- Borax is mined in the United States, Chile and Tibet, and has many uses for gardeners.garden image by narongkron from Fotolia.com
Borax is a mineral containing sodium, boron, oxygen and water. Among its many uses, borax is an inexpensive and organic option for killing weeds, is beneficial to plants in the right amounts, and can be used to preserve flowers. It can also harm your lawn and garden if used improperly. Wear gloves when handling borax, because it is somewhat toxic. - Have your soil tested to determine whether your garden would benefit from an application of borax. If it would, mix 1 tbsp. of borax in a gallon of water, and water the base of each plant with about 1 ounce of the mixture. Apply once every three years.
- Borax works well as a weed killer for organic gardening, but if used too heavily, it can damage or kill your plants. Borax contains boron, a micronutrient that plants require for growth. Because different plant species have different boron requirements, it can be difficult to mix the proper amount to kill weeds without harming your lawn or plants.
Sprinkle borax in sidewalk and driveway cracks to prevent weeds from rooting. Spray a mixture of ¼ cup borax in a gallon of water on weeds in your garden. Adjust accordingly if your plants are adversely affected.
Ground ivy, also known as creeping charlie, creeping jenny and gill-over-the-ground, can be killed in lawns with a recipe from David Lunsford of the University of Minnesota: after dissolving 10 oz. of borax in 4 oz. of warm water, add that mixture to 2 1/2 gallons of water to treat 1,000 sq. ft. Apply borax in the spring when creeping charlie is actively growing and when rain is not expected for 48 hours. Switch to a different weed killer if you still have creeping charlie in your yard after two years of borax applications, because borax will accumulate in the soil. - Sunflowers benefit from mid-summer waterings of ½ tsp. of borax dissolved in 1 gallon of water, according to GardenWise. The boron in borax that can kill other plants helps make sunflowers sturdier, and may increase their bloom size and seed production by up to 20 percent. Apply the mixture in the early morning when buds are halfway developed, and once more a month later.
- You can use borax to preserve flowers that hold their shape and color, and shrink little. Probably the best mixture to use is half borax and half either white or yellow corn meal, oatmeal or sand. Ratios of 1 to 5 and 1 to 10 have also been used with success. Experiment to find what works best for you. Flowers can be dried face-down, face-up or horizontally. Remove the borax mixture from the flowers when the petals are dry; drying times vary up 10 days. Leaving the mixture on too long can result in brittle flowers and petal loss.
