How to get rid of weeds? Secrets and folk methods for clean beds.
Content:
Probably the most unpleasant and monotonous activity for a gardener is weeding. Weeds appear on the beds at lightning speed, they grow almost everywhere and in any soil, which greatly complicates the growth and development of garden crops. And the appearance of the beds with the appearance of weeds becomes not tidy and not well-groomed. Weeds serve as a shelter for insects; fungi and viruses also readily develop in dense plantings. If you do not conduct continuous weed control, there is a risk of being left without a crop. Weeds are usually treated with old proven methods such as weeding, but weeds can be fight and using the tools that are sold in the store. It's just that not all gardeners know about this.
We process with special means.
In order to once and for all solve the problem with weeds in the backyard, you should understand one thing. The wind should not bring weed seeds and weeds onto your site, and the ground should be absolutely unsuitable for the growth and development of grass. And as you yourself understand, it is not possible to comply with these measures at the site, or even it can be said not realistically. However, it is possible to minimize weeds on the site. And then you practically get rid of the need to regularly weed your area.
Perhaps the most effective and efficient way to kill weeds, which will not affect the quality and quantity of the crop, is to treat the area with drugs. These drugs can be purchased at a store or market. The type of preparation depends entirely on the types of weeds growing in the beds.
At the moment, there is a huge selection of pesticides, which can be divided into several types.
A method of moving through plant tissues.
The very first way is systemic. As soon as the chemical hits any part of the plant, it quickly begins to act and gradually enters the root system, the plant dies. Since the plant is no longer able to obtain nutrients from the soil and with the help of photosynthesis.
The contact method consists in the fact that as a result of the ingress of poison, only that part on which poisonous substances have gotten dies.
Spectrum of action.
Continuous action is when the drug destroys everything in the radius of impact, it also affects and kills garden crops. These products are best used when a complete cleaning of the garden area is required. If you need just such a measure, I can advise you on such drugs as "Tornado"Or" Antiburian ". I used this measure when tiles were laid on the paths on the site and an artificial reservoir was made.
Selective action - removes weeds, but does not affect garden crops, does not harm them. Very often I use these products to keep the lawn clean. Chemicals and their dose are usually selected individually, it all depends on the weeds that grow on the site. In such cases, I use Hurricane, Lintur, Raunap, Lapis Lazuli orAgrokiller«.
Also, in some cases, you can resort to using the drug "Tornado", but do not forget that it is the same powerful tool as "Antikiller". These chemicals are used to control very hardy and strong weeds such as dandelion, horsetail, hogweed, plantain and all types of weeds."Agrokiller" is able to remove bushes and trees from an overgrown area, therefore it is extremely useful when clearing garden lands. Chemicals act in different ways, the effect can be carried out on leaves, roots, stems. Chemicals can act on photosynthesis, plant nutrition, and more. The drugs can be bought in different types of powder, drops, granules.
Pros and cons of weed control chemicals.
This method of weed control has a lot of advantages, such as:
- fast processing of fairly large areas;
- effective fight even with tenacious and difficult to remove weeds;
- we save resources such as strength and time;
- a wide selection of drugs directly depends on the strength and duration of action;
- after 14 days, the garden area will be completely cleared, no poisons are deposited in the soil.
But along with the pros, there are also disadvantages:
- preparations that have a continuous spectrum of action are very effective, but they destroy not only weeds, but all garden crops;
- the chemicals are safe for the weed seed, not destroyed and ripe seeds will cause re-emergence of weeds and create new problems for you. The seed can stay in the soil for a long time, then sprout.
- these drugs are quite toxic, during processing you need to use protective equipment.
- if several more treatments are required, it is best to alternate the preparations.
The opinion of experts.
The attitude to chemicals is different. Every gardener has his own opinion on this issue. And what is the opinion of experts. Experts fully recognized the effectiveness of this method. But it is worth noting that scientists do not advise quite often resorting to the help of poisons and chemicals. For large areas and fields, this measure is the best fit, but for small ones it can become destructive. In particular, garden trees and shrubs can be damaged. It follows that it is best to use alternative methods in the garden.
In no case should you dig up the earth before applying chemistry. If the soil remains dense, the poisons will not be able to penetrate into the depths and thus will not harm garden crops, including trees and shrubs.
We are fighting manually.
Mechanical method of weeding, which is carried out by hand or with the help of garden tools. This method is very long and very tedious. And it seems to me that it creates a lot of trouble for every gardener. The success of this method directly depends on the type of grass that grows on your site. For example, if this is a plant with a poorly developed root, then it can be pulled out immediately and without a trace. Well, if this weed has a developed root system, then you cannot destroy it manually, you will have to resort to using garden tools or other tricks. Mowing is also one of the methods of combating weeds, but it can be effective only in one case, if you mow the grass regularly, which is extremely laborious and difficult. With frequent mowing, the root will begin to dry out and stop growing. It is worth noting that this method is not suitable for all types of weeds.
