Salt Water???

bassadict69 – posted 20 June 2004 17:31

I read on here somewhere about using saltwater to kill the grass. Will it kill weeds?

I have a part of my yard that we have neglected the past couple of years while trying to get the rest of the yard done. It is mostly weeds (several unknown types)and want to kill it ALL off before going any farther with it. Will salt water work?

I know Round-up would be the way to go, but times are hard the next couple of weeks and I was wanting to get started trying to kill it all.

seed – posted 20 June 2004 18:32

Save up for the Roundup. Saltwater may kill certain kinds of weeds, but unless you can keep the area flooded with saltwater for weeks, it is very unlikely that you will kill most weeds. The harder weeds may actually come back stronger once the saltwater has removed the weaker weeds.

Phil

cohiba – posted 21 June 2004 13:08

Also note that the residual salt in the soil may be hard for the new turf to deal with. Flushing with gypsum and fresh water may be need prior to replanting…..I heard some where that vinegar works well.

Dog Urine works too……Take Care….

bassadict69 – posted 21 June 2004 19:43

Guess I’ll just wait til payday…Thanks guys!

Alex_in_FL – posted 27 June 2004 08:05

Saw a science fair experiment where a kid compared various weed killers and used Chlorox. Chlorox was the best (go figure).

If you chose to use chlorox, go to a pool store and buy a 2.5 gallon jug of 10-12% chlorine (chlorox). If $ are an issue then you can mix the remaining chlorine with water (50/50 or equal parts) and put in your chlorox jug for use in washing machine.

Alex

seed – posted 27 June 2004 08:24

Please be careful using household products that can produce toxic chlorine gas. Herbicides developed for the purpose of controlling weeds are far less toxic to humans, and are far more likely to achieve the purpose, and at far lower rates of application. Some households products such as the nontoxic baking soda are effective defoliants (remove leaves) and that may be appropriate for killing weeds with no taproot and no underground rhizomes. But there is no certainty that household products are any less harmful to the environment than traditional synthetic herbicides, and household products may in some cases be more harmful to the environment.

Phil

cohiba – posted 27 June 2004 09:42

Good point Phil! That’ why the Labels are put on chemicals. I love old home remedies like the next guy but you really have to be careful. Ted is right when he says that homeowner quality stuff is not as strong as the pros stuff, but it can be just as dangerous to the applicator and the environment.

Take care……

Alex_in_FL – posted 01 July 2004 22:59

Good points. However, chlorox is probably as safe if not safer than many herbicides from a human health and environmental perspective. The risk of chlorine off gassing is the same as when you add bleach to your laundry or to your swimming pool. Bleach is exactly what is added to swimming pools as a shock or to provide free chlorine ions (not chlorine gas) in swimming pools. Many pool companies refer to this as liquid chlorine but this is incorrect. The only danger would be mixing the bleach with another chemical. Mixing chemicals is never wise unless you know (I mean KNOW) exactly what you are doing.

In addition, bleach will biodegrade faster than most herbicides and is not harmful to groundwater.

That said, bleach is not labeled as a weed killer (and neither is baking soda) and cornmeal is not labeled as a fertilizer.

Alex, REM

[This message has been edited by Alex_in_FL (edited 01 July 2004).]