What actually happens
Some homemade weed killers can burn down the visible leaves very quickly, sometimes within hours or a day. But that doesn’t necessarily kill the plant’s roots.
Common ingredients promoted online include vinegar, salt, and dish soap. They can damage foliage, but:
- Vinegar mainly works as a contact herbicide; established perennial weeds can regrow from their roots.
- Salt can kill vegetation, but it can also remain in the soil and make it difficult for desirable plants to grow.
- Dish soap is generally used as a surfactant to help a solution spread over leaves; it isn’t a reliable root-killing herbicide.
- Stronger commercial herbicides can kill roots of some weeds, but the appropriate product depends on the weed and where it is growing.
⚠️ Don’t confuse “burned” with “dead”
A weed that turns brown in 24 hours may simply have had its leaves destroyed. Perennial weeds can come back from underground roots, rhizomes, or other plant parts.
For long-term control, the most reliable approach depends on whether you’re dealing with annual weeds, perennial weeds, weeds growing in lawn, cracks in paving, vegetable beds, or elsewhere.
If you send me the recipe from the video/article (for example, the ingredients and amounts), I can tell you whether it actually works and whether it could damage your soil or nearby plants.
