1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:06,120 --> 00:00:10,360 Speaker 1: Hey brain Stuff, Lauren boglebom Here. Whether you're putting your 3 00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:14,200 Speaker 1: green thumb to use in your container, garden or home landscaping, 4 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:18,600 Speaker 1: you're no doubt in a battle against weeds. Those pesky 5 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:20,800 Speaker 1: pain in the you know what's for both people and 6 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:23,800 Speaker 1: plants caused many of us to turn to hardware store 7 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:27,720 Speaker 1: shelves for commercial weed killers. While it's true that they 8 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:30,560 Speaker 1: pack a strong punch and do the trick, they can 9 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:33,040 Speaker 1: also cause a lot more harm to the environment than 10 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:37,360 Speaker 1: meets the eye. However, homemade weed killers can do the 11 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:39,839 Speaker 1: same job as the store bought ones and with a 12 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 1: lot less damage. As we all know, bees play a 13 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:47,760 Speaker 1: crucial role in pollination and in the ecosystem, but commercial 14 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:51,760 Speaker 1: weed killers are contributing to the problematic decline bees population. 15 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:58,000 Speaker 1: The culprit glyphosphate, this active ingredient in herbicides, punches bees 16 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:01,960 Speaker 1: right in the gut quite literally. For the article this 17 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:05,399 Speaker 1: episode is based on How Stuff Works, spoke with Andrew C. McCall, 18 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:10,360 Speaker 1: pH d, Associate professor of biology at Dennison University in Grandville, Ohio. 19 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:14,920 Speaker 1: He said the most common herbicide glyphosphate or round up, 20 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:18,880 Speaker 1: has been studied in bees. Mostly it can kill beneficial 21 00:01:18,959 --> 00:01:22,160 Speaker 1: gut microbes and bees, which could make the insects more 22 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:27,759 Speaker 1: susceptible to harmful microbes. Glyphosphate can also negatively affect navigation 23 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:31,480 Speaker 1: in honeybee workers. In particular, it looks like they have 24 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:34,120 Speaker 1: a harder time finding their way back to the hive. 25 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 1: But bees aren't the only arthropods who feel the toxic effects, 26 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:45,240 Speaker 1: McCall said. Glyphosphate can also indirectly affect many insects because 27 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:48,360 Speaker 1: it can kill lots of plants that insects eat. The 28 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:52,160 Speaker 1: most prominent example is the common milkweed, an important food 29 00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:56,720 Speaker 1: source for monarch caterpillars, and given that these sprays land 30 00:01:56,760 --> 00:01:59,880 Speaker 1: on the ground surrounding the weeds, it makes sense the 31 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:04,800 Speaker 1: chemicals could affect the soil too. McCall added. Glyphosphate binds 32 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:09,079 Speaker 1: to soil particles and can negatively affect bacterial communities and fungi. 33 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:15,160 Speaker 1: Even the ingredient used as the transport mechanism for glyphosphate 34 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:18,120 Speaker 1: plays a harmful role. It's known to be even more 35 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:21,800 Speaker 1: toxic to aquatic life, including fish, frog, shrimp, and algae 36 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:26,560 Speaker 1: than glyphosphate itself, and it can easily trickle elsewhere since 37 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:29,320 Speaker 1: it doesn't get stuck in the soil and hangs around 38 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:34,160 Speaker 1: longer before degrading. So how do you kill weeds without 39 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:38,200 Speaker 1: harming the environment. You can, of course take the old 40 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:42,360 Speaker 1: fashioned and uncomfortable approach and pull weeds up manually, but 41 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:45,680 Speaker 1: with just a few common household ingredients you can safely 42 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:49,079 Speaker 1: knock them out with less effort and money. Here are 43 00:02:49,120 --> 00:02:52,600 Speaker 1: three easy recipes for homemade weed killers that really work. 44 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:57,200 Speaker 1: The first is a combination of vinegar, epsom, salt, and soap. 45 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:01,200 Speaker 1: This simple concoction of three ingredients we most likely have 46 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:04,240 Speaker 1: in the pantry or under the kitchen sink is guaranteed 47 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:07,519 Speaker 1: to stop weeds in their tracks. A note about that salt. 48 