Every gardener knows that there are rules for weeding, and we will consider them:
- we remove the roots completely in order to avoid the re-growth of the grass;
- we do not wait until the roots become strong, this can lead to a massive spread of weeds throughout the site;
- when weeding, use a pitchfork, the root cut with a shovel is able to release shoots again;
- we remove weeds about the beginning of seed ripening;
- weed the area better than the field of irrigation or rain;
- observe the lunar calendar, it indicates the time when in no case weeding should be carried out.
We mulch the beds.
Mulching is the process of dusting or covering the beds. Mulching can be carried out with sawdust, hay, straw, lime and of course ash. Covering the soil significantly slows down the processes of photosynthesis and prevents the development of weeds. Both the foliage and the root are affected.Mulched beds look very neat and tidy. Especially if they are covered with cardboard or sawdust. But there is one drawback, if you covered your beds in the spring, then you can remove everything only in the fall after the harvest is harvested. For horticultural crops, you need to make cuts, if it is a dense material, if not, then carefully sprinkle the plant around. If you covered the bed with rubiroid or film material, it is worth remembering that the soil over the shelter can overheat. Remember that sawdust, hay, pine needles or cardboard are considered the best materials for shelter.
Traditional methods of weed control.
Previously, weeds were not fought with hoes, chemicals, or covering materials. Even some 50 years ago, gardeners and truck farmers used folk methods, which by the way have remained effective to this day. I will tell you about some of them.
Salt.
Perhaps the most accessible method for everyone, it works very effectively, and most importantly it costs a penny. You can sprinkle salt on the ground, or you can use brine. For mulching, I usually use coarse salt, it takes about 1.5 kg of salt per square meter, but do not forget that during precipitation the salt will dissolve. Soils treated with salt are not suitable for growing horticultural crops on them, and this is a huge disadvantage. But in order to fight against weeds on the paths, this method is very good. Salt can also be used if you want to lay an artificial lawn on the site.
Soda.
Reaction from strong alkaline soda solution, has very good action against weed growth. In order for the effect to be more powerful, you can add grated soap to the solution. But I advise you to remember that in the soil treated in this way, nothing will grow for a very long time.
Alcohol.
This strange method is very often used by Americans. This method is quite expensive. We dilute medical alcohol one to ten and cultivate the soil. It is very important to remember that alcohol does not kill garden crops. We process only between the rows. The effect lasts perfectly for a whole year.
Vinegar.
There are a lot of recipes for tillage with vinegar, we will consider the most basic:
- Dilute 9% vinegar with lemon juice, keeping to a ratio of 3 to 1;
-5 glasses of vinegar we dilute in 2 liters of water, this mixture is enough for processing 2 acres;
- add 2 tablespoons of salt and 5 tablespoons of vinegar to one liter of water, use this solution warm.
DIY herbicidal soap.
In order to make soap at home, we need a liter of 20% vinegar, 150 g of coarse salt, 100 g. grated laundry soap. We mix all the components until smooth and process the area with weeds. Treatments in this way must be carried out once a week.
We burn the grass with fire.
A risky enough method that will damage not only weeds, but also garden crops. Therefore, such processing should be carried out before the first shoots of horticultural crops. Processing is carried out with a blowtorch; you do not need to hold the lamp in that place for a long time. Everything needs to be done very quickly.
Avoid emptiness in the area.
If there are empty places on the site where none of the horticultural crops grows, then you need to sow it with something. And it doesn't matter what kind of culture it will be, dill, onion or turnip. It will also be of great benefit if the site is sown with green manure.
We compact the beds.
So that the weed grass does not have enough space for growth. some horticultural crops can be sown as densely as possible. But it is worth considering the fact that too dense plantings will harm both weeds and horticultural crops and their yield. The crop of thickened plantings is very often affected by rot.
We fence off the site.
If you completely managed to get rid of weeds in a certain area, then it can be separated from the main area.We isolate the site with the help of dug grooves around the perimeter of the site or dig in the slate, make an impromptu small fence.
Row spacing.
After weeding, many people forget about the area between the rows, where the grass is trampled as usual. However, this does not in any way prevent the weeds from starting to develop again and spreading their seeds throughout the site. It is best to close the aisles with cardboard or boards. You can also use gravel. Then your site will look neat and well-groomed and no weeds will disturb you.
We freeze the site.
In the fall, we dig the soil very deeply and in no case level it. Frost that will stand until the snow cover will destroy all weed seeds.
Conclusion
Dear gardeners, it is stupid to hope that the weed will leave your plot once and for all, and never again have to carry out weeding. There are plants that are extremely difficult to remove and from year to year they will appear again and again on your sites. But if you correctly combine mechanical and chemical methods of struggle with each other, then the result will be quite bearable. And you will spend much less time, effort and money on the improvement and weeding of your site.