6 Best Ways to Remove Weeds From Large Areas + Homemade Weed Killer

Are you frustrated because you have tons of weeds, dandelions, crabgrass, or ragweed infesting your property? If so, then I’m about to show you 6 bulletproof methods for killing large patches of weeds – without using unnatural pesticides or herbicides.

I’ll also reveal a 100% natural homemade weed killer recipe that you can apply using ingredients that you probably already have around your house. This natural pesticide rocks for your weed removing efforts!

Best Way To Remove Weeds From Large Areas

1. Manually pull the unwanted weeds
2. Vaporize weeds away using hot steam
3. Use this 100% natural homemade weed killer recipe
4. Deploy a thick robust weed barrier to smother weeds
5. Whack your weeds into oblivion
6. Hire a team of goats to munch your weeds away (Seriously!)

Even if your property is teeming with weeds of all varieties, the following 6 tips can help you eradicate weeds without stress and synthetic pesticides or herbicides.

1. Manually Pull the Unwanted Weeds

Nothing beats manually pulling your weeds. Manual weed removal is the most surefire method to remove weeds in any situation. Most people hate to hear this – but it’s true! Here’s why.

You don’t need fancy tools to uproot weeds from a large area manually. A basic weed puller works perfectly if you have lots of weeds that are deeply rooted. If you have lots of shallow weeds, then an ergonomic garden hoe can help you to slice and uproot the weeds without straining yourself.

Manually removing the weeds eliminates the risk of pollution, soil contamination, and won’t cost you a pretty penny. The only costs involved are garden tools plus the time and effort you spend manually uprooting the dandelions or deep-rooted weeds that plague your once beautiful yard, lawn, or acreage.

The Secret to Manually Removing Weeds (Successfully)

The more time you spend manually removing weeds, the easier it’s going to be to manage weeds and keep weeds in check over the long-term.

Even if you need to focus on killing large patches of weeds, say an acre or more, I still recommend manually pulling as many weeds as you can. Pulling weeds isn’t an overnight process.

I also think that having contact with nature is good for the mind and soul. I propose that pulling weeds can give you a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction that other synthetic weed removal methods cannot – especially if you take pride in nurturing a beautiful, 100% natural lawn.

2. Vaporize Weeds Away With Hot Steam

If you have a large backyard or acres of thick and heavy weeds, then maybe you need something heftier than a manual weed puller and a pair of garden gloves. Time to bust out the heavy ordnance!

That’s the beauty of vaporizing your weeds with hot steam. Not only does a reliable steam weeder help to avoid the risk of pollution that pesticides introduce, but it’s also a quick and painless way to eradicate your weeds without straining your back, neck, or shoulders.

I’m a fan of the DynaSteam DS2000 because it has attachable extensions to help eliminate weeds that dwell above the surface and also weeds that grow underground. There’s even an optional BBQ grill attachment that can help clean your grill. Nice bonus!

A Fire-Blazing Alternative to Using Steam to Kill Weeds

There’s also an alternative to using hot steam if you have weeds that are especially thick, dense, wild, and troublesome. The alternative is to use a lightweight weed torch to quickly scorch your unwanted weeds.

Burning your weeds with a torch is quicker and potentially easier than using steam. However, with all of the California wildfires these days, I beg you to exercise caution and check with your local laws to ensure that burning weeds is legal and safe in your area!

3. Use This 100% Natural Homemade Weed Killer Recipe

A lot of people ask if I have a good recipe for a natural homemade weed killer. The answer is yes!

The best part is that you can make this homemade weed killer recipe with ingredients you have laying around your house. All you need is a handy garden pump sprayer and a few household ingredients.

Natural Weed Killer Recipe

Combine the ingredients into your favorite pump sprayer, and spray liberally to obliterate weeds. Try not to touch desirable plants with the solution – only spray weeds that you don’t want to survive.

This natural herbicide will help to dry out and kill weeds (and other plants) that it touches. Remember that most of the household vinegar in your home contains roughly 4% – 8% acetic acid. Acetic acid is an organic compound that helps kill weeds.

If you want to create a more potent weed killer spray, there are vinegar concentrates available with 20%, 30%, or even 40% acetic acid concentrations that will produce a more powerful kick. This stuff is potent and will kill plant life indiscriminately.

Vinegar concentrates are ludicrously strong, so exercise caution when you apply them to your weeds! Consider wearing goggles and gloves when using.

Why I Don’t Recommend Synthetic Pesticides or Herbicides For Removing Weeds From a Large Area

I try to avoid recommending synthetic pesticides because they are potentially harmful to your family, soil, and local wildlife. I also believe that some pesticides and herbicides may have hidden risks that nobody fully understands.

That’s why I recommend using an all-natural homemade weed spray with vinegar and natural soap. Keep your soil, family, and pets safe!

4. Deploy a Thick Robust Weed Barrier to Smother Weeds

Smothering your weeds with a weed barrier is a stroke of genius if you don’t want to use pesticides or exert yourself with manual labor. The idea of a weed barrier is to smother your weeds and deprive the weeds of sunlight.

Weed barriers are available in all kinds of sizes so if you have a large area of thick weeds then barriers are a clever way to dry them out and block sunlight to obstruct weed growth.

You can also strategically place a weed barrier around desirable plants, shrubs, or bushes that you want to survive. Use the weed barrier to cover only undesirable weeds.

