How to get rid of weeds in the yard. How to fight and remove weeds from the garden, we are studying ways. Soil mulching as a method of weed control

With the beginning of the cultivation of the first garden crops, mankind also encountered weeds, which, to the detriment of the entire world around them, developed much more successfully than their cultivated brothers. With the emergence of the problem, the first ways to deal with harmful plants appeared, different in their purpose and execution.

Method #1 - regular mechanical weeding

This is perhaps the most simple and familiar way, despite its complexity. The main property of weeding is regularity, which means a constant attachment to the garden. Vigorous waving with a chopper and even processing with a mower will not give results if you forget about weeding for at least two weeks, and besides, the effectiveness of actions is minimal. Garden regulars such as wild oats and couch grass cling tenaciously to the soil with their rhizomes, which spread around and form a real carpet. Removing part of the rhizomes does not deprive the plants of life, but only contributes to their rapid reproduction.

Using small forks for weeding instead of a chopper or shovel, you can not only free the soil from weeds, but also loosen it at the same time

For weeding beds, along with traditional tools, a weed extractor is used. To remove the plant, just immerse the extractor in the soil and turn 180 degrees

Method # 2 - using a covering material

  • linoleum;
  • black film;
  • cardboard;
  • ruberoid.

The method of cleaning the soil from weeds is simple: you should cover the desired area of ​​\u200b\u200bland with an opaque airtight material for 3 or 4 weeks, after which it can be removed. Not a single plant will withstand such conditions, and the roots, rudiments of stems and leaves will naturally die off, after which it is easy to remove them with an ordinary rake.

Some weeds have taproots that extend far into the depths. Sometimes the length of rhizomes and their processes reaches 1 m or more.

The peculiarity of this method is that weed control should take place before sowing or planting vegetable and berry crops, that is, the procedure must be done as early as possible. In the middle lane, March is recognized as the optimal time for sheltered work. A pleasant exception is strawberries, which can quite safely coexist with black film. The beds are closed completely, leaving nests for berry bushes. As a result, the film simultaneously performs a number of functions:

  • attracts the sun's rays;
  • helps to retain moisture in the soil;
  • excludes rotting of berries;
  • stops the growth of weeds.

The use of a black film against weeds dramatically increases the yield of garden strawberries. Sweet and juicy berries do not touch the ground, so they remain whole and healthy

Method # 3 - drip irrigation device

A rather interesting system of targeted spot irrigation not only saves water remarkably, but also feeds only the necessary vegetable crops. Water flowing from a water pipe or a large tank raised above the ground moves through pipes and hoses, and then seeps through small holes punctured in the places where vegetables are planted. The essence of watering is to saturate only useful plants with moisture, not giving weeds a chance to grow.

With drip irrigation, all the moisture goes to the plant for which it is intended. Dry land around the crop - a guarantee of protection from weeds and the reproduction of harmful insects

Method #4 - Protection with mulching

Mulching has been used for a long time, and quite different natural and artificial materials are used to create mulch - crushed mass:

  • fallen leaves;
  • dry grass;
  • compost;
  • straw;
  • shredded film;
  • landscape fabric.

A layer of carefully crushed material 6-7 cm thick is laid in a dense carpet around vegetable crops. It allows air to pass through, retains moisture, maintains the necessary temperature for optimal root growth, and at the same time serves as an effective barrier to weeds in the garden.

Biological or artificial mulching mixture is evenly distributed throughout the garden, leaving random nests for plants, taking into account their size and growth rate.

When laying mulch on the ground, you must adhere to a number of rules. If the plants are planted in the autumn period, then the protective mass must be added immediately after planting. In early spring, before using mulch, you should check if the ground has warmed up well. If the weeds have already begun to grow, it is necessary to carefully weed the soil, and then lay a thick layer of crushed mass - up to 18 cm.

Chemical attack on weeds

The weed army has many warriors: wild oat and chamomile, creeping wheatgrass and horse sorrel, tansy and yasnotka, St. John's wort and succession. But none of these plants can withstand the aggressive chemical attack - spraying with herbicides.

There are a number of means of the so-called systemic action. These include "Tornado", "Roundup", "Graud Bio". They are applied to the visible surfaces of plants - leaves, stem, inflorescences. The poisonous composition is absorbed by the pores of the herbs and gradually accumulates in their roots. A big plus of these funds is absolute safety for the surrounding soil. The land is not polluted, so after herbicide treatment, you can safely plant cultivated plants. The duration of exposure to pesticides depends on their composition and the degree of resistance of weeds, most often 2 weeks are enough to completely clear the area.

"Agrokiller" equally well destroys not only annuals and perennials, but also shrub-tree shoots. With its help, you can effectively deal with a dangerous and tenacious cow parsnip, capable of inflicting extensive burns.

In order not to damage vegetable crops or berry bushes, a simple tool is used to apply herbicides to weeds - an ordinary paint brush

The main rule when using herbicides is to carefully and accurately apply them only to harmful flowers and herbs, since the poisonous substance equally effectively kills any plants, including berry bushes and vegetable crops. Due to the total destruction of all living things, the best use for herbicides is their spraying in areas far from the beds, but also in need of cleaning: thickets along the fence, grass nests in the furrows, burdock and thistle bushes along the edges of garden paths.

Let's take a closer look at the two tools. "Roundup" is a universal herbicide, which is used to get rid of absolutely any plants. It does not have soil activity, therefore it is used before the start of sowing vegetables. If you act according to the instructions, then the product is completely safe for people, animals and the environment. A 1 liter container, which is enough for 20 m², costs 1250 rubles.

Often large containers of continuous herbicides (for example, Roundup) are equipped with a small pump with a hose, which add convenience and speed to the process.

The second popular tool is "Tornado". On the territory of the garden, it is recommended to use it against such weeds as cattail, creeping wheatgrass, bindweed, thistle, pig, reed. After applying the composition, after about 8-10 days, the plants begin to turn yellow, wither, and after 2.5-3 weeks they finally die. After about 3-4 days, vegetables and berries can be planted on the treated soil. A 1 liter container costs 900 rubles.

Herbicide "Tornado" is safe for animals and bees, but is poisonous for fish. When using it, contact of the solution with the mucous membrane of the eyes should be avoided.

By learning how to control weeds in a variety of ways and means, you can increase yields and turn a semi-wild vegetable garden into a showpiece plot.

The second half of summer comes and the weeds at this time behave most actively - their growth at this time is comparable only with the middle of spring - I have a fight with only one ragweed takes up to a third of the "summer time"

Settling in beds, flower beds and lawns, weeds compete with cultivated plantings, take away water, nutrients from them and deprive them of light. And here's the problem - getting rid of them is not so easy. After spending the weekend weeding the garden, after a week you find that all the work has gone down the drain and the weeds have regained their lost positions.

