NATURAL WEED KILLERS

TURNER 3.17 Env

Question
Which natural weed killer is the most
effective?

Abstract
For my experiment I decided to investigate which natural
weed killer was the most effective at killing weeds. A natural
alternative to chemical weed killers is better for the environment. I
tested several natural weed killers, including boiling water,
vinegar, salt, Borax (sodium tetraborate), and a combination of
vinegar and salt. I compared these to a chemical weed killer
(Round-up) and a control group that wasnt tested. My hypothesis
was that the boiling water would be most effective.
For the test, I put spurge weeds into grass plug containers and
let them grow for a week. The weeds were divided into seven rows
with at least five sections in each row to provide an adequate
sampling size. Then I applied the weed killers to the weeds and let
them sit for another week. The weeds were photographed daily.
After that, I inspected the weeds to see which weed killer had
worked the best. I found that boiling water killed most of the
weeds the quickest, and vinegar killed all of the weeds, but took
longer. Surprisingly, boiling water, vinegar, and vinegar mixed
with salt did better than the chemical weed killer, Round-up. Borax
was less effective than the other natural weed killers.

Hypothesis
My hypothesis is that if boiling water is
poured on the plant, it will be the most
effective, because it instantly kills the
plants.

Procedure
1) Plant weeds in the grass plug tray
2) Allow weeds to grow for one week
3) Treat 5 weed plugs with the 6 types of
weed killers
4) Observe the weeds every day
5) Note the condition of each weed plug
6) After two weeks, see which weed killer
was most effective compared to Roundup

Materials

Grass plug tray

Spurge weeds (from yard)
1 liter of boiling water
1 liter of vinegar
16 grams of salt
16 grams of sodium tetraborate (Borax)
1 liter mixture of vinegar and salt
1 liter of chemical weed killer, Roundup

Before
.

During

After

After

Key
Initial Weed Condition

Results and Data

Contr
ol

Vineg
ar &
Salt

Befor
e

After

Salt

Vineg
ar

Boilin
g
Water

Borax

Weed
Killer

Contro
l

Vineg
ar &
Salt

Salt

Vineg
ar

Boilin
g
Water

Key

Thrivi
ng

Wilted

Leave
s
Showi
ng
Yellow

Leave
s
Dying

Sever
ely
Dama
ged

Dead

Borax

Weed
Killer

Conclusion

So, the most effective organic weed killers are boiling water
and vinegar. Boiling water is faster, and vinegar is more
thorough. All of the natural weed killers, however, did
better with one application than the chemical weed killer,
Round-Up. It may have needed multiple applications to
work better. This means my project was successful,
because I found the answer to my question, even if it didnt
match my hypothesis. This information can be used in
gardening and farming, and is important because it can
help people understand another way to better protect the
environment. If I could re-do this experiment I would test
more combinations of the weed removers, like boiling
vinegar. I also would test high and low concentrations of
borax. So I learned that it is not only better for the
environment, but more efficient to use natural weed
removers.

Bibliography
8 homemade weed killers. Good Housekeeping Magazine. <
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/gardening/advice/g777/homemade-weed-killers/ >
Herbicides Environmental effects of herbicide use. Science Encyclopedia.
<http://science.jrank.org/pages/3305/Herbicides-Environmental-effects-herbicide-use.html>
How to Use Salt and Vinegar as a Weed Killer Home Guides. <http://homeguides.sfgate.com/usevinegar-salt-weed-killer-49329.html>
Learn about chemicals around your house. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 16 Sep. 2015.
<http://www.epa.gov/kidshometour/products/wkill.htm>
Markham, Derek. 6 Homemade herbicides: Kill the weeds without killing the Earth. Treehugger. 16
Sep. 2015. <
http://www.treehugger.com/lawn-garden/homemade-herbicide-kill-weeds-without-killing-earth.html >
"Rules for All Projects."Student Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Aug. 2015.
<https://student.societyforscience.org/rules-all-projects>.
Trouble on the farm. Natural Resources Defense Council. 16 Sep. 2015.
<http://www.nrdc.org/health/kids/farm/chap1.asp>
Weed identification. Superior Services. http://getsuperiorservices.com/superior-lawn-care/weedidentification-decatur-al/
What is Borax? 20 Mule Team Borax. 16 Sep. 2015. <
http://www.20muleteamlaundry.com/about/what-is-borax/ >
Rules for All Projects. Student Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.
<https://student.societyforscience.org/rule-all-projects >.