[OrionBee]

I hope this is in the correct category. I have been using this method of weed control around my hives for quite a while. It is simple and to my knowledge, has no adverse affect to the bees.

1 pound of Salt
1 gallon of Vinegar
2 squirts of dish washing liquid
4 Tablespoons of lemon juice
1 Spray bottle.

Stir salt in just enough HOT water to dissolve it. Add rest of ingredients after the salt is dissolved or the salt WILL clog your sprayer. The dish washing liquid will allow the mixture to stick to the plants. This, like all herbicides, should be applied when rain is not in the forecast. This will kill every plant that it touches. Be careful where you spray it.

do not spray on your lawn as it will kill the grass as well.

 

[spieker]

My concern about recipes that include salt is that too much salt will make the ground unsuitable for future plant growth.

 

[mike haney]

roundup is safe, effective, and NON-PERMANENT as opposed to "salting the earth"

 

[bigbearomaha]

safest method I have seen and use myself is the old" bend over and pull it out of the ground with my hands" method.

Not only is it environmentally friendly, it also is a great source of physical activity.

Big Bear

 

[MeriB]

Even better, when I try to weed, my Corgi Liza grabs them and pulls them out for me! Occasionally she will do it on her own right next to where I am working.

 

[Omie]

safest method I have seen and use myself is the old" bend over and pull it out of the ground with my hands" method.
Not only is it environmentally friendly, it also is a great source of physical activity.
Big Bear

What a concept! :thumbsup:

 

[peacekeeperapiaries]

roundup is safe, effective, and NON-PERMANENT as opposed to "salting the earth"

agreed, thats what we use with great success. :thumbsup:

 

[Countryboy]

Some plants, like asparagus love salt. When we make homemade ice cream, we dump the salty ice water on the asparagus patch. The asparagus likes it and it helps to temporarily retard weed growth.

Potash is a common fertilizer. It is a salt. If you put it on too thick, it will burn the plants. This is temporary though. As the salt level dissipates, plants come back.

Around here in oil well country, farmers can pay for a $100 annual permit to apply the brine water from their wells onto drives. (Some farmers even dilute the brine water with regular water, and then spray it on their fields.) As soon as the salt level dissipates, grass comes back greener than ever.

Of course, it may help that we have acidic soils here, and acidic rain. Salt ends up being a neutralizer.

 

[cottonhill]

Roundup may be effective, but it's not safe, and definitely not biological.

 

[peacekeeperapiaries]

Roundup is very safe, and a lot of people use it. Use the search function and read for yourself.

 

[Sam-Smith]

Roundup may be effective, but it's not safe, and definitely not biological.

True, idk why you would want to kill weeds around the hives anyway, some people just wack them down once a year, or use top entrances.

 

[Hambone]

I hope this is in the correct category. I have been using this method of weed control around my hives for quite a while. It is simple and to my knowledge, has no adverse affect to the bees.

1 pound of Salt
1 gallon of Vinegar
2 squirts of dish washing liquid
4 Tablespoons of lemon juice
1 Spray bottle.

You can skip the other stuff and just use vinegar and the dishsoap and it will work the same. Use the 9% vinegar. 5% is a little weak and the 20% is way over priced.

They only reason I use vinegar over roundup is 9% vinegar is $2.00 a gallon.

 

[OrionBee]

True, idk why you would want to kill weeds around the hives anyway, some people just wack them down once a year, or use top entrances.

The only reason that I use this around a certain yard is the amount of Johnson grass that continuously grows there. I have used round up (at concentrations over manufacture rating) to try to kill this stuff. This is the only thing that seemed to work. I sprayed with this last year, and so far (knock on wood) the Johnson grass has not grown this year. it only took two applications to get the job done versus the five that I tried with traditional roundup. I do not guarantee results as there are different strains of this particular weed.

Maybe using the 9% vinegar would be better and not using the salt, but after a while, the salt will break down and grass will grow there once again. In previous years, grass has grown back where weeds once existed. Only time will tell, (as some plants have a way of delaying regrowth or the seeds can remain dormant for a number of years before germinating (i.e. kookaburra which took numerous years to get rid, and the reason I stopped buying hay from that particular farmer))

This was only meant for those that wanted to use something a little bit more organic (except with dish washing soap -- which you could substitute pure lye soap made from wood ash and pig fat) then roundup.

 

[clintonbemrose]

I now use a weed wacker around my hives. The reason is that I want the grass/clover/weeds to grow. The reason is it helps the hives keep cool. The dark ground seems to colect heat from the sun where the grass/clover/weeds will use the sun and not reflect the heat into the hive. I have proven this with thermomiters in the hives. Also the bees seem happier in the hives over grass. I weed wack every 2 weeks or before when needed.

Clint

 

[Jeffrey Todd]

I prefer putting down a barrier, like used cardboard boxes, to keep weeds down. Something more aesthetically pleasing could be used where it is called for.

 

[David0504]

I spread old pieces of carpet around my hives to keep the weeds down. It also keep dirt from splattering onto the hives when it rains.

 

[peacekeeperapiaries]

True, idk why you would want to kill weeds around the hives anyway, some people just wack them down once a year, or use top entrances.

Hmm well here in FL snakes are a big concern specially poisonous ones they love to lay under my pallets, and with all the grass and weeds in the way I can't see the pallets to insert the loader forks in them to place them on the truck. I also like to be able to see my entrances clearly (whats comin and going) prevents me from havin to open every one every time. Wading through tall grass and weeds in a 40 hive beeyard is not very efficient and I think the grass and weeds as thick as they grow here will not only swallow my hives but prevent proper ventialtion through the sbb.

I round up twice a year in each yard, takes me about 5 minutes per yard and resolves all the weed problems.

 

[ridger12]

I googled "roundup dangers". Yikes, and to think you guys almost had me talked into trying it out.
http://www.walterreeves.com/tools_chemicals/article.phtml?cat=22&id=889
http://www.organicconsumers.org/monsanto/roundup.cfm

 

[wolfpenfarm]

Yep. thats why i don't use pesticides. Nothing beats a weedwhacker or a good ole fashioned lawn mower.

one other suggestion. ever noticed that grass doesn't grow under oak trees or black walnut trees. Thats because of the tannic acid in them. Might think about using something like tannic acid. ITs easy to get if you have acorns. Just about 5 pounds of acrons in a pot of water and boil them. Then strain off the liquid, put it in a sprayer and spray the grass. shrug. Then boil the acorns again, with new water a couple times more and then use the nut meats in muffins. Very delicious.

 

[ridger12]

I make my kids acorn pancakes in the fall from white oak acorns. I always threw out the water that leached the tannins. Now I have a good use for it! Thanks!