Weeds are extremely tenacious: they do not freeze even in the coldest winters and are able to reproduce by self-sowing. Their seeds remain viable for more than one year, and the segments of roots remaining in the ground give rise to new weeds. In addition, most of them serve as carriers of pathogens of various diseases of cultivated plants and provide pests with a comfortable wintering. Therefore, weeds must be ruthlessly expelled from the site. And weapons for such a battle should be chosen very carefully. After all, the outcome of the battle for a beautiful garden and a fruitful garden largely depends on him. First of all, decide which method of weed control you prefer - mechanical or chemical.

Both of them have pros and cons. Mechanical - using modern equipment and hand tools - more gentle on the environment, but at the same time more laborious. Chemical - simple, but not always safe.

If you have the strength and time, and the prospect of poking around in the beds and flower beds gives you only positive emotions, then the mechanical method of weed destruction was invented for you. But even here there are some subtleties, because the choice of weapons against weed plants largely depends on the characteristics of the battlefield. What factors should be taken into account here?

First of all - the state of the soil, the degree of its cultivation. For processing virgin lands, abandoned allotments or a solid-sized area with heavy loamy soil that accumulates moisture, it is better to use powerful equipment with all its rich arsenal - hiller, plow and other attachments. Such multifunctional units can be safely entrusted with all earthworks - from plowing to weed control. Important: the more powerful the technique, the larger the processing area.

A giant who easily plowed ten acres, on a small patch of a flower garden, will look like an elephant in a china shop. Therefore, if the scope of work is small, use manual equipment. To tidy up light soils, such as sandy loam, you can use mechanical disc cultivators with durable and not too heavy cutters made of hardened aluminum or ordinary hand tools - choppers, hoes and rippers. When choosing inventory, pay attention not only to working nozzles, but also to handles. After all, the efficiency and rational use of forces depends primarily on the handle. It is best to buy a combination set consisting of an ergonomic handle and interchangeable nozzles. A practical option with a universal adapter, which will allow you to connect nozzles from other manufacturers to the handle.

The nature of planting is another factor influencing the choice of weeding tool. If the aisles are wide, then small and mobile electric or motor cultivators can work here, the mass of which varies between 8-15 kg. Most often, they “ride” on their own cutters, which loosen the ground and shred low weeds and their roots. For frequent plantings, miniature equipment is needed that provides shallow vertical loosening, in which weeds are destroyed in a limited area. Electric choppers and cultivators with rotating vertical cutters can easily cope with this work. If you need to get rid of the "green invaders" an alpine hill or tiny greenhouses, then only manual equipment will cope with such jewelry work. Choppers, hoes, cultivators, weeders with long or short handles - this is the tool for this work. The best option is a universal hoe, which has a double-sided working part: on the one hand, a cutting plane, and on the other, a fork or trident. Important: the size of the tool must correspond to the work planned for it, since it is very difficult to spud a hundred plantings of potatoes and weed a bed of carrots with the same tool. The material from which the working nozzles are made is also important. Hardened steel guarantees the strength and durability of tools even when working on heavy loamy soils, while titanium and hardened aluminum make the equipment lighter and more suitable for processing light soils, such as sandy loam.

chemical method weed control seems much simpler than mechanical, and does not require serious physical effort. It would seem, what is so difficult? Choose a calm, windless, overcast but not rainy day and spray green weeds with herbicide. But not everything is so simple. If you use a continuous preparation and weeds are adjacent to cultivated plants, they must be fenced off with a film so that drops of herbicide do not fall on them, otherwise the cultural plantings will disappear along with the weeds. If a powerful weed nestled comfortably surrounded by flowers and it is impossible to spray it, apply a chemical weed killer on the leaves can be a regular brush. In many cases, herbicides turn out to be a real lifesaver, because such malicious weeds as hogweed or wheatgrass can only be destroyed by chemicals. Important: herbicides begin their destructive work almost immediately.

Herbicides of continuous action destroy all plants in a row (both annuals and perennials). Remember: spray foliar herbicides only on green weeds, not on the soil. And don't count on chemical preparations to permanently rid your garden of weeds, because their seeds, which have previously fallen into the ground, will germinate throughout the growing season. But weeds will be much less.

Selective herbicides kill certain types of plants. They are especially needed for grass lawns, where mechanical weed control methods are problematic, as weeding tools ruin the beauty of green carpets. Lawn grasses for specialized herbicides are taboo, and most weeds die after spraying with such preparations. Garden crops are not so lucky. In summer cottages, on planting potatoes and tomatoes, so far it is allowed to use only one substance that destroys weeds.

Note - without any advertising I will advise you weed killer tornado- in my dacha, it showed itself perfectly, and even the lawn quickly returned to normal (just carefully read the instructions, the tool is very powerful).

Important: many summer residents are distrustful of chemicals. And in vain! After all, it is not the means that bring harm, but their misuse. And the indicated consumption rates of the drug are calculated according to the results of numerous tests. Therefore, if you strictly follow the instructions, chemical plant protection products will only benefit the garden.

Garden plants against weeds

The ubiquitous weeds immediately populate empty spaces in flower beds. The most convenient and easiest way to resist them is to plant beautifully flowering herbaceous perennials that easily propagate by self-sowing and thus quickly fill voids. Among these plants, the most popular can be called aquilegia (Aquilegia), the lovely flowers of which bloom in early summer.

Almost at the same time, the giant onion (Allium giganteum) blooms, which develops especially actively on soil with good water permeability, in a sunny place. Under the sun, the red centrantus (Centranthus ruber) also feels great.

Its pink or white inflorescence-caps crown the plant until the beginning of autumn. Summer-flowering orange-red hawkweed (Hieracium aurantiacum) settles with pleasure on dry rocky slopes.

Purple mullein (Verbascum phoeniceim) is unusual in that it appears in different places every year.

Purple foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) prefers shady corners, as well as low Corydalis (Corydalis pumila).

The flowers of the field sawdust (Acinos arvensis), although unsightly, are very fond of bees. Tip: Don't cut wilted flower stalks so the seeds can disperse.

Note to the gardener:

Bindweed and povoi - how to fight

exuberant growth bindweed can quickly become a problem for the garden. Its shoots, reaching two meters, spread along the ground or wrap around plants. Bindweed is easily recognizable by its funnel-shaped fragrant white flowers with five pink stripes (photo below left). Due to the powerful root system, which penetrates very deep into the soil, surface weeding helps only partly in the fight against this uninvited "guest". Therefore, if possible, you need to select all segments of the roots.

Moreover, it is desirable to do this before it fades and forms seeds, because on one stem of a plant, up to 500 seeds are formed on average, which remain viable for a long time (in the soil up to 10 years).

