The 29p supermarket item that kills weeds faster than commercial weedkillers
Gardeners are often locked in battle with weeds that force their way through patios and paths, as these resilient plants can aggravate existing cracks and damage.
With their minuscule seeds and roots, these weeds are a pain to spot and even more challenging to banish. Yet theres hopemuch like the tough dandelions, it is possible to rid your patio of weeds for good.
The gardening community seems split on whether to trust in natural remedies, with some staunchly backing options such as boiling water, salt, and white vinegar.
Driven by curiosity over whether common weedkillers outweigh homespun remedies for tackling patio weeds, one woman took to social media to set up her own test of wills, putting white vinegar head-to-head with a chemical solution. According to reports from the Express, white vinegar earns its accolades as a formidable natural enemy to weeds, thanks to its hefty acetic acid levels.
This benign chemical battles weeds by sapping away their moisture, essentially dehydrating them until they perish. TikTok user @itsme_mandi took viewers through the process via a video, documenting how she deployed weedkiller on one section of her patios pesky greens, while she armed herself with a spray bottle of white vinegar for the rest, reports the Mirror.
She narrated: "I saw a hack where you can use white vinegar to get rid of the weeds. On one half of the patio, I did weedkiller and on the other half I used vinegar in a spray bottle."
Following a 12-hour wait, Mandi first reviewed the results on the vinegar side, revealing the weeds had turned a tell-tale light brown.
In a striking contrast, the patch that was doused with weedkiller still boasted weeds lush and verdant after the same timeframe. A TikToker went on to deliver an update days later, showcasing the battle results against the weeds on her patio - the vinegar-treated side displayed utterly perished weeds.
Though the weeds on the side treated with regular weedkiller were also on their last legs, Mandi made an impactful observation: the white vinegar "worked faster".
She went on to promote this household remedy, affirming: "The vinegar side actually worked faster to kill the weeds than the weedkiller side. Overall I will be using vinegar to kill the weeds."
Acetic acid in vinegar is skilled at dismantling plant cell membranes which leads to plants drying out and eventually dying, hence its status as a formidable foe to stubborn garden weeds.
Nonetheless, gardeners should proceed with caution because it could also destroy other desirable plants upon contact. To boost the strong effects of white vinegar, it is suggested that mixing a bit of dish soap could be effective, as it attacks the plant's protective layers.
For those mindful of expenses, white vinegar stands out as a wallet-friendly alternative; you can find it on the shelves of supermarkets like Tesco for as little as 29p, rendering it a cost-effective and easy-to-find solution.