About ten years ago by pure accident a researcher in Iowa discovered that corn gluten can be used to destroy unwanted weeds. Since then a lot of organic herbicide companies and farm owners have turned to corn gluten as a safe organic way to get rid of many weeds.

So what is corn gluten? It’s a byproduct of processing corn to make corn starch and corn syrup. Corn gluten, often available in powder or pellets, contains about 10 percent nitrogen.

What makes it work effectivly? Well first of all  gluten inhibits the root formation of sprouting seeds or at least that’s what the scientists that have been researching it for the past ten years say. The weed will actually germinate but will not be able to form a root.

Experts say timing is everything if you want to effectively control weeds. You have to get weeds as they’re germinating, broadcasting about 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. After the weeds germinate, a short drying period is needed to kill the weeds that have sprouted but haven’t formed a root. If the area is too wet following the corn glutton application, the weeds will form a root and continue to grow. You will have to spread corn gluten in early spring and again in late summer to get the most out of it. If you do it right corn gluten is one of the most effective organic herbicides.

While corn gluten will work well on pre-emergent weeds, it won’t kill the mature ones or even the ones that got the chance to grow taller than 4 inch so you will have to get to work very early in the season for it to work. But the thought of not harming your land or the air at all should make you start early your work next year.
Weeds controlled by corn gluten are but not limited to: crabgrass, dandelions, smart weed, redroot pigweed, purslane, lambs quarters, foxtail, and barnyard grass.

Last thing and probably the most important , make sure you get your corn gluten from organic corn farms only !

The biggest problem with organic farming is controlling the weeds. Cultural practices, including cultivation, flaming, soil solarization, and mulching are commonly used but nevertheless not always effective.. However, the good news is out, several other organic herbicides have been approved to go on market

Although these organic herbicides are  recommended to have control over the  weeds, especially during the early spring, the approval took a lot of time in order to make sure they follow the rules for organic herbicides.
The testing went on as it follows.

The organic herbicides were applied during September and October when weed growth was slowing down and some species,  were producing seeds. However, newly emerged nutsedge in recently cultivated areas was not controlled by the organic herbicides either. Neither AllDown or Xpress require an adjuvant but even with adding an adjuvant it did not increase their strength.

The Xpress  application does say it should be applied to young weeds less than 2 feet tall , it is an early season organic herbicide after all .The fact that the testing took place in the fall and on to mature plants could explain their failure to destroy the weeds. Repeated application is recommended for any organic herbicide and Xpress is not an exception.

The tested  weed species were different for each herbicide but here is a brief list of what they worked on :  bahia grass, Bermuda grass, crabgrass, dayflower, goose grass, hairy indigo, lambs quarters, Florida pusley, goat weed, nutsedge, pale meadow beauty, pigweed, shrubby primrose willow, broadleaf signal grass,  spurge, torpedo grass, radish, and purslane. Given the mix of grass and broadleaf weeds at each site, weed control for grasses was recorded.

Also two small mandarins about two years of age without a recent growth flush, were planted in each replicate of each of the four treatments and sprayed with each of the herbicide treatments. Seedlings treated with Roundup Pro had heavy leaf damage .Seedlings treated with the organic herbicides had about 10% leaf spotting and dieback but were not seriously damaged.

A spring application for these organic herbicides is planned for  2009 in order to complete the study.

Oh how good the promise of vinegar as an organic herbicide sounds . Yes, even regular vinegar works! Since the number of organic products available for killing unwanted weeds is extremely small the use of vinegar as an addition is just welcomed…

Vinegar has long been used around the house for many different purposes such as : cooking, cleaning, and for many other chores. Vinegar can be produced naturally by decomposing plant products under anaerobic conditions. Household vinegar is usually made from wine, cider or malt . The sugars in these plant products are converted into alcohol and trough fermentation. This oxidative process forms vinegar.

Regular household vinegar has a 5 percent concentration of acid acetic.. However if it’s going to be use as organic herbicide the concentration of acid acetic should be bigger  . A 15 percent  concentration can be obtained, and a 30% concentration can be obtained by freeze evaporation. Even concentrated acid acetic is still of organic nature and is commonly accepted throughout  organic farms out there.

Acetic acid however degrades in water so do not spray it before a rain. The best part about this organic herbicide is that it is 100 percent biodegradable.