The second "stubborn" plant is new fence. When dealing with this plant, it is also important to regularly remove all roots from the ground. The frond has large white, sometimes pink, funnel-shaped flowers that appear in summer on shoots several meters long. Tip: Regular weeding is best done when the soil is sufficiently moist. In this case, the roots and surface shoots will be much easier to remove.

Weeds cause great damage to vegetable plants. They interfere with their growth, are accumulators of pests and diseases. Thanks to a well-developed root system, they consume 30-40% or more of mineral fertilizers and irrigation water applied to the soil, make it difficult to cultivate the soil and care for crops.

Fight without a break

Weeds shade cultivated crops to a sufficiently strong degree, thereby reducing their yield and deteriorating the quality of vegetable products. And if you do not fight weeds, then you can not get the long-awaited harvest at all.

No matter how carefully you choose miners before sowing seeds or planting seedlings, new harmful plants will still appear. Therefore, the fight-5a with them should be constant and long.

Unfortunately, only agrotechnical methods of weed control are acceptable in vegetable crops in a summer cottage. The use of chemicals (herbicides) is impractical for many reasons.

Rake and chopper

One of the first agrotechnical methods aimed at the destruction of weeds is pre-emergence raking harrowing. Experts call it harrowing in the phase of "white threads". Weed seeds are better adapted to the low soil temperature in the spring, and already on the 3-4th day after sowing, weed shoots appear on the surface of the bed. In appearance, they resemble small pieces of white thread and at this point in their lives are very sensitive to mechanical damage. If in the morning harrowing is carried out across the rows, then about 80% of the germinated seeds will be destroyed. In the future, the main way to deal with them is weeding with a chopper. This should be done regularly to prevent annual weeds from growing and gradually deplete the underground parts of perennials.

On a note:

It must be remembered that in careless hands a chopper can do more harm than good. Therefore, it must be kept away from the stems of vegetable crops and the blade should not be buried more than 2.5 cm from the soil surface.

Combing and trimming

The battle with perennial rhizomatous (wheatgrass) and root weeds (comb thistle) is especially difficult. In the fight against wheatgrass, the combing method is the most effective. Therefore, on ridges clogged with couch grass, it is better to treat the aisles with cat rippers, with the help of which the rhizomes of couch grass can be extracted from the soil. Field thistle is best dealt with by regularly trimming rosettes (depletion method). For this, it is best to use an ordinary hoe.

Burn and soak

Weeded weeds are used in different ways in a summer cottage. As for the rhizomes of wheatgrass, they should not be used for compost, but rather dried and burned. The remaining annual weeds are good material for future humus. If the weeds are in a young stage (before flowering), then they can be used as mulching material in the garden or on the vegetable bed.

They are also good as fertilizer. To do this, after weeding, weeds are washed off the ground, large ones are crushed and filled with them by a third of the barrel and filled with water. Add 0.5 cups of soda ash to the infusion. The barrel is tied with foil and placed in a sunny place. Insist 2 weeks. Subsequently, the resulting infusion is diluted in a tenfold amount of water and used to feed plants.

Are the weeds gone? Peace, only peace!

What is a weed? This is the grass that grows in our garden not according to our desire. Oh, summer residents will sigh, but if there weren’t these weeds at all! Imagine how much time would be freed up, and the well-known pose of a summer resident - the fifth point up - would cease to be the topic of jokes.

When I bought a house in the village and planned a garden, made beds, I had no idea at all that communication with weeds would be so close and constant. In May, the grass is crisp, reassuringly green, and pleasantly small. But June comes, and the grassy jungle begins. No watering, no fertilizer - the grass does not need anything, it is more and more magnificent and taller. That's how vegetables grew in the beds! My father told me that my grandmother in Soviet times could mow thirty acres in a workday. And so - every day. I am not such a strong and heroic woman, although I learned to mow with an old manual scythe, and I even liked it.

So I had to negotiate with the weeds. But first and; learned from neighbors.

Experience of villagers in weed control

The villagers mow - wherever, in their mind, there should be no grass, where it interferes, or where the grass is the most juicy - this one goes for hay. In the mornings, when the summer heat has not yet come and the horseflies have not woken up, all the villagers weed their beds. This is a mandatory ritual. And so every year. And the weeds are still growing.

Experience of neighbors-dacha residents

The favorite pastime of summer residents is weeding. As a result - pristine land of beds near cabbage, beets, carrots and everything else. Strawberries are planted in holes made in lutrasil. My neighbor Inessa Alekseevna, a gardener with great experience, is surprised: how else, if not weeding? And every day she is on the battlefield - God forbid, some blade of grass "left" will come out in the garden.

And another neighbor, Nina, loves flowers - she has a chic front garden flower garden. But somehow strange, in my opinion, roses, daisies and other beauty look against the backdrop of bare earth. Here, too, they are at war with all the uninvited greenery.

My experience

I am a city dweller in the past, so I have not been accustomed to weeding since childhood, and I do not like this occupation. It is unlikely that I will come to terms with weeding in the future. Therefore, I began to look for my own way of weed control.

Initially, when the beds were created, of course, I had to dig up virgin soil and sort out the ground with my hands, pulling out the stems and roots of weeds. However, along with the shoots of dill and lettuce, out of nowhere, new uncultivated comrades appeared. She walked, pulled them, persuaded them not to grow and not to interfere. They did not obey and overtook the planted plants in growth.

Beds only for their own

Now I plant almost everything on black spunbond - a covering material that both breathes and passes water. This is how my tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cabbage, zucchini, pumpkins, physalis grow. Organized drip irrigation for pets. Cucumbers settled in a barrel. All this requires initial financial and labor investments, but then - beauty!

Lettuce, basil, cilantro, mint, lemon balm and other herbs I love grow just on the ground, without spunbond. I plant everything in rows. When the green is still small, I don’t pull the weeds, but cut them with a chopper or flat cutter and leave them in the garden. This is a kind of mulching.

I lay out cardboard in the aisle and don’t fight with the grass anymore. It grows, of course, but it helps to keep moisture in the ground. By the way, last dry summer, when there was little rain, and there was also little water in the well, the grass helped and protected the beds from drought.

As a result, my garden looks like this: everything grows luxuriantly in the beds, but the grass around it also grows luxuriantly. In general, solid greens. Experienced Inessa Alekseevna, my neighbor, groans every year: well, is it really possible! And calls my garden "dirty" and "wrong".

And I like it. And the harvest, by the way, is not bad with minimal labor.

Svetlana Alekhina Tver region

Heart to heart with the weeds

Weeds can speak, but in their own language. Let's try to understand them.

If a chic clover has grown, this indicates a lack of nitrogen in the soil and an excess of potassium. If a powerful and high quinoa - on the contrary, there is a lot of nitrogen. Purslane and mustard are fattening - an excess of phosphorus.

