How to remove weeds using folk remedies. How to get rid of weeds in your summer cottage and other places. Traditional methods of weed control

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 sow thistle, thistle, nettle, yarrow, wormwood, mullein, burdock, quinoa, and gooseberry. It is important to know