Taming weeds and caring for a lawn or garden can be hard work, with long days and costly cures. Many home and garden stores sell chemical solutions that may work fast but are proven to over time cause damage to the lawn or to the inhabitants of the home.
Exposure to harmful chemical weed killers can cause side effects as minor as skin irritation or as severe as cancer when exposed over long periods of time. The potential risks of working with RoundUp and similar brands far outweigh any small benefits, which is why we’ve outlined some of the best all-natural solutions to care for your lawn and garden.
These solutions will also help you save money, as well as prevent these types of health issues that can occur with dangerous chemicals. In order to keep your garden and lawn safe for all inhabitants of the home, try these simple homemade landscaping solutions.
Weeding Solutions
Rather than dealing with a chemical weed killer, try one of these simple eco-friendly methods of maintaining a weed-free lawn.
- Landscape Fabric or Mulch
In order to prevent the growth of weeds in the first place, many gardeners or homeowners who want a happy, healthy lawn lay down landscape fabric or mulch, or even both. If placed in between plants in a flower bed or garden, this quick and easy fix can prevent weeds from growing in the first place.
This saves time that must be spent later pulling these weeds out, as well as saves the environment and the homeowners from having to utilize dangerous chemicals to kill the weeds.
- Smothering
In order to get rid of weeds that have already sprouted, try utilizing newspaper or mulch to block the plant from the sun. Under this shadow, the plant will die more quickly and you can go back to tending your lawn. The newspaper also easily decomposes without harming the garden or lawn.
- Organic Weed-Killer Spray
If you want to go the traditional route of utilizing a weed killer, try this simple, cheap homemade solution. It works just as well as store brands and is much safer and less expensive.
All you need is white vinegar, dishwasher soap, and salt. Mixing a bit of salt with a full spray bottle of white vinegar makes the perfect weed killer, and the dishwashing soap helps the solution to cling to the leaves of the plant so that it can do the most damage.
Organic Pesticides
Tending a lawn and treating for pests can be difficult when you have a pet or small child. This is why it is especially important to tend the lawn or garden with substances that are safe to inhale or to make contact with sensitive skin. These homemade, organic solutions mean that it is fully safe for children and pets to run around in the yard without worrying about negative consequences.
One simple solution is the garlic method. This mixture utilizes garlic, vegetable oil, and water, which sit overnight and then are strained, along with a bit of dish soap added the next day. The garlic, vegetable oil, and water mixture kill the pests, while the dish soap helps the solution to cling to any plant that it is sprayed on.
Make sure to avoid any dish soaps with bleach in them, as this could cause the mixture to be damaging to the environment or to anyone who comes in contact with it. This same effect can also be achieved by using baking soda instead of garlic.
Make the Switch to Organic Solutions for Gardening and Lawn Care
Many people underestimate the damage that this name-brand weed killers and pesticides can do to the environment as well as the individuals using them. Many of these substances can cause significant health issues or ailments if an individual is exposed to them over time.
Organic solutions not only reduce health risks of those who garden or landscape. They also make for a cheap, easy solution to lawn care. Maintaining a safe and healthy lawn has never been easier than with these eco-friendly cures!