If dandelions or wild pansies appear on the lawn, then this is also a sign - acidic soil. Wild sorrel, field horsetail, foxtail warn about waterlogging.

Mullein, wormwood, wild carrots, wild parsnips speak of the depletion of the soil; chicory and bindweed will tell you that the earth is too dense and heavy. "Sweet" alkaline soil is preferred by burnet, bed bug, bodyak. On very fertile soil, mokrichnik, white gauze, and milkwort grow.

By the way, if nettles grow in lush thickets on the site, this is a reason to rejoice. So the land is good and fertile. And in aromatic herbs growing next to nettles, the content of essential oils increases. In addition, slugs avoid nettles, but love tomatoes.

5 reasons why weeds should not be loved, but respected

Do not pull out a dandelion if it grows next to cucumbers - they "respect" each other, dandelion accelerates the ripening of cucumbers. Several yarrow plants in the garden create a favorable aura for cultivated plants. Cornflower and chamomile in small quantities stimulate the growth of cereals.

Weeds are a treasure trove of trace elements. For example, chamomile and yarrow accumulate sulfur, wood lice - zinc, white clover - molybdenum.

Weeds are a defense against pests and diseases. Almost universal in this sense is wormwood. Let it grow!

Sow thistle in moderation only helps pumpkin, cucumbers, watermelons, melons, onions, tomatoes and corn. It creates a shadow, and with the help of its root system brings useful substances to the surface of the soil from its deep layers.

The classic weed - bindweed, which is popularly called "birch", - acts as a mulch, covering the soil from the sun and wind, and prevents its destruction.

Legume weeds - alfalfa, sweet clover - successfully help to restrain the growth of annual weeds such as ragweed, quinoa, gauze and the like. But it is they who are so unnerving gardeners.

I. Ponkratova Tikhvin

4 Ways to Beat Weeds

Don't sow yourself

It seems to me that very often we sow weeds with our own hands. For example, we use fresh manure, but it contains a huge amount of seeds of the most malicious weeds. I put only rotted manure and ripened compost on the beds.

Shave

In all plants, the root and aboveground parts are interconnected. As soon as the weeds begin to sprout, I carefully cut them off (mind you, I don’t pull them out). To grow a new shoot, the weed will need new forces, they will have to be taken away from the roots. If weeds are shaved regularly, the plant will soon weaken and die. And I lay the cut stems between the beds of cultivated plants. Here's your mulch.

displace

Don't give weeds space. Notice they grow where the ground is bare. Therefore, between cultivated plants I plant annual marigolds, calendula. At the same time, pests will be scared away. And when the crop is harvested, then I immediately sow the free space with green manure.

Zucchini vs wheatgrass

Weeds have enemies among cultivated plants. For example, wheatgrass does not tolerate zucchini. The secret is simple - zucchini and pumpkins have very large leaves, they block the light, and the weed dies. Therefore, where there is especially a lot of couch grass, I densely plant zucchini or pumpkin. The first year will not help, nothing, the next will definitely work.

Irina SOBOLEVA. Krasnodar city

Weeds clog beds, are a breeding ground for pests and diseases, these are the first competitors of cultivated plants for water and nutrients. It is clear that they need to be dealt with, but how?

1. Mechanical

In addition to standard weeding, in a heavily overgrown area in autumn and spring, they walk along the ground with a shovel, pitchfork or cultivator and, of course, each root is manually selected.

2. Chemical

Where cultivated plants grow, selective herbicides are used: Lontrel-zood (applied after harvest), Lazurite (ideal for processing potatoes, provides protection for up to 60 days), etc. In free areas, continuous herbicides are used: Tornado ( for all types of weeds), Tornado BAU (for processing small areas), Agrokiller (herbicide of an increased hazard class, destroys cow parsnip, wheatgrass, wild oats, horsetail, bindweed and even shrubs).

3. Biological

The area free from vegetables is covered with some dense opaque material (dark film, agrofibre, roofing material, boards, cardboard, etc.), which prevents light from penetrating to the soil surface - this prevents weeds from growing. There are also disadvantages: for example, roofing material releases harmful resins into the soil, and slugs are bred under the boards.

4. Substitute

To leave as little space as possible for weeds, compact plantings are made or the area is sown with green manure.

5. Exhausting

Periodically cut off all the leaves and shoots of weeds near the surface of the soil, waiting for the death of the underground part. However, it will take a very long time to wait, the weeds will grow again and again, fully recovering, but it is possible to reduce their harmful effect in this way. And finally, there is nothing better than prevention. In order not to bring weeds to the site, do not use fresh manure, do not mulch the soil with mowed dry grass with seeds, do not lay mature grasses with seeds in the compost heap, mow the grass around the site in time, preventing it from forming flying seeds -

Nikolai KHROMOV, Ph.D. agricultural sciences

Hogweed: fight

Let us dwell on the fight against hogweed in a separate line

This invader came down to us from the mountains of the Caucasus, Transcaucasia and Turkey. Successfully settled down in the northwestern and central regions of Russia. In the countries of Northern and Eastern Europe, the fight against hogweed has been declared a matter of national importance, and special programs have been adopted here. And we sounded the alarm too!

How the cow parsnip was allowed into the garden

Why not a silage plant? Such a giant, a lot of green mass, contains sugars that promote lactic acid fermentation. And very nutritious, including protein content. A real delicacy for cows! But later it turned out that when animals were fed cow parsnip, their milk became bitter, cows had problems with reproduction. Silo, but not that one. Then came the crisis of the late 1990s, huge tracts of agricultural land were abandoned, and the cow parsnip broke free. First, he filled the no-man's land, then entered the villages, playgrounds and roadsides. And now stands at the country gates.

plant monster

Sosnovsky's hogweed is a very large plant, reaching a height of 3-5 meters. Propagated exclusively by seeds. One plant can form several umbrellas and produce more than 20 thousand seeds. seeds

spread over a distance of up to 2 kilometers. Their viability lasts up to 5 years, and they do not sprout all at once, but "as needed."

How to fight?

Spray with herbicides. But remember: not all strong herbicides are approved for use in personal subsidiary plots. (Be sure to read the instructions for the drugs and do not exceed the dosage!)

In order for the hogweed to be completely destroyed, the herbicide must go to the root. That is, to go all the way: through the mouths and further along the vessels to the very root. If you apply an overestimated dose of the herbicide, then the ground part of the plant will burn out quickly, but the herbicide will not have time to reach the root. The dormant buds will wake up, growth will resume, and the cow parsnip will again be more alive than all the living. Don't expect instant results from this method. It is possible to judge the effectiveness only a month after spraying.

