Killing Weeds with Gin

I've heard of gin baths, but gin weed killers? There are many gardeners who swear up and down by this method, which is more traditional than you may think. This is a greener alternative than the over the counter chemical varieties, which can easily damage your soil. Keep in mind, this is for spot-killing purposes only. This isn't going to do much to treat your entire yard unless you have a lot of money and many willing neighbors.

For a good, straight up gin-weed-killer, put these ingredients together:

1) one bottle of cheap gin (well, why use the good stuff?)
2) two lemons

Simply squeeze the juice from the lemons, combine the two ingredients, put in a spray bottle and go to town.

Another variant on this recipe is:

1 oz shampoo
1 oz vinegar
1 shot of gin (Not for you. That comes later.)

This formula dries out the weed. Other versions include dish detergent, saying the soap helps the solution stick to the leaves rather than dripping off.

The thing to remember when using a gin-based solution is, this isn't a long-term solution. You'll be doing this every ten days to two weeks. Spray the solution when the weather is sunny and hot, and your chances of killing those pesky weeds are better. Make sure you're spraying on the leaves of the plant, and be cautious of what you're putting into your soil, especially if your particular solution is acidic (contains lemon juice). Also, it has been stated that it is actually the vinegar in these solutions that provides the best kill, and not the gin. Some use white vinegar, some use apple cider vinegar. So when mixing the solution, you might want to increase your vinegar ratio just a touch.

Keep in mind, too, that these home remedies may not work for everyone. Some will swear up and down by them while others are disgusted and find these remedies useless. And as always, adding anything to your soil can be hazardous, so be very aware of what you are spraying and how often you are spraying it. If you have a real weed problem, more long-term preventative measures should be taken, such as using cloth or mulch in your flower beds to help prevent weed growth.

But for those pesky one-stalkers that smirk at you through the cracks of your driveway, why not? Grab a bottle, mix the gin and other ingredients, and spray away. Then pull up a lawn chair and grab a tonic. Just make sure you didn't hit the gin bottle before spraying, and that you are very sure which solution you put in your glass.