Abstract: A method for controlling the growth of vegetation includes a step of applying a composition to the foliage of the vegetation, without any pre-heating. The application of the composition induces osmosis on cells of the foliage and destroys those cells. The composition includes an aqueous solution of at least one sugar, and optionally further includes a penetrant and an additional component such as a fatty acid. The sugar may be selected from natural plant-based sugars, sugar substitutes and sugar alcohols. The concentrations of the active ingredients may be varied to give either a weed-killing effect, or a plant growth inhibitor effect, as desired.