  • For those who are afraid of "chemistry", I will advise agrotechnical and mechanical methods. If the cow parsnip has settled on the site, then regularly dig up the soil in this place with a turnover of the layer to a depth of at least 5 cm. This will not allow the seeds that have got there to rise. Individual plants can be dug up, but always with a growth point, that is, to a depth of 15-20 cm.
  • Mulch the soil with dark covering materials (geo-textile, black film or spun-bond), sprinkle with earth on top and sow perennial grasses, for example, for a lawn.
  • Often I see thickets of hogweed behind country fences. You won’t go digging here, there are enough beds of your own. In this case, do not be lazy and, starting in May, mow down the entire green mass of hogweed. The main thing - do not let the seeds start!

Carefully!

It is possible to work with Sosnovsky's cow parsnip only in protective clothing and gloves. If the juice comes into contact with the skin, immediately wash it with soap and water and apply a light-tight bandage. This is a must: toxic substances are activated precisely under the influence of sunlight! They can cause severe and long-term healing burns of the 1st-3rd degree. Evaporation of essential oils is also harmful to humans. In general, hogweed is not our friend, we need to try with all our might to drive this plant out of the site and as far as possible!

Pity your back in weed control

Here it is, happiness

My plot is small, but it so happened that in different parts of it there is different soil, which is why there is such a variety of weeds that I had to get acquainted with and measure my strength. The most problematic was the area with loach, which is also popularly called birch. Yes, this is a real headache, but, as they say, the devil is not as terrible as he is painted. The main thing is not to panic and not give up. After all, we are summer residents, and this is a high rank.

In general, I gathered my strength and declared war on this invader in the next planting season. Started in early spring. Armed with a flat cutter, I cut off the heads of all the sprouts that had broken through into the light. It took me no more than an hour to clear four acres in this way. A week later, I repeated the bypass of my site and again put the flat cutter into action. With the same interval, I performed this operation a couple more times, and this was the end of my main struggle with the malicious loach. And he obeyed!

After that, dealing with the rest of the weeds was a matter of technique, I was no longer afraid of anything.

And it turned out to be very simple to achieve this: I “driven” the vegetables into narrow beds and I pass through the aisles with a weeder or the same flat cutter. The main thing is to carry out this work methodically and at the right time.

And how much time was lost before when I crawled along the ground, furiously tearing and picking out the grass. What delight seized me when I saw that my site was ennobled! I have never experienced such pleasure from working on a weed-free land before.

Perhaps, in school years at the lessons of botany, no one could have imagined that knowledge about plants would ever be useful to anyone. And, regardless of whether we remember something or not, the laws of nature work. Let's remember together once again simple truths.

Perennial weeds (such as wheatgrass, sow thistle, or the same bindweed-birch) most often have branched rhizomes underground. When the spring sun warms the earth, the buds on their roots wake up and young shoots begin to appear, which, making their way underground, look out into the light of day and even faster after that begin to gain strength. The roots during this time are slightly depleted, but the opened young leaves themselves begin to synthesize nutrients.

Don't let your head up

Have you noticed that after germination, the weeds seem to freeze for some time and grow very slowly? This is exactly what happens because the young shoots replenish the substances used up from the rhizome. At this time, we relax and lose vigilance, because the weeds are still negligible and do not interfere with our plantings. So why raise the alarm? We’ll still have time to deal with them, but at the dacha, there’s already a lot of things to do. And we are blissful in vain. It is at this time that the roots are gaining strength for reproduction, for new shoots.

If immediately when a weed appears on the surface of the earth, its top is cut off, then this shoot will no longer open the leaves and will not feed the rhizome.

It is not at all necessary to tear it out with a long root. It grows with an apical bud - a point of growth. After five to seven days, a new generation of weed shoots appears from the ground, and new buds will wake up on the underground rhizome. And here again I do not allow the leaves to open and feed the rhizome - again I cut off the shoots that have appeared. In a week, the third generation will already come out of the ground. I destroy it too.

All these "births" occur due to the nutrients of the rhizome, but since I did not allow the seedlings to feed it, it was depleted to such an extent that it is unlikely that it will have enough strength for the fourth generation. So it will die underground from dystrophy. And if he suddenly has some strength left, then for the fourth time I will cut off the tops of the shoots. Now, for sure, the weeds will not see the white light. And with all this, I have never even leaned over the beds for weeding. But before I was sure that the more I work my back, the better the result I will get. Therefore, I will ask all dear and dear summer residents to leave the choppers alone. Stop waving them, weeds are not afraid of them. Whether it's a weeder or a flat cutter - you work without much effort, with a straight back, with only one hand, and not with the whole body.

Of course, I will not idealize my methodology. Getting rid of weeds once and for all is unlikely to succeed - we cannot prohibit the wind from blowing or birds flying over our garden and spreading seeds (and abandoned neighboring plots also contribute to the reproduction of weeds).

But this method of struggle is the most effective and least time-consuming. Any garden worker can cope: both small and old. Even abandoned, sod-covered areas can easily be put in order, and it is advisable to start in the spring, until the roots have gained strength.

Now weeding has become a pleasant job for me. Once a week I go through the site with a flat cutter, even if there is no apparent reason for this. I often hear through the fence: “Why don’t you have weeds? When did you manage to pull everything out? Yes, weeds simply do not like me and leave me for neighboring gardens, where the owners are more favorable to them.

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  • With the onset of spring, many summer residents begin to have trouble not only with planting various vegetables and flowers, but also with the fight against various weeds, such as gout, couch grass, nettle, wood lice and other herbs that are unpleasant for the gardener. If you give the weeds even a small chance of winning, they will fill the entire area.

    Weeds take nutrients, minerals and trace elements from the soil, thereby preventing the growth of cultivated plants. If weeds are not destroyed, then they, growing, will thicken the plantings, thereby creating a favorable environment for pests, and of course, they will shade the plant. Weeds can be dealt with in a number of ways:

    • plowing and digging;
    • constant weeding;
    • using chemical herbicides;
    • folk remedies.

    It must be remembered that the destruction of weeds forever is not possible. Some seeds can lie in the ground for more than 3-5 years and only then germinate, and some weeds will grow even from a small piece of root. Sometimes the best solution is the use of herbicides.

    How to get rid of weed

    Plowing

    Better means than plowing or digging for the destruction of perennial grasses are hard to find. Of course, this procedure is not easy, but in order to have a clean garden, you will have to work hard. It is best to dig with a pitchfork so as not to cut the rhizomes of weeds, otherwise a new plant will grow even from the smallest piece of root. The roots must be selected by hand and it is best to burn them later.

    Note! If the plot is large, then it can be plowed with a cultivator, walk-behind tractor or tractor. Roots with such plowing are more difficult to remove, but still possible.

    How to deal with grass with weeding

    Many do not want to bring unnecessary chemicals to their site. In this case, weeding is a very effective, albeit very tedious, way to remove grass from the garden. Small areas can be weeded by hand. For larger areas you need:

    • hoes;
    • choppers;
    • flat cutters.

