If you’re dealing with pests and weeds but don’t want to use chemical solutions, try out these methods:
Weed Control
Blow Torch Method
If you have weeds in your pavement, you can kill them off with a blow torch. *Do not use this method in your lawn or areas with flammable material.
Homemade Solution
Another method to remove weeds is using a simple solution you can create at home. Mix Together:
– 1 Gallon of vinegar
– 1 Tbsp Dish Soap
– 1 Cup Salt
Wear gloves to avoid irritation. This method is best used on smaller weeds that are not as established.
Ants
Ant Repellent
Ant follow scent trails so by disturbing those trails you can repel ants. In a spray bottle you can use a mixture of 50% water and 50% vinegar. Another solution is 10 – 20 drops of peppermint essential oil in 2 cups of water.
Ant Killer
An easy ant killer to make at home is a borax and sugar bait mix. Simply add a mix of the two ingredients on a plate where the ants are active. The sugar will act as a bait and the borax is poisonous. A great part about this method is that it doesn’t kill the ants immediately, instead the ants will carry the poison back to the colony and cause more damage.
Slugs & Snails
Copper Pennies
Place copper strips or pennies around the area you want protected. The copper produces a shock to the snails and slugs trying to cross them.
Get in their Path
Sprinkle eggshell or coffee grounds around the plants you wish to protect. Also, you can use pointy conifer needles. Anything with a sharp or coarse texture is a deterrent to slugs and snails.
Get them Smammered (Hammered)
Bury small containers around your garden with the edge of the container level to the ground. Fill them with cheap beer and the slugs will fall into the containers, become intoxicated and unable to escape, and eventually drown.
Aphids
Dish Soap
Dish soap and water acts as a natural insecticide. Set out a small yellow dish with soapy water in it (aphids are attracted to the colour yellow). You can also add your mixture into a spray bottle and spray your plants directly.
Attract Predators
Plant nasturtiums; aphids love them and therefore aphid predators (like ladybugs) will always have something to eat. When you use a plant like this, it is called a cash crop or a banker plant.
