Gardeners are well aware that the beds are not only an excellent springboard for growing vegetables and berries, but also a real battlefield with weeds, which occupy the best positions with regular persistence. So that stubborn parasitic plants do not appear among seedlings, taking moisture, useful trace elements and sunlight, you should choose the right remedy for weeds that will not harm useful crops.
Traditional folk methods
With the beginning of the cultivation of the first garden crops, mankind also encountered weeds, which, to the detriment of the entire surrounding world, developed much more successfully than their cultivated brothers. With the emergence of the problem, the first methods of controlling harmful plants appeared, which were 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 that it is constantly attached to the garden. Vigorous waving with a hoe and even treatment with a motor-mower will not yield results if we forget about weeding for at least two weeks, moreover, the effectiveness of actions is minimal. Gardeners such as wild oats and wheat grass grasp tenaciously on the soil with their rhizomes that sprawl around and form a real carpet. Removing part of the rhizomes does not deprive the plant of life, but only contributes to their rapid reproduction.
There is a small peasant trick: you should replace the chopper (shovel) with a pitchfork, which does not chop parts of the plant, but rips them out of the ground entirely. After this, it is necessary to collect the roots and ground parts and carry them away from the garden. I would like to note that this procedure takes a lot of time and effort, and after a couple of weeks the weeds will again ring out among the greens and strawberries. If you want to achieve perfectly clean soil without a single parasite, get ready for the fact that weed control in the garden will be a daily activity.
Using small pitchforks for weeding instead of a chopper or a shovel, you can not only free the soil from weeds, but also loosen it at the same time
For weeding the beds along with traditional tools use a weed extractor. To remove the plant, just immerse the extractor in the soil and rotate 180 degrees
From the resulting green mass, fertilizer can be made. Read more in the article: What benefits and harm do weeds bring + how to make fertilizer out of them
Method # 2 - using cover material
To make the ubiquitous herbaceous parasites "dark", a dense material that does not allow air and sunlight to come in handy. As a protective blanket, construction and greenhouse residues are suitable:
- linoleum;
- black film;
- cardboard;
- roofing material.
The method of cleansing the soil from weeds is simple: you should cover the desired area of land with opaque, airtight material for 3 or 4 weeks, after which it can be removed. Not a single plant can withstand such conditions, and the roots, the beginnings of the stems and leaves will naturally die away, after which they can be easily removed with an ordinary rake.
Some weeds have stem roots 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 must take place before planting or planting vegetables and berries, that is, the procedure must be performed as soon as possible. In the middle lane, March was recognized as the optimal time for sheltering work. A pleasant exception is strawberries, which can quite safely coexist with a 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 maintain moisture in the soil;
- excludes rotting of berries;
- stops the growth of weeds.
And you can use mulching agrofibre for weed control. Read about it: //diz-cafe.com/ozelenenie/ukryvnoj-material-ot-sornyakov.html
The use of a black film from weeds dramatically increases the yield of garden strawberries. Sweet and juicy berries do not touch the ground, therefore, remain intact 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 desired vegetable crops. Water flowing from a water supply system or a large tank raised above the ground moves through pipes and hoses, and then seeps through small holes punctured at the vegetable landing sites. The essence of irrigation is to saturate only useful plants with moisture, giving no chance for weeds to grow.
When drip irrigation, all the moisture goes to the plant for which it is intended. Dry land around the crop - a guarantee of protection against weeds and the propagation of harmful insects
Drip irrigation is effectively used both on open ground and in greenhouses, where parasitic plants multiply at great speed. Of course, it will not be possible to avoid additional weeding, but the number of weeds with dosed spot irrigation will decrease several times.
Read more in the articles: Principles of designing automatic irrigation systems for a site and Drip irrigation system in a greenhouse: an example of a do-it-yourself device
Method # 4 - mulching protection
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 shredded material with a thickness of 6-7 cm is laid with a dense carpet around vegetable crops. It lets air in, retains moisture, maintains the necessary temperature for optimal root growth, while at the same time serves as an effective barrier to weeds in the garden.
The biological or artificial mixture for mulching is evenly distributed throughout the garden, leaving arbitrary nests for plants, given their size and growth rate
When laying mulch on the ground, it is necessary to adhere to a number of rules. If plants are planted in the autumn, the protective mass must be added immediately after planting. In early spring, before using the mulch, you should check whether the ground is warm well. If the weeds have already grown, it is necessary to carefully grind the soil, and then lay a thick layer of crushed mass - up to 18 cm.
Related article: How to prepare bark for mulching a flower garden?
Chemical attack on weed
The weedy army has many warriors: oatmeal and chamomile, creeping wheatgrass and horse sorrel, tansy and cassock, St. John's wort and a succession. But none of these plants can withstand aggressive chemical exposure - spraying with herbicides.
There are a number of means of the so-called systemic action. These include Tornado, Roundup, Grad Bio. They are applied to the visible surfaces of plants - leaves, stem, inflorescences. The toxic composition is absorbed by the pores of the herbs and gradually accumulates in their roots. A big plus of these products is absolute safety for the surrounding soil. The earth is not polluted, therefore, after the herbicidal 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 is enough to completely clear the area.
"Agrokiller" equally well destroys not only annuals and perennials, but also shrub-woody shoots. With it, you can effectively deal with a dangerous and tenacious hogweed that can cause extensive burns.
In order not to damage vegetable crops or berry shrubs, to apply herbicides to weeds, they use the simplest tool - an ordinary paint brush
The main rule when using herbicides is to accurately 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 to spray them in areas far from the beds, but also in need of cleaning: thickets along the fence, grass nests in furrows, burdock and thistle bushes along the edges of garden paths.
Let's consider in more detail two means. "Roundup" is a universal herbicide, which is used to get rid of absolutely any plant. It does not have soil activity, so it is used before the start of sowing vegetable crops. If you act according to the instructions, then the tool is completely safe for people, animals and the environment. A capacity of 1 liter, which is enough for 20m ², costs 1250 rubles.
Often large containers with 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 remedy is Tornado. On the territory of the garden, it is recommended to use it against such weeds as cattail, creeping wheatgrass, bindweed, cirsium, porcini, 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 capacity of 1 liter costs 900 rubles.
The Tornado herbicide is safe for animals and bees, but is poison for fish. Using it, avoid contact of the solution with the mucous membrane of the eyes
Having learned how to deal with weeds using various methods and means, you can increase productivity and turn semi-wild garden thickets into an exemplary plot.