    It seems that manual weeding is so tricky, but it also has its own rules:

    • you need to pull out the grass before the roots grow strongly;
    • from moist soil (after rain or watering), weeds are easier to remove;
    • you need to carefully select all the roots;
    • it is better to weed before the appearance of weed seeds;
    • you need to weed constantly, and when cultivated plants grow up, they themselves will already squeeze out the weeds.

    Weeding the beds

    What else can we do to weed? You can apply the biological method. Every plant needs sunlight to grow optimally. In its absence, all vital processes proceed more slowly or cease altogether. The root system, not receiving proper nutrition, works worse, and the plant dies from this. You can block the path of the sun's rays with any dense opaque materials. It could be:

    • black film;
    • ruberoid;
    • cardboard;
    • boards.

    All of these methods may be good, but each has its drawbacks. When covered with a black film, overheating of the soil may occur, respectively, cultivated plants will suffer. When covered with roofing felt, various resins can be released, sometimes far from harmless. All these features must be kept in mind.

    In addition to synthetic shelters, organic mulch can be used. To do this, pour a thick layer (preferably more than 10 cm) of sawdust, freshly cut grass (make sure that there are no seeds), chopped bark, hay or straw.

    Important! Fresh sawdust must not be used! He must be overripe.

    How to deal with grass in the garden with folk remedies

    To the question of how to destroy the grass in the garden, there is another answer - to use folk remedies. Sometimes it will come out no cheaper than buying herbicides, but the harm from these substances to a person will be less.

    How can you poison grass other than herbicides:

    Soda

    Perfectly fights with small grass, which makes its way between the tiles of the path and in other parts of the garden. To destroy unnecessary grass in the garden, you need to pour it abundantly with a solution of soda (10 tablespoons with a slide of soda, 2-3 drops of liquid soap and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil). And to eliminate weeds between the tiles, you need to prepare a concentrated solution of a pound of soda and 8 liters of water.

    Important! Soda will only help when the grass is still small. She can not cope with large weeds.

    You also need to remember that soda is an alkali, therefore, you should not prepare a solution in a metal container. The water temperature should not exceed 50°C. The solution should be credited within 3 hours. To keep the solution better on the leaves, you can add 2-3 teaspoons of liquid or planed laundry soap to it.

    Salt

    It must be scattered around cultivated plants. Weeds will not grow in salty soil for some time.

    With the help of table salt, burdock can be destroyed on the site. Experienced summer residents recommend cutting off the stem of the burdock with a knife, making a recess in the hemp and pouring salt into it. It will penetrate to the roots, and the weed will die. It is possible that the procedure will have to be carried out several times.

    Salt also helps in the fight against birch (bindweed). It is necessary to spray the plant with a strong solution.

    Salt against weeds

    Vinegar

    If the plant is sprayed with acetic acid, it will get burned and subsequently dry out. But, both a useful plant and a weed can dry out. Therefore, such processing must be extremely careful.

    Vinegar + salt

    A solution of salt and vinegar is very effective in weed control. This mixture can destroy even perennial grass. Also, with the help of them, you can remove the grass growing near the hedge, which is difficult to pull out with your hands.

    Recipe:

    • boil 1 liter of water;
    • Pour into boiling water 2 tbsp. tablespoons of salt and mix thoroughly;
    • then add 5 tbsp. tablespoons of vinegar;
    • hot solution to irrigate unwanted plants.

    This operation is best done on sunny days. This is a very effective tool, but you need to understand that cultural plantings can also suffer, so it is not recommended to use it on the beds. It is better to use it near paths, fences or other areas without the necessary vegetation.

    Vinegar + soap

    To prepare such a solution, you will need liquid soap, grated laundry soap (dissolved in water) or dishwashing liquid.

    Recipe:

    • 1 liter of vinegar;
    • 5 ml of soapy substance.
    • Mix everything well and apply to the plant with a spray bottle or brush.

    Important! This tool can both remove grass and scare away harmful insects.

    Vinegar + soap + salt

    This is a very effective method, the recipe for which is as follows:

    • vinegar - 3 l;
    • salt - 1⁄4 st.;
    • liquid soap - 1-2 tbsp. spoons.
    • mix everything and apply on weeds.

    Citric acid + vinegar

    This is a very easy recipe. To prepare, you need to shake 1 liter of vinegar and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of citric acid. Apply the solution as in the previous methods.

    herbicidal soap

    Light "herbicide" can be made independently. To do this, you need to combine salt, vinegar and grated laundry soap in equal parts, and then apply the resulting mixture to the weeds.

    herbicidal soap

    Kerosene

    This tool was used 100 years ago. Kerosene works well for killing weeds in carrot beds. It is necessary to spray the entire area with a combustible mixture (100 g per 1 m²). Kerosene will kill weeds, but it is safe for carrots.

    How to get rid of grass with herbicides

    Deal with grass faster and more efficiently with the help of chemicals. Although it is not very good to use them in the garden, because, whatever one may say, but they are poison. But sometimes there is no other choice.

    Some of the most popular herbicides are:

    • roundup;
    • Hurricane;
    • lapis lazuli;
    • tornado;
    • agrokiller.

    The last two are stronger tools, as they can completely clear the area of ​​weeds. Moreover, the agrokiller is able to remove even shrubs and trees from the site.

    herbicides

    Chemical control methods: advantages and disadvantages

    More and more often began to get rid of unnecessary grass with the help of herbicides. This is understandable, because manual weeding takes a lot of time and effort.

    But first you need to figure out what herbicides are and what are their advantages and disadvantages.

    Herbicides first appeared in the 19th century. So called all the compositions, which were based on:

    • copper sulfate;
    • copper nitrate;
    • sodium chlorate;
    • ferrous sulfate;
    • arsenite.

    Magnesium sulfate

    Used them to protect against weeds of plants such as:

    • cereal crops;
    • sugarcane;
    • tobacco;
    • potato.

    The use of herbicides changes the vital activity and other processes of the plant.

    There are two types of herbicides:

    • systemic (having hit the leaves, the drug spreads throughout the plant to the very root);
    • contact (the part of the plant where the drug got into dies).

    Important! Still these preparations happen continuous or selective action. The former destroy everything in a row: both weeds and culture, the latter will only kill unnecessary "guests". To do this, you need to choose a specific tool, as well as the concentration of the solution. If everything is done correctly, then the weeds will be destroyed, and the cultivated plants will remain unharmed.

    In addition, these harmful substances are pre-emergence (they are introduced into the soil before planting cultivated plants) and post-emergence (treated according to seedlings of plants that have reached a certain size)

    Benefits of herbicides:

    • large areas can be etched;
    • even the smallest weeds are removed;
    • less time and effort is spent than with just weeding;
    • a wide range of different drugs. You can choose the one that is more cost-effective for the site, based on the type of weeds.

