Safe, natural weed killer

Can anyone recommend a weed killer that is safe to use around my dogs? I don't use any chemicals in my backyard for fear of my dogs getting sick from it. I have tried something called Burnout, but I didn't have much luck with that.
Also, are weed preventers, such as Preen, harmful to use?
I'm sure this type of question has been asked before,but I wasn't able to find anything on it, so please forgive me, I'm new!

ive heard if you put vineger into a spray bottle and spray it directly onto the leaves of the weeds on a realllly hot day ( seems lots of people arent having a shortage of those) that it will burn the little weeds to a crisp.. though be careful that you only spray weeds ... little vineger drops would burn holes into your desirable plant's leaves too.


Chris

Gin will work. Just get a magnum of cheap as dirt gin and there you go.

Burnout actually contains a very strong vinegar, much stronger than household vinegars.

Depending on what weed you are trying to control, sometimes there are beneficial bugs which will attack certain weeds. I have released several different bugs which attack star thistle and prevent it from reseeding. Also, there are cover crops which can be grown to crowd out weeds.

Stuff like Burnout (and regular vinegar) will work better if you use it on a warm/hot day while the sun is shining on the weeds. If you use it when it's too cool or cloudy out it doesn't work nearly as well.

Hi Tinker if you're still there. I find that if you only get vinegar on leaves the weeds or grass often grow back. You have to get it down to the roots to kill the plant. So - that is a problem with weeds that are next to desirable plants - you can't separate the roots. If you have weeds between cracks in pavers, or somewhere you don't mind pouring vinegar in, it works like a charm at $2.50 a gallon.

If you need to selectively kill something that is among desirable plants and you don't want to use Round-up (careful the spray will drift if you don't cover your plants) - then you'll probably have to dig the offenders out

Preen contains corn gluten meal which turns out to be a pre-emergent weed killer: it prevents things from germinating. You can also use CORN GLUTEN MEAL from a feed store or a mill I guess. Corn gluten is a by-product of making corn meal or corn starch or all those types of consumer products. I forget exactly how it works, but it only works at the moment that seeds are germinating. If you miss the moment of germination, your crabgrass or dandelions will not be affected. Likewise, established perennials will not be affected.
This sounds like the greatest thing since sliced bread to me, but I can't find it anywhere in my area. Even Preen will have to be mail-ordered (unless I'm willing to take grass seed). I read this all on this site, so good luck.

xxxxxxx, Carrie

Just bought a flame weeder on Ebay very, very cheap (with shipping, around $24). You just hook up a small propane bottle to it (got at HD for $3.99), light it, and away you go. Of course, it is fire, and you do have to be cautious where and when you use it, but with the exception of a small amount of smoke, its easy and nontoxic. If you have a reasonable amount of weeding, especially for spot weeding and keeping weeds out of cracks, this is the easiest, least toxic route, I believe.

I have also used the corn gluten meal with good results. Make sure you use it at the right time, and on a schedule several times through out the year, based on when weeds germinate in your area. Doesn't work for actual weeding, though, just keeps certain weeds (not all, by the way) from sprouting, as mentioned above. My dog thinks the corn gluten meal tastes great, however, so make sure you water it in thoroughly before putting the dogs back in the area. General rule of thumb, apply it just before the first Forsythia blooms in your area, then 6-8 weeks later, again in Fall. Its a good source of nutrients for the plants too. I also use it under my roses as a natural fungicide....but I digress!

yotedog, I just put some corn gluten in my brassica bed when I set out brocoli, collards, cabbages and such. I noticed most folks just broadcast it on top of the soil however because I was having to till in other amendments (ground phosphate rock, alfalfa) I went ahead and tilled in the corn gluten. Have you ever done that? (Guess I can always broadcast some more on top, around the plants, if I have messed up, eh?)

Shoe.

Hi
I have a major problem of weeds. We have cultivation of many herbs. One major problem is the GRASS and other weeds. They almost cover up the field, making the main crop very weak. How to control the weeds, we have organic farm.Hence we can not use synthetic weedicides etc.,
Pl help
Regards
vasantha

I am interested in the corn gluten and vinegar, but are they harmful to any beneficial creatures especially toads.

You have to get corn gluten meal down at the right time, just before seeds begin to emerge. Seeds will lay dormant in the soil for many years until the right conditions come along, then they will sprout. This can happen with tilling, or disturbing the soil in any manner. An earthworm could even move a seed so that it is in a position where it is able to germinate.

Weeds are plants that are out of place. If you have an over abundance of "weeds", there is something wrong with your soil. Have you ever seen a forest with out of control "weeds"? No, because there is biodiversity in nature. Monocultures are not natural. Bare soil is another invitation for "weeds". Nature does not like bare soil because of the temperature loss in cold weather and too much heat in hot weather.

You can mix up your own herbicide using 10% vinegar, available at most feed stores (the kind you get in the grocery store is usually 5% and acts as a fertilizer). To one gallon of the 10% vinegar, add 1 or 2 ounces of orange oil and a teaspoon of soap or yucca extract as a surfactant. Mix well before applying. Be careful not to set the spray get in your eyes and avoid breathing it because vinegar this strong can burn even your skin.

Whatever you directly spray it on will usually die, if it is green. It will not harm woody parts of plants. It will not always kill Bermuda grass. About 5 minutes after it is applied, the vinegar gets broken down and actually acts as a fertilizer to the soil. It will not harm earthworms unless you spray it directly on them. You should not spray the soil anyway, just the green stuff you want to die.