Bermuda – Homemade Weed Killer

Q: I saw online a recipe for homemade weed killer made from vinegar, salt and dishwashing liquid. I sprayed this on weeds in my bermuda lawn. Have I killed the bermuda grass too?

A: You probably haven’t killed the grass. Bermudagrass is a tough plant to kill and the mixture you mention is generally considered useless for weed control.

Vinegar might kill tender new weeds but not those that have been growing for a few weeks. Salt would kill most plants but would make the ground un-plantable for a year; dish soap probably wouldn’t make much difference to a plant either way. I have a list of effective commercial organic weedkillers at http://www.walterreeves.com/tools-and-chemicals/organic-herbicides/.