    Disadvantages of herbicides:

    • continuous herbicides are more cost-effective, but not only weeds, but also all other plants will suffer when they are used;
    • very toxic to humans. It is necessary to process the site using protective equipment (rubber gloves, a respirator, goggles).

    herbicides

    Herbicides are produced in the form of:

    • emulsions;
    • granules;
    • mineral oil suspensions;
    • powder;
    • thinner.

    They differ from each other in the way they are prepared and used. Instructions are included with each drug.

    Of course, when using herbicides, you can get rid of annoying weeds for a long time, but here you need to follow some rules.

    • Strict adherence to dosage. If you do not follow the instructions, you can significantly pollute the soil, which is fraught with human and animal health.
    • It is better to treat with chemicals large areas where potatoes and other vegetables are grown. In small areas where berry bushes and fruit trees grow, it is better to use a different method, how to remove grass.
    • Weeds should be treated when they are actively growing. Neither before nor during treatment should you loosen or dig up the soil, as this will prevent the spread of the herbicide.
    • What it is? This is not to let the earth be empty. If fast-growing plants (greens, onions, radishes) were planted, then in their place you need to sow either green manure or re-plants that have time to grow before frost (for example, black radish).

      Important! It is better to choose sowing green manure, as they perfectly enrich the earth with microelements, being a natural fertilizer.

      Another option can be considered a way to get rid of grass combined beds. If you correctly sow the seeds of various vegetables and flowers, you can not only get rid of the grass (it simply has nowhere to grow), but also decorate the garden. In addition, some flowers not only bloom beautifully, but repel harmful insects (for example, marigolds, calendula).

      How to get rid of grass in the yard

      Weed grass grows everywhere: in the garden, and in the front garden, and in the yard on the lawn, and near the fences. From the first warm days, you have to fight it (and weeds often win). How to deal with grass on paths and near fences, there is an answer above. It is worth dwelling on how to prevent grass from growing on the lawn.

      Tip! The easiest way in this case is a timely mowing of the lawn to prevent chamomile, nettle, bindweed and other no less annoying plants from releasing seeds. Moss can also be a very unpleasant pest. In order to prevent it from growing, it is necessary to aerate the soil more often, that is, comb it with a special rake and pierce it with a pitchfork.

      To get rid of weeds at least for a season, there are many ways. Which one to choose, each gardener decides for himself, but it is worth considering that he does not harm cultivated plants. In this case, folk remedies and some herbicides have proven themselves well. When using the latter, the main thing is to carefully read the instructions, and then there will not be a single weed on the site.

    Mechanical removal of weeds in the garden is a very laborious work and, moreover, often not very effective. After some time, plants reappear in the beds, depriving garden crops of the nutrients they need so much. The thing is that even with the most thorough weeding, small roots of weeds still remain in the ground, giving growth. There is only one way out of this situation - to use a special chemical preparation designed to completely destroy unwanted plants in the garden or in the yard. Such a weed killer is called a herbicide and is sold in any specialized store. There are also less effective, but also less harmful to the soil and cultivated plants "folk" analogue of such drugs - ordinary vinegar with salt.

    Classification

    Currently, only two types of herbicides are used to control garden weeds:

    • Selective. Such agents act selectively on one or another type of weed.
    • Non-selective. Herbicides of this variety, when applied to the ground, destroy all vegetation without exception.

    Herbicides also differ according to the principle of action. A weed killer can penetrate into plant tissues (instructions for the use of herbicides will be discussed by us a little lower) can:

    • through the leaves to the root;
    • through leaves and soil to all parts of the plant, including seeds;
    • only through soil.

    Recently, preparations have also been developed that destroy moss and saturate the soil with useful micro and macro elements.

    In addition, herbicides can be contact or systemic. The first type of drugs has a detrimental effect on weeds only in direct contact with their parts. Systemic herbicides after contact with the leaves penetrate the tissues and spread through them, destroying all parts of the weed, including roots and stems.

    A "folk" remedy, vinegar with salt, also classified as a herbicide, can be attributed to systemic general action.

    Selective drugs

    There are simply a huge number of herbicides of this type that do an excellent job of controlling weeds. Very often summer residents use for cleaning the beds, for example, "Zenkor", "Foxtrot", "Eraser", "Puma Super", "Lazurit".

    Using any weed control agent on the site, it is mandatory to follow the dosage indicated in the instructions for use. At too high concentrations, these drugs can have a negative effect on both the soil and cultivated plants.

    Principle of operation and use

    Selective herbicides contain special substances that inhibit the development of plant tissues and cause their death. These can be, for example, ACC inhibitors. These substances prevent the formation of fat in the tissues of plants, as a result of which their cells stop growing. Also, herbicides of selective action may contain various kinds of elements that mimic plant hormones.

    Any weed killer, of course, should be used correctly. Most often, the treatment of areas with herbicides is carried out by spraying. The solution can be poured, for example, into a spray bottle. It is desirable to process weeds in calm weather, trying not to get on cultivated plants. The time of spraying should be chosen so that within 24 days after it there was no rain.

    Selective herbicide "2,4-D"

    This drug is considered the most effective means of selective action. It has been used for weed control since the 1940s. To date, more than 22 herbicides have been created on the basis of "2,4-D", which are successfully used in agriculture. The main active ingredient of this drug is 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. It is a white crystalline substance. The herbicide "2,4-D" is moderately toxic and belongs to the second hazard class.

    The growth of weeds after treatment with this drug stops after a few hours. The herbicide "2.4-D" is produced in the form of 50 and 61 percent solutions, as well as 70 and 72 percent concentrates. It is mainly used to control annual dicotyledonous weeds in wheat and corn crops.

    The best herbicides for the garden

    For the treatment of beds with tomatoes, peas and potato plots, a preparation such as Agritox is often used. This herbicide has a detrimental effect on weeds such as lamb, nettle, shepherd's purse, cornflower, dandelion, wild radish, arrowheads, etc.

    Cucumbers and other cucurbits can be sprayed with Halosulfuron or Bensulide. For carrots, Linuron is perfect. Herbicide "Lazurit" is used for all types of vegetable crops.

    Best lawn weed killer

    The most popular lawn treatment agent is the selective herbicide Lontrel-300D. This tool is very effective in the fight against both annual and perennial weeds. With its use, you can clean the lawn from such types of grass as sow thistle, Tatar Molokan, mountaineer, cornflower, coltsfoot, legumes, chamomile and, most importantly, persistent dandelion. At the same time, it does absolutely no harm to lawn cereal grasses.

    General medicines

    Herbicides of this variety are usually used not for spraying beds, but for killing weeds in the yard, along the edges of the lawn, along paths, etc. You can also treat the land with these preparations in early spring before planting cultivated plants. They are completely removed from the soil within about a month. Ferrous sulfate is the main active ingredient in general herbicides.

