison between "salt" and "pee"?

Because urine has a high amount of Potassium nitrate (aka - Saltpeter), which is a component in making gunpowder. In the past during times of war people actually collected urine for gunpowder manufacturers.

 

[drivesitfar]

Fishplate: do tell your desalination treatment if you don't mind. i was thinking of maybe running the water through sand only because i learned in septic tank classes that water is almost 90 some % pure after filtering through the ground a few feet. hopefully i'll never get to test my theory and would always like to learn the right method just in case.

ALL: good stuff and my weeds are still MIA in the gravel areas i put it on.

cheers

 

[Twisted Sid]

When you guys are using salt, are you just throwing handfuls out, using a spreader, diluting it in water and spraying it?
Are you using epsom salt or the water softener pellets?

 

[rusty1]

spray some gasoline on em, kills em dead.

 

[DR99]

i got a big jug of cheap glyphospate at Home Depot at its worked great for years. i don't think I will ever have to buy any for years are its concentrated and you actually mix it up with so little glyphosphate to water. I have used it for years and nothing crazy has ever happened.

 

[mmack66]

Salt is a natural occurring mineral, edible, and useful for many things. Salt exist in the sea water which sustains multiple life forms and some of the most rare in the world.
But yet some say it is "poison" to the very earth it comes from...Talk about naive.

Is that a serious statement?

I assume you have had years of education, so it can't be.

Really, were you being serious?

 

[Fishplate]

Fishplate: do tell your desalination treatment if you don't mind.

Solar still: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_still

Empty cup under the point, cup of salt water under the outer edges. Should get the water and leave (most of) the salt.

 

[Fishplate]

Solar still: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_still

Note that this will also purify urine, if you're desperate.

 

[jwith68]

We use salt (as a herbicide, carefully) in one place only - our asparagus bed. Asparagus is actually a salt marsh plant, so it is very tolerant of salt. Thus, you can salt your asparagus bed to kill weeds and grasses, without hurting your asparagus. We put it on fairly heavy, once a year. It does take quite a bit to keep out the fescue and wild lettuce. The yard around it is fescue, and it does not hurt it all. I suspect that at some point, we will not need to apply salt anymore, as the concentration will be high enough to keep the weeds at bay as is.

For all other areas, we use a proper herbicide, such as glyphosate. For long term control of weeds and grasses in driveways, there are products such as Sahara that will control them for several months, that will not permanently kill the soil. You can have runoff issues even with these, though. I have a couple of small areas near my shop that need to be reseeded because it rained hard shortly after applying it last year.

 

[drivesitfar]

Twisted: I've poured it straight out of the 25 pound bag onto the weeds in the gravel and next to the rockeries where I didn't want any weeds. I've also grabbed a cup or jar and used it to dip in the bag and pour that way too.

i usually try to lay it down in dry weather when there is a rainy day coming soon.

Fish: i imagine it would be hard to pee if you were dying of thirst so that might not be an option. thanks for the link an i'll try to memorize it just in case i end up in that situation or need to help somebody that is.

 

[drivesitfar]

ALL: more success. it kills all weeds and once i have the entire gravel area salted i hope to never weed it again.

 

[GRX]

Good job. Borax (because of the Boron) would net the same results but last a lot longer.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Got an area that I've been putting down some road salt trying to rid it of some stuff that grow intensely, I believe it's some type of bamboo.

 

[drivesitfar]

Nutts: bamboo can crack cement so good luck with that and take a few before and after pics. good luck and i hope it works for you. not sure you have any gravel areas but that's what i'm using mine for so far.

ALL: i will take a couple more after pics, but the last pics i posted were about 10 days ago and it went from green to brown and we haven't had any rain so white is still showing. it looks like it snowed in front of my house and it's been in the 90's the past few days.

cheers and anybody else have any results or comments to share?

 

[Hurricane_Whisperer]

"Where does Salt come from?
Salt is one of the few useful and abundant minerals on earth.

Salt is all around us. Underground and on the earth’s surface in the dried up residues of ancient seas. Some salt has even arrived from outer space in meteors. But our biggest source of salt is in our seas and oceans. With an average of 26 million tonnes per cubic kilometre, sea water offers a seemingly inexhaustible supply which if extracted, would cover the world’s total land mass to a depth of 35 metres.

There are many different types and grades of salt and a number of different methods of production. White salt is produced by evaporating ‘solution-mined’ brine in pressure vessels. The rock salt we use for gritting roads comes from mining ancient deposits. In some countries the natural energy of the sun is used to evaporate brine produced from sea water."
Excerpt reference... http://www.maldonsalt.co.uk/About-Salt-Where-does-Salt-come-from.html

Salt is a natural earth mineral...but yet some would rather use man made chemicals instead.....

Arsenic, uranium, radium, lead, mercury are all natural earth minerals also.

Natural doesn't mean safe.

 

[Openboater]

Epsom Salt is great for tomatoes. Don't know about weeds... tom

 

[PhantomEB]

Hmm I just might use a thin layer salt in the window stills before covering it up with the rubber stuff I have in my backyard as I want to bring the levels up in those stills to be more eye catching yet weed free! That should last for years?