The research that  has been so far conducted  shows that vinegar can kill several weed species at different growth stages. Using 10, 15 or 20% acetic acid concentrations, field researchers had a huge success  killing weeds such as the giant foxtail , the lambs quarter and the velvet leaf. Re-growth from the roots unfortunately continues and can not be stopped with vinegar.

Another bit of research conducted was done on cornfields: spot spraying with 20% concentration killed 80-100% of weeds without harming the corn. This is an area where the scientists say they are actively continuing to do more research.

Here is an easy by season guide to help you treat your lawn with care and make it flourish.

• Anytime during weed growing season it’s a good time for a soil test . Get to know your soil a lot of companies offer convenient soil tests that give you an information report about the state of it  and what organic herbicides you can use in case you need to. This should be your starting point as a soil test reveals the acidity and it will point you out the main problems in order for you to correct them.
• In the early spring it’s time for cleaning up and aeration. At this time of the year you have to use a machine to aerate the soil and organic herbicides to kill unwanted weeds right when they are starting to grow.
• In late spring you can move on to fertilization of the soil . Get some of the blended organic fertilizers that are available in shops today and proceed to “feeding ” your lawn. You can also use compost to blend it with your soil.
• From Early spring throughout fall you will have to mow the lawn on a regular basis . Extensive research has shown that cutting high has many benefits for lawn. It even decreases the insect and unwanted weeds problem. However it’s best if you proceed to applying organic herbicides right after each mowing.
• In the summer it’s time to build up strong plants by applying bio-stimulant. These products stimulate plant growth trough naturally growth hormones , the reduce the chances of diseases and increase the drough-resistance.
• As soon as fall comes it’s time for the winterizing organic fertilizer , this is probably the most important application. A winterizing concentrates beneath the soil strengthening the root system.
• In the late fall test your soil again, if the ph is less that 6.5 you have to apply lime to make it more acid. Adjust the quantity according to your soils’ ph
• And The Final Clean up. Reduce the height for the final cutting , remove remaining leaves from the lawn and prepare to do it all over again next year.

Organic herbicides can be used in organic gardening and also in farming to help killing unwanted weeds.

Most organic herbicides are used to destroy unwanted weeds that have grown between the crops or on the lawn, they affect only the unwanted weeds and not the crop they also don’t affect the soil and are not toxic, normal herbicides are used worldwide in non-organic farms to destroy weeds but they affect the soil and the crop will contain toxins. Another type of herbicides , the most powerful ones, are used to remove all vegetation for good in places like gravels and so on, their impact on the soil is long term and it can take up to 200 years for vegetation to begin growing again and up to 500 years for a crop that is safe to eat.

Most organic herbicides are non-selective, that means they destroy any plant they come in contact with, however they will not leave residues that will prevent another crop to grow next season. They will also not harm the worms and other life forms inside the soil. Many non-organic weed killers will harm these forms of life and therefore weaken the growing power of the land.

In Theory and “organic herbicide” can be any herbicide that has in its formula Carbon, but the name is actually given only to herbicides that have been approved to be used on organic farms. If organic certification is important for you then you should consult the local authorities to find out what you can and what you can not use in order to keep your organic farm certificate. There are many organic herbicides, here are few of the most popular

•    Vinegar
Has been commonly used as a weed killer, it does not affect the roots so it needs more applications and you’ll need to purchase vinegar with a high acid acetic concentration such as 20 percent or higher.
Vinegar or acetic acid is also used in most of the synthetic compound weed killers. Other agents that are used in compound patent herbicides: clove oil, garlic, thyme oil, citric acid and yucca extracts.

•    Burning
Fire is probably the oldest weed killer but because it kills everything including the crop it can only be done at the end of the season to clean the field. It is a good thing that it produces ash that will enrich the soil but it will also burn some of the seeds resulting in a possible smaller crop. The best part about it is that it’s absolutely 100 percent natural.

If you plan on setting your field on fire you should probably check if this is legal where you live. Many countries do not allow open fire in the field because it poses great danger.
Infra-red heat treatment is another way of burning the finished crop which does not involve the dangers of flames. This is permitted in most areas.

•    Mulching

It’s basically covering the unwanted weeds with plastic or other covers to prevent them from getting oxygen and so kill them. All of the ground between the wanted plants is covered with plastic, canvas or other material and any weeds that sprout in the ground beneath it will not be able to grow. Putting straw between strawberry plants is well known example.

If you have a garden or a small farm the absolute best way to keep your garden or crop weed free is to simply pluck the unwanted vegetation . Making your hands the best organic herbicide.