    Treatment with non-selective preparations is also usually carried out by spraying. Some herbicides, both selective and general, are available in dry form. They are either diluted with water or scattered over the site (on wet ground).

    Herbicide "Roundal"

    This is the most popular continuous weed control today. It spreads through plant tissues within 5-10 days. Around the same time, the first signs of damage appear on their leaves. Weeds die about a month after spraying. Plants are best treated with Roundal in sunny, warm weather. There is no need to mow the grass. The greater the vegetative activity of the weed, the faster the Roundal will spread through its parts, and the faster it will die.

    For cultivating the land before planting garden crops (vegetables, potatoes, melons, oilseeds, etc.), as well as for the complete destruction of grass along paths, hedges or in the yard, the Roundal preparation is diluted in a proportion of 80-120 ml per liter of water. Spraying or watering is carried out at the rate of 5 liters per 100 m2.

    Herbicide "Tornado"

    This is another popular drug, also often used by summer residents. This herbicide is usually sold in vials. The manufacturer recommends spraying with a product diluted in three liters of water. However, experienced summer residents advise using the Tornado herbicide a little differently. In order not to catch other plants, the drug should be diluted in a bucket. At the same time, the treatment is carried out with the help of a broom, gently “lubricating” the weeds with a solution.

    Best remedy: Vinegar with salt

    Of course, purchased herbicides are effective and easy to use. However, these funds are usually quite expensive. In addition, most summer residents prefer to use any chemistry in the garden as rarely as possible.

    Therefore, many owners of suburban areas are trying to replace purchased herbicides with "folk" remedies. Acetic acid is usually used as the simplest and safest. For spraying the beds, its 5% solution is most often used.

    To process the yard, you can also use a more effective "folk" remedy for weeds - vinegar and salt. Prepare such a herbicide as follows:

    • 3.8 liters of vinegar 9% are poured into a bucket;
    • half a glass of salt is poured there;
    • a little liquid soap is added;
    • everything is thoroughly mixed.

    A weed killer with vinegar is used in the same way as chemical preparations. Spraying should be carried out as carefully as possible. It is impossible to allow drops from the spray gun to fall on cultivated plants. The best time for processing is early morning.

    Usually, white vinegar is used to kill weeds. You can also take apple. Summer residents who decide to use this "folk" herbicide should be aware that in large quantities it is able to leach nutrients from the ground.

    "Folk" remedy for weeds: reviews

    Many summer residents use vinegar to remove unwanted plants in yards and beds. However, reviews about it on the network are quite contradictory. What do they say about this weed killer? Vinegar with salt in no way has any harmful effect on the chemical composition of the soil, since it decomposes very quickly into carbon dioxide and water, some say. According to others, the splitting process takes a long time, and the use of vinegar can negatively affect plant yields. But in any case, maximum care should be taken when processing. Do not pour vinegar on the ground. Processing is carried out strictly on the leaves.

    Of course, vinegar does some damage to the soil in any case. However, the same "Tornado" and "Randal" can hardly be considered harmless either. They are much more expensive, but the effect of their use is almost the same.

    What is the best remedy for weeds - it is up to the owners of the summer cottage to decide, of course. Someone prefers purchased chemicals, and someone, perhaps, prefers "folk" vinegar. In any case, the use of herbicides helps to save time on mechanical weeding. However, of course, such compositions should be used "wisely". Otherwise, along with weeds, you can "free" the garden from cultivated plants.

    There are several ways to deal with weeds. First, let's define what is hidden under the concept of "weeds". As a rule, these are tall annual and perennial plants, such as thistle, thistle, nettle, yarrow, wormwood, mullein, burdock, quinoa, gout. It is important to know that all these plants do not tolerate constant mowing, are sensitive to the effects of herbicides and prolonged shading. It is these properties that should be used in the fight against weeds. So, let's look at different options.


    Plowing


    If possible, it is necessary to carry out plowing of virgin soil before winter, leaving large clods without breakdown. This will help to partially freeze part of the rhizomes of perennials. In spring, arable land is cultivated by breaking up clods and leveling the ground. It would be nice to say that this is where the weed control ends, but, unfortunately, this is not the case.



    The fact is that a huge number of perennial rhizomes with thousands of underground buds remain in the soil. As soon as the sun warms, they will sprout and the site will be covered with a carpet of fresh greenery. Therefore, during and after cultivation, you need to carefully select all the roots from the ground and lay them in a compost heap (or simply dry them in the sun).


    Herbicide treatment


    Sprouted young green weeds must be treated with herbicides - drugs that inhibit plant growth. They are used when plants are actively growing, in spring and in the first half of summer.


    Herbicides can be sprayed with weeds before plowing, but again only at the beginning of the season. Since July, treatment with these drugs is not particularly effective.



    The grass begins to turn yellow and dry out after about a week, and after a month it is already possible to lay a garden with a vegetable garden and flower beds on the site of the former virgin lands.


    high ridges


    Many summer residents are opposed to the use of pesticides. In this case, boxes of boards, slate or metal are directly equipped. The bottom is lined with cardboard, and a “layer cake” is made from various organic waste on top.



    Mowed grass, both fresh and dried, as well as fallen leaves, is used. All this is shifted by thin layers of earth, peat, manure. A fertile layer is laid out from above, in which seeds are sown and seedlings are planted.


    Site shading


    If weeds are isolated from light for a long time, they will surely die. This phenomenon is based on the method of weed control by covering future ridges with some kind of opaque material. It can be anything from multi-layered cardboard to old rugs and carpets. For these purposes, it is convenient to use black spunbond, geotextile, slate, roofing material, old banners.



    The coating must lie in one place for at least a season, for example, from spring to spring. In this case, most of the weeds die and the area cleared of them can be used for a vegetable garden.


    Regular mowing


    If there is no desire or opportunity to completely free the area from weeds, then you can "tame" wild vegetation and gradually turn it into a beautiful and even lawn. To do this, the primary mowing is carried out with a trimmer disc, and then regularly, at least twice a month, the area is mowed with a lawn mower.



    Most plants will not survive such violence and will die. Only a few grasses will survive, for which regular mowing only stimulates tillering, and dandelions. In a year or two, instead of a weed wasteland, there will be a lawn with a smooth and healthy lawn.


    Combination of ways


    The best solution would be to combine different methods in one area. So at first you can break high beds and get vegetables and strawberries this season. Covering material is spread nearby for the subsequent expansion of the areas reclaimed from weeds. Next year, you can sow vegetables or arrange a flower garden here.


    Where a lawn is planned according to the plan, weeds are regularly mowed and beds are mulched with this organic matter and compost boxes are clogged. Thus, without special material and labor costs, weeds can be gradually ousted from the site.

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