Let’s face it. Everyone has a bottle of white vinegar in their pantry. And, I’m sure there are plenty of ways that you use this in your home. But, did you know that you can also use it successfully in your garden? Here are 14 uses for vinegar in the garden. Enjoy!
1. To Kill Pesky Weeds
Vinegar can indeed kill the tops of any tough weeds in your garden but it might not kill the roots. Due to its high acid content, using straight vinegar on those weeds will burn the foliage. It’s then easy to pull them out to get rid of the roots.
Be really careful though, when using vinegar in the garden, as the acid can harm your plants as well. If you want to spray your weeds, it’s safer to mix the vinegar with some dish soap in a spray bottle. Then make sure you direct the spray only onto the weeds that you want to kill.
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A good mixture is 1 gallon of white vinegar and 2 tablespoons of dish soap. This is also a good way to rid your path and driveway of any weeds that come up through the cracks.
Alternatively, you could use straight vinegar and a paintbrush. Just dip the brush into the vinegar and apply liberally to the offending weeds.
2. To Repel Ants
A 50:50 solution of white vinegar and water will kill ants on contact. It’s also a useful solution to spray on your paths to keep them away. Don’t forget to spray around your door and window frames as well.
You can also use this solution if you have ants coming into your home. Just spray your windowsills and around your door frames. You might want to do a small patch test first though to ensure the vinegar doesn’t lift the paint.
3. To Clean Your Garden Tools
Let’s face it. Garden tools can get pretty dirty. And, if left out in the weather, they can rust too. Simply soak your tools in white vinegar for a few minutes and you should be able to wipe the rust away easily.
For stubborn rust stains, soak your tools in the vinegar overnight. This should have them looking spic and span in no time.
4. To Increase Your Soil’s pH
If you’re growing acid-loving plants such as gardenias, rhododendrons and hydrangeas, they might benefit from a vinegar pick-me-up. Just mix 1 cup of white vinegar with 1 gallon of water and use this to water your plants.
Remember though, that a lot of plants don’t like this added acidity so make sure you only use this mixture on the acid lovers in your garden.
5. To Get Rid Of Slugs And Snails
The best way to deal with those pesky snails and slugs in your garden is to spray them with a mixture of white vinegar and water. Just make sure the mixture is diluted enough not to harm your plants. Play around with the mixture until you get the best results.
6. To Eliminate Fruit Flies
Create the perfect fruit fly trap by mixing some apple cider vinegar with dish soap and putting this into a jar. The scent of the vinegar will attract the fruit fly. The dish soap will then trap the fruit fly in the jar and they’ll drown.
7. To Control Fungus Diseases
We all know how hard it is to control fungus diseases on our precious plants. Try this mixture:
Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to a cup of brewed chamomile tea. Put this mixture into a spray bottle and spray your affected plants. Continue to spray your plants until the fungus is completely gone.
8. To Clean Your Birdbath
Birdbaths can get dirty and slimy fairly quickly. To avoid this, scrub them once a week with a mixture of white vinegar and water. This will effectively reduce algae growth and keep your birdbaths nice and clean.
9. To Keep Unwanted Animals Out Of Your Garden
Cats and other garden visitors such as rabbits and raccoons don’t like the smell of vinegar. To keep these animals out of your prized vegetables, simply soak some cotton rags in white vinegar. Then hang these around the perimeter of your garden beds.
10. To Clean Your Terracotta Pots
To remove mineral build-up on your terracotta pots, simply soak them in a solution of 1 cup of white vinegar to 4 cups of water. When you remove them from the solution, the white stains will be gone.
11. To Get Rid Of Calcium Build-Up On Your Brick Paths
Make a mixture of half vinegar and half water and spray this onto your brick paths. The mixture will dissolve the white calcium build-up on these surfaces.
12. To Wash Your Freshly Harvested Vegetables
This is especially useful for root crops. Just mix 1 tablespoon of white vinegar with 1 quart of water and wash your vegetables in this mixture. The vinegar will eliminate any harmful bacteria on the vegetables.
13. To Help Some Tough Seeds To Germinate
Some seeds are notoriously difficult to germinate. These include nasturtiums and okra. To alleviate this, soak these seeds in a bowl of water that you’ve added a few drops of vinegar to. Leave the seeds in the solution overnight and then plant the next day.
14. To Make Your Cut Flowers Last Longer
To get the most from your cut flowers, add 2 tablespoons of vinegar and 2 tablespoons of sugar to the water in the vase. The sugar will provide some nutrients and the vinegar will eliminate any bacteria.
Frequently Asked Questions
Vinegar can be lethal to insects such as ants, mosquitos and spiders. But, it can also be lethal to beneficial insects such as bees, so be very careful when using it in the garden. Also, if you’re using it to kill weeds, make sure it doesn’t get onto any of your other plants because it will kill those as well.
Many animals including rabbits, foxes, cats and dogs don’t like the smell of vinegar. Vinegar can also be highly effective at keeping rodents such as rats and mice away.
If you’ve accidentally spilt some vinegar on your lawn, it will have killed the grass. In this case, you want to flush the area well with clean water and then add some new grass seed. It could potentially take a few weeks for the grass to start growing again.
Final Thoughts
I hope you like this list of uses for vinegar in the garden. As gardeners, we’re always looking for natural ways to keep our gardens healthy and thriving.
