Vinegar as herbicide

Introduction

USDA research indicates that vinegar can be used as an herbicide. Acetic acid is not absorbed into root systems, so vinegar will kill top growth, but perennial plants will reshoot. Commercial vinegar does not exceed 5% and solutions above 10% need careful handling. Stronger solutions (i.e., greater than 5%) may be needed for effective herbicide effect. In some studies, the herbicide effect only worked when the acetic acid was applied to young weed seedlings (less than two weeks after germination).

Use in organic agriculture

• "organic roundup" - acetic acid
• briefly makes the soil more acidic, but this effect goes away after a few days, as the vinegar is broken down by microbes in soil
• can be produced on the farm from wine, cider, potato mash, or other sources of ethanol
• use 20% vinegar concentration to kill small weeds, higher for adult weeds

Links

• http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/weeds/2004033037022899.html
• http://moscowfood.coop/archive/VinegarKillsWeeds.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetic_acid
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinegar
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetic_acid_bacteria

References

• http://ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2002/020515.htm
• http://aces.nmsu.edu/CES/yard/2004/041004.html