by diy naturally 09.07 Vinegar is a powerful tool to have in your home. We’ve talked about how to use vinegar in your kitchen, bathroom, laundry room and how to use vinegar as a beauty product. But vinegar is also a a fantastic alternative to toxic chemicals for controlling weeds, pests, and disease in your garden. Apple cider vinegar, in particular, is a key ingredient in organic herbicides and fertilizers.
10 Ways to Use Vinegar in Your Garden
- Stained clay plant containers – Clay flower pots are prone to developing stains. To remove these stains, fill them with 2/3 full with cold water and 1/3 full with vinegar. Let the pot soak until they look clean. Poor out the water and vinegar mixture. Then wash with soap and water and rinse.
- Invigorate your plants – Create a mixture of 1 ounce vinegar with 1 gallon compost tea and put in a spray bottle. Give your plants a little squirt regularly. This will help plant growth, health, and boost resistance to disease.
- Control disease in roses – Mix 3 tablespoons of natural apple cider vinegar with 1 gallon of water. Fill your garden sprayer with the mixture and spray roses daily. This will control black spot and other fungal diseases prone to roses.
- Preserve cut roses – Fresh cut roses will last longer when placed in a preservative. Mix 1 gallon of water, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar in a large bowl of bucket. Place your fresh cut roses in a clean vase and add the preservative. To help extend the lives of your cut roses replace the preservative in the container every 2 to 3 days.
- Prevent molding seedlings – It is common to find that seedlings begin to mold when starting them in a damp medium. To get rid of the mold, clean your seedlings with a solution of 1 part vinegar to 9 parts water. Then transfer your seedlings to a new container. Spritz seeds regularly with this solution until germination.
- Weeds – Boil 1 quart of water and add 2 tablespoons salt and 5 tablespoons vinegar. While still hot, carefully poor the mixture directly onto weeds.
- Ants - Prevent ants from getting into your home by locating their entry points and wiping the area clean with a full strength vinegar. Some common areas to look are thresholds, near sinks and appliances.
- Cats – Prevent cats from using your garden as a litter box by soaking wads of newspaper with vinegar and place them where cats have been. The smell of vinegar should discourage repeat visits.
- Cockroaches – Keep a full spray bottle of pure vinegar around to help dispose of unwanted pests. One squirt should stop a cockroach long enough to be captured and disposed of properly.
- Combat slugs – Slugs prefer to feed on gardens at night or on cloudy, damp days. With a full spray bottle filled with half vinegar and half water squirt the slugs directly with the solution.