00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:10,800 Speaker 1: Anytime you add salt to soil, you will affect the 49 00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 1: soil and make it difficult to grow things there in 50 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:16,440 Speaker 1: the future. So if you're targeting weeds where you want 51 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 1: nothing to grow, like a driveway or cracks on a patio, 52 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:22,480 Speaker 1: for instance, go ahead and use the salt. But if 53 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:24,360 Speaker 1: you want to plant in that spot in the future, 54 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:27,040 Speaker 1: leave the salt out of this recipe or use it 55 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:32,079 Speaker 1: very sparingly. That said, here's the basic recipe. For a 56 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 1: quart or one leader of white vinegar, you'll need half 57 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:37,920 Speaker 1: a cup about a hundred millilaters of epsom salt and 58 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:41,920 Speaker 1: a tablespoon or so about fifteen millileaters of liquid dishwhing soap. 59 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:45,720 Speaker 1: Pour the ingredients into a spray bottle and shake until combined. 60 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:48,600 Speaker 1: Then let it settle for two minutes and spray on 61 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:51,560 Speaker 1: the weeds. Make sure to soak the whole weed, but 62 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 1: watch out anything you inadvertently spray will also be killed. 63 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:58,000 Speaker 1: Let it stay on the weeds for twenty four hours. 64 00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:01,240 Speaker 1: The weeds should be dead within a day. Uh note 65 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:04,360 Speaker 1: for best effect, spray weeds on a sunny afternoon when 66 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:09,160 Speaker 1: they are dry. And The next homemade solution is even 67 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:12,720 Speaker 1: more simple. It's just boiling water to get rid of 68 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:15,520 Speaker 1: weeds in a driveway or sidewalk cracks. You can just 69 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:17,800 Speaker 1: boil a pot or kettle of water and then pour 70 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:20,839 Speaker 1: it on the weeds, and take caution and pour slowly, 71 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:23,880 Speaker 1: being careful not to splash any on yourself. The water 72 00:04:23,960 --> 00:04:26,400 Speaker 1: will kill the weeds right away, but it won't kill 73 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:29,040 Speaker 1: the roots, so you'll likely need to repeat the process 74 00:04:29,120 --> 00:04:33,120 Speaker 1: on new growth. For areas that require a bit more caution. 75 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:36,320 Speaker 1: You can selectively trim down weeds and then cover them 76 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:39,800 Speaker 1: with newspaper and mulch. The combination of a layer of 77 00:04:39,839 --> 00:04:42,320 Speaker 1: paper and a good couple inches of mulch will block 78 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:45,520 Speaker 1: the sunlight and air from reaching developing weeds and stop 79 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:48,960 Speaker 1: them from germinating and growing. As a bonus, newspaper will 80 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:53,520 Speaker 1: break down over time, leaving nothing to clean up. Looking 81 00:04:53,560 --> 00:04:57,560 Speaker 1: for a healthy, long term solution, keep it native. Planting 82 00:04:57,640 --> 00:05:00,160 Speaker 1: native flowers in your garden and native grasses in your 83 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:02,760 Speaker 1: yard can help cut down on the amount of weeds 84 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:07,479 Speaker 1: they're inherently better at competing for crucial light, nutrients, and water. 85 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:10,560 Speaker 1: Or you can take it a step further and replace 86 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:14,840 Speaker 1: your lawn or landscaping with native ivy or moss. With 87 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:18,040 Speaker 1: a little outside the box thinking and a few household ingredients, 88 00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:20,640 Speaker 1: it really is possible to win the war against weeds 89 00:05:20,640 --> 00:05:24,159 Speaker 1: without harming the environment, your garden, your yard, and the 90 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:31,760 Speaker 1: bees will thank you. Today's episode is based on the 91 00:05:31,839 --> 00:05:35,440 Speaker 1: article natural weed Killers Made Gardening Safe and Easy on 92 00:05:35,520 --> 00:05:38,599 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot Com, written by Katie Carmen. Brain 93 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:40,800 Speaker 1: Stuff is production of I Heart Radio in partnership with 94 00:05:40,839 --> 00:05:43,320 Speaker 1: how stuff Works dot com and is produced by Tyler Clay. 95 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:46,480 Speaker 1: Four more podcasts My Heart Radio because at the Heart 96 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:49,320 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple podcasts are wherever you listen to your 97 00:05:49,320 --> 00:05:50,040 Speaker 1: favorite shows.