Plant leaves naturally contain a waxy coating that repels water.
Dish soap helps break this surface tension.
This allows the vinegar and citric acid solution to stick to the weed rather than rolling off.
What This Weed Killer Can and Cannot Do
Many people expect homemade weed sprays to work exactly like commercial systemic herbicides.
That is not usually the case.
This mixture primarily acts as a contact weed killer.
It damages the parts of the plant it touches directly.
The leaves often wilt within hours and may appear completely
