I've never heard that. I just used a couple drops of dishwashing soap in the solution. I am fairly confident that it was the vinegar doing the damage. Guess I'll stick to what I know, which is neem, marigolds, egg shells, and coffee grounds.
Another use for vinegar is to clean corrosion or rust off your grungy old tools (no, not that tool). Submerge the tools in a 1 to 1 or 2 to 1 water to vinegar solution. Warning - use a disposible container and oil the tools afterward.
It was definitely the vinegar. Heavily diluted dish soap makes a fine insecticide for many pests on plants.
Also, ducks work exceeding well. I'm currently running at about $10 a month to feed half a dozen of them. Haven't bought eggs in I forget how long. It's mosquito season here, but there isn't one within several acres of us (there also aren't any bugs, frogs, or lizards period within a few acres of us). Just buy a few ducks from tractor supply, let them eat all the bugs around your garden, then when gardening season is done eat the ducks. Rinse and repeat.
Yes, I was gonna say that my family has used dishsoap like that for years without adverse effects. A strong undiluted detergent would probably have the effects Juice described though.
I use this home made bug spray in my yard and on my veggies and it works beautifully: Place one pack of chewing tobacco in an old nylon sock or some cheese cloth and soak it overnight in one gallon of water. After that has fermented add one cup of Dawn dish washing liquid and one cup of Listerine mouthwash. Fill a hose end sprayer and set it to about 4-5 oz and spray away. Super cheap, makes a ton, and works great. I would never spray vinegar on anything you want to keep in any quantity. Vinegar is mostly used in the garden as a weed killer.
Does the vinegar kill those awful devil's thorns with the huge starchy roots that are found everywhere around here? Roundup doesn't touch that shit.
I'm not sure about the weeds you mention, but I am plagued by something similar. On those I use ground clear concetrate by spectracide Works great for a couple of months.
I'm reviving this old thread because something a person should have known but did not nearly burnt my house down. Extension cords, do not shop for them basing your decision to purchase soley on the lowest price. Buy the cord that is rated for at least as many amps as the breaker that is in the circuit. You got a 20 amp breaker, you need at least a 20 amp cord. Higher amp extension cords are much more expensive than light duty crap only fit to power a lamp. Because someone, probably years ago, bought the cheapest, light-duty cord they could find and used it to ad an outlet in my basement, it nearly caught fire just trying to run my big mitre saw. Melted the cord within seconds of starting my cut.