With the numerous 70+ degree days we’ve had, the weeds are in full bloom! Just check out your driveway and sidewalk cracks and crevices, planters and edges of your lawn. Here’s one way to help knock down the weeds, have a reason to drink some wine, save a little on the pocketbook and stay away from harsh commercial chemicals. Of course, pulling the weeds, roots and all, is always the best. But if bending down and scraping your knees on the ground aren’t in the cards, try this out.
10% pickling vinegar
cheap hand soap
1 ounce citrus oil
Hand-held spray bottle
Find yourself some 10% vinegar (it’s usually called “pickling vinegar”). The common vinegar you find in the grocery store is 5%. Just keep looking for the 10%. If all you can find is 20%, that’s fine, but the extra 10% won’t make much of a difference. Add about 1 ounce of orange oil (citrus oil) along with a teaspoon of some cheap liquid soap. Orange oil comes from the oils of citrus fruits. You should be able to find the orange oil at the local garden store.
Mix the vinegar, soap and citrus oil together in your favorite hand-held spray device. Gently shake the bottle to mix the ingredients. I’m incredibly cheap so I save my old window cleaner bottles and other cleaner type bottles, they work great for this.
So, what you end up with here is a bottle of super acidic vinegar with a bit of orange oil and liquid soap. So here’s what you do: Get yourself a nice adirondack chair and side table complete with umbrella, some soft brie and a cut up baguette roll, pour yourself a nice glass of wine (I prefer cold Chardonnay but any “Two Buck Chuck” will do the trick!) Pick a nice sunny, warm day and spray the weed killer on (or pour it on) your favorite weeds. Sit back, have a glass (or two) of wine, eat some cheese and read a few chapters in your favorite book and in a few hours you’ll see the weed start to burn. Don’t have too much wine and drink the weed killer, though!
One last thing: be sure to write on the spray bottle what’s inside!
Check back here for other lawns and yard tips. My next article will address weeds again but with a twist on soil health and some tips to help improve your soil health and thus have less weeds.
Shayne Hale and his wife Stacy own and operate Executive Yard Service, which provides lawn and yard care to commercial and residential clients in the Redding area. Shayne is a Redding native of more than 43 years. Stacy is a transplant from the Bay Area but is learning to enjoy the Redding summers. Visit their website at www.reddinglawns.com or give them a call at (530) 524-7437.
A News Cafe, founded in Shasta County by Redding, CA journalist Doni Greenberg, is the place for people craving local Northern California news, commentary, food, arts and entertainment. Views and opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of anewscafe.com.