So which type of barrier can you use to block sunlight? You have a handful of options. One of the most popular options is by using a weed tarp. You can also use mulch.

Use a Weed Tarp to Smother Weeds

A thick weed tarp is excellent for killing large patches of weeds because of the low amount of work involved. Calculate how much surface area you need, and then find a heavy-duty plastic sheeting roll to do the job. Watch your undesirable weeds wane, dry, and die – like magic.

The main thing that I appreciate about weed tarps is simplicity. You can tactically place a weed tarp so that it covers undesirable weeds while also giving any desirable plant room and sunlight to grow – all without straining your neck, knees, or back.

Use Mulch to Choke Out Your Weeds

Instead of relying on a tarp to deprive weeds of sunlight, a thick layer of premium mulch can help to stifle the weeds so they can’t flourish.

Not only does mulch look and smell great, but it also provides the perfect barrier to help block sunlight, choke weeds out, and smother them into the ground.

Mulch also has other hidden benefits for your lawn and garden. Mulch can help to improve the depth of desirable roots, conserve water, improve soil properties, and mulch can also help to minimize weed germination.

5. Whack Your Weeds into Oblivion

If you don’t have the energy or time to remove weeds from a large area manually, or if your unwanted weeds are too dense for mulch to smother effectively, then maybe it’s time to consider a mechanical option.

Whacking weeds into next week with the right weed trimmer is probably a smart idea if you’re dealing with a dense coat of weeds that would take a lifetime to remove manually.

A mechanical weed trimmer won’t permanently kill all of your weeds. However, a reliable weed trimmer can quickly reduce and damage weeds and make unmanageable overgrowth much easier to handle.

Once you bring your weeds down a notch, it’s much easier to apply natural herbicide, smother them, or manually uproot them if you wish. (Don’t miss our best string trimmer line article – the right line can make all the difference!)

6. Hire a Team of Goats to Munch Your Weeds Away

I saved the best weed removal tip for last. Here’s a weed removal strategy that works even if you have an acre or more of weeds. I’m talking about Goatscaping! 

Goatscaping wins the day if you want to make your weeds disappear without backbreaking labor. Not only is Goatscaping one of the most fun weed removal methods, but it’s gaining steam. The Goatscaping trend is taking small towns everywhere worldwide by storm.

The way Goatscaping works is simple. You hire a team of “professional” goats to eagerly munch and snack upon your unwanted weeds. As a bonus, the goats even help to fertilize your land – no extra charge required!

Goatscaping offers a boatload of giggles and also has many unobvious benefits. If you have children who love animals, then hiring a team of goats to remove weeds from a large area will be a spectacle that they’ll remember and laugh about for a lifetime.

Another benefit of using goats to remove weeds over a large area is that goats can be ludicrously agile when they find foliage that they want to eat. Goats can reach places that your tractor, weed trimmer, or lawnmower can’t! Nothing can stop them. Not even poison ivy! Food for thought – and goats!

My Best Tips for Weed Removing and Long-Term Weed Prevention

What happens once you remove weeds over a large area? Your work is just beginning! Don’t slack off now, or the weeds will quickly overtake your hard-fought victory.

One of the best long-term weed removal tips is to ensure that you never give new weeds a chance to grow and multiply. Here are my three best weed removal and management tips for a consistently beautiful lawn.

1. Plant Fresh Grass to Replace Your Weeds

The number one weed removal tip I have for the prevention of future weed outbreaks is to plant a thick healthy coating of premium grass seed after weed removal.

Your thick, flourishing, healthy lawn is the worst nightmare for new, ambitious weeds. Weeds don’t like competition, and your lawn is one of the handiest and most vigorous competitors that weeds ever face.

In other words, if you plant fresh grass to replace your weeds, new weeds will have less of an opportunity to seize fresh sunlight, nutrients, and moisture.

2. Consider Using Corn Gluten Meal

A lot of gardeners and landscapers think that corn gluten kills weeds.

That’s not the way corn gluten works!

Instead of killing your weeds outright, corn gluten instead prevents new weeds from germinating. Corn gluten is one of your closest allies in the weed prevention battle!

I think that careful corn gluten use is one of the smartest, safest, and most effective ways to control your weeds so that they don’t pop up next year and ruin your work, labor, and lawncare love.

Another thing I fancy about using corn gluten to manage weeds is that it’s an organic option. Applying corn gluten for weed management is also easy. Apply your all-natural corn gluten weed preventer over the desired area in the early fall and the early spring.

Corn gluten has another big benefit. Corn gluten is packed with nitrogen and can give your soil a fertilizing boost. Nice!

3. Stay on Top of Your Game!

Removing weeds over large areas requires effort regardless of which weed removing option you choose. However, if you devote yourself and work smartly, then even the thickest of weed removal scenarios is manageable.

Remember to keep your eyes on new weed infestations and tackle them before they get out of hand. One tiny patch of weeds can multiply quickly if they begin to seed! That’s why staying on top of your weed removal game is one of your top priorities going forward.

There’s no replacement for hard work, and I think that if you can devote time to manage weeds, you’ll have much better luck!

What’s Your Best Weed Removal Tip for Large Areas?

I know there are lots of genius horticulturalists, homesteaders, and garden enthusiasts out there. Please let me know your top tip for removing weeds over a large area. What method works best for you? I thank you for reading!