If you’re not a fan of weeds around your garden beds and you’re most surely not a fan of glyphosate or Round-Up spray, then this recipe may be for you. Check out this 3 ingredient low tox weed killer for around your garden and where needed in your yard.

Jump to Recipe

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Johnson Home NC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and links to Amazon.com. As part of this Amazon Associates program, the Website will post customized links, provided by Amazon, to track the referrals to their website. And I thank you for using these links!

A note of caution before we proceed:

You need to know first and foremost, just like glyphosate or more commonly known by its brand name, round-up, this weed killer WILL kill ALL grass, weeds, and your garden goodies.

USE THIS RECIPE CAREFULLY!

It is NOT recommended to use it WITHIN your garden beds or rows. This is best used around your garden beds, flower bed edges, fence posts, and other areas you don’t want to or can’t weed-eat well.

Also, please see my Disclosure statement about health concerns. Glyphosate or Round-Up has shown to cause cancer in humans, kill pollinator’s habitats, and poison groundwater. A common herbicide in commercial farming touted as safe to use in farming but clearly it is NOT safe. This recipe below is my attempt to steer clear of these dangerous herbicides wherever I can on our homestead.

What does “low tox” weed killer mean?

Low tox is a cutesy little fad name for lower toxins or low toxic. It’s not “non-toxic” but lower. SIGNIFICANTLY lower than glyphosate.

This recipe uses dish soap to help hold the vinegar and salt water onto the plant’s leaves so the sun can work with the vinegar to kill the weed.

Dish soap contains many ingredients as surfactants and degreasers that I have not personally researched enough but do know I do not want to use them on my dishes in my own home. I have other options for washing dishes but will keep some dish soap around for recipes like this.

Feel free to change out the dish soap for one you are comfortable using such as Castile soap but in my experience, Castile soap doesn’t sud well for long. However, it still can work and be even LESS toxic!

How to make Low Tox Weed Killer:

1 gallon distilled white vinegar

1 cup epsom salt

1 tablespoon dish soap

gallon of white distilled vinegar with a bottle of dish soap sitting on a gray paver outside — *Three Ingredients: vinegar, dish soap, epsom salt*

Mix the ingredients well in a dedicated sprayer. Allow some time for the salt to dissolve. On a sunny day (the best kind of day to apply this, more on why below), allow this mixture to sit in the sprayer in the sun for about 30 mins. The sun’s heat will allow the salt to dissolve. Give the mixture a steady swirl before using and during spraying as well. Every time you prime your sprayer’s pump, swirl the mixture to keep ingredients all well incorporated.

*Be sure to allow the salt time to dissolve or you risk clogging your sprayer.

bag of epsom salt and a gray sprayer sitting on a gray paver outside

Why do I need the dish soap?

Dish soaps contain surfactants that allow the vinegar and salt to penetrate the leaf instead of just beading on the surface of the leaf.

In order for this low toxin weed killer to work properly, the leaves need to absorb the vinegar and salt so that the weed can be dried up and burnt by the sun. Naturally, this allows the weed or grass (or any green thing!) to not be able to grow.

What’s the main working ingredient in this low tox weed killer?

That would be vinegar.

Acetic acid in the vinegar and salt work to draw moisture out of the weed.

You can use a 5% white distilled vinegar found in the grocery store or you can get a higher concentration from Tractor Supply at 30%. This will definitely do some damage to your undesired weeds.

When is the best time to use this low tox weed killer?

The best time to use this low tox weed killer is on a dry and bright, sunny day!

The sunshine is helpful in killing the weeds. It works with the vinegar to burn and dry up moisture in the weeds/grass/green thing.

How often do I apply this low tox weed killer?

A 5% vinegar will work but not as well as you want it to for large, stubborn weeds or grasses. A 30% concentration from Tractor Supply or Amazon will work harder to kill those weeds.

Applying this mixture more often will help suppress those weeds. I recommend applying this mixture at least once a week especially in the heat of summer when the weeds go wild!

In comparison to weed-eating and pulling by hand, this concoction is easier on the back. Less bending and pulling. It’s easier than suiting up in long sleeves, boots, glasses, other PPE to weed-eat with the string trimmer. And way less toxic than glyphosate.

Where can I use low tox weed killer?

This low tox recipe is great to use around stones, pavers, bricks, etc. where weeds slip in between and pop up in unsightly ways.

Use this spray around your raised garden beds or your row garden perimeter.

Again, BE SURE NOT TO SPRAY ANYTHING YOU DON’T WANT TO DIE. Flowers, plants, garden vegetables, berry bushes, trees, etc.

rock lined flower bed showing low tox weed killer results and dead grass

How much does this weed killer cost to make?

Depending on the vinegar you purchase, you can keep this recipe super cheap.

Dish Soap is about $4 a bottle and you only need a tablespoon (so, pennies!)

Vinegar 5% at the grocery store for 1 gallon is $3.

Epsom salt by the 8lb bag is $7 and you only need 1 cup for this recipe (again, pennies).

Perhaps this will cost you $3.50-$4 per application.

garden bed edge showing low tox weed killer results and dead grass — *Two days later*

SHOP THIS POST

Sprayer

Dish Soap

30% Vinegar

Epsom Salt

If you like more natural solutions to home and skin care, check these out:

Face Scrub

Dishwasher Tablets

Calendula Oil for dry skin, burns, scrapes, etc.

2 Ingredient Hand Soap

Laundry Detergent

Follow along for more like this

Keep up to date on recent posts and sharings and more on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram: @johnsonhomenc and sign up for my weekly newsletter HERE.

If you try this recipe, come back and leave a comment or share a picture on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest so I can see it!