There are many weed control products out there designed to keep your lawn weed-free. However, not all of them are safe to be used around dogs, cats, and other typical backyard wildlife. Some are even harmful to grass and plants. Moreover, commercial weed killers are often quite expensive. 

A lush green, weed-free lawn does not have to come at the cost of any adverse effects on your pets, grass or plants. There are several weed control alternatives that are cheap, effective, easy to make, safe, and non-toxic. In this post, we will offer some tips to eliminate weeds without posing any hazards to your pets or other animals as well as suggest some weed control alternatives that are harmless for grass and plants. 

Tips for Weed Control Without Harming Pets 

1. Pull Weeds Up by Hand 

This may seem an old-fashioned way of weed removal and lawn care and involve some work. However, pulling weeds up by hand is an absolutely safe method to eliminate weeds. It’s not too hard to pull out weeds with your hands in your lawn, flower or vegetable garden.  

For weeds that are embedded in the lawn, consider investing in a digging fork that would make it easy for you to grab the weeds and pull the long tap roots from the ground.  

2. Install Landscape Fabric to Prevent Weed Growth 

Installing landscape fabric under pavers and stones can prevent growth of weeds in walkways. It helps protect roots of shrubs and trees as well as keep the roots cool if covered with mulch. Although weeds tend to grow in mulch over the landscape fabric, however, their roots are shallow. It’s quite easy to pull out such weeds.  

3. Use Pure White Vinegar  

Pour white vinegar in a spray bottle. Then, mist the weeds that need to be removed using it. You might need to mist the weeds with the vinegar continuously for several days, but you will get the results. As sunlight amplifies the effectiveness of vinegar, it’s best to spray it on a sunny day in the morning.  

However, be cautious about over-spraying the vinegar in your garden or lawn. High amounts of vinegar can kill garden plants, so be careful enough.  

4. Apply a Bit of Salt 

Salt is an easy and quick way of weed control. Sprinkling salt generously at an unwanted weed’s base will make the soil there unsuitable for growing. Ensure that you use salt carefully and sprinkle it only in areas with weeds that you want to eliminate. Avoid using it in areas where pets may walk since salt can irritate the paws of pets.   

5. Use Corn Meal for Weed Control  

If you don’t want weeds growing in certain areas, you can strew cornmeal in those. This will prevent the germination of their seeds in the soil.  

Cornmeal would not cause any harm to mature plants. So, you can sprinkle some cornmeal around your flower bed or vegetable garden without worrying about harming your crops.  

Weed Control Alternatives that Do Not Harm Plants 

Here are some weed killers that specifically target weeds without causing any adverse effects on grass or your other plants. 

1. Baking Soda 

Baking soda is a safe weed control product. Spread some baking soda over weed-ridden areas directly to make your soil less suitable for weed growth. You can sprinkle baking soda directly into cracks and crevices in which weeds appear at places like driveways and sidewalks. 

2. Mulch 

Spreading mulch in landscaped areas and garden can hinder weed growth. In case you find weeds growing in such areas, anyway, use a newspaper to cover the area. This will prevent the reach of air and light to the soil, thereby killing weeds. However, don’t cover any plants that you don’t want to eliminate.  

3. Salt Water 

Boil about 2 cups of water and add a cup of salt to it. Pour the hot water onto weeds directly while handling it carefully.  

 Apart from these, cornmeal and vinegar are also effective alternatives for weed removal that don’t cause any harm to plants.

Summing Up 

A healthy green lawn can remarkably enhance the aesthetic appeal of your home. Your lawn can be a great place for your family to spend time together and your children and pets to play. Make sure you keep it weed-free with weed control products that don’t harm your pets, other animals as well as your plants.  

In case you can’t invest enough time in lawn maintenance, consider consulting a reliable lawn care services company offering residential lawn care services and weed control service. Such a company can assist you with your landscape maintenance to keep your lawn healthy and beautiful.