The lawn recipe

My mother's recipe for a healthy lawn. I'm going to try it this year to see what it does for mine. I am quoting her below.

1 cup household amonia (don't use the lemon variety)
1 cup CHEAP mouthwash
1 can soda (any kind just not diet)
1 can beer (I bought Coors brand. It was the cheapest)
1 cup dishsoap (the cheaper the better. No special perfumes though)

"The amonia is to green up the lawn
the mouthwash kills bugs and mold etc
the soda pop feeds the lawn
the beer helps kill bugs and feeds the lawn
the dish soap is a wetting agent that helps the lawn absorb the mixture. It also makes the blades feel softer.

I mix it up in a two quart pitcher that is dedicated to this task. I don't use if for drinking from any more. I store it in a two liter soda bottle in the garage. Be sure to label it clearly as poisen so it isn't thought of as root bear or something. It fizzes when shaken and is the right color. Use it on the lawn or the flower beds about once a month. It makes the grass greener and thicker. And because it is thicker the weeds can't get as good a hold. I can tell you that it does a number on ants. I don't think it kills them but they don't want to come across it. Remember how we used to get the hills in the cracks in the cement of the driveway and sidewalks? There haven't been any this summer since I started using this recipe. You can use it in the vegitable garden on plants with skins that can be washed. I wouldn't recommend using it on soft skinned things like strawberries. I velieve the lawn has to be pretty hydrated too so if you aren't going to water when you use this you might burn the lawn.

Another recipe that is a wonder and totally biodegradable is undiluted vinegar. We have been spraying the cracks in the cement with vinegar to keep the weeds down. Caution needs to be used though. Vinegar will kill anything it touches so be sure to use only on a calm day as wind drift might carry mist to plants you care about. Add several drops of dish soap to the vinegar and spray the foundation and you won't have spiders. Spray the porch and doorway into the house and ants won't come in. We have played with it on the patio a few times spot spraying the few ants that we do have and it kills them in about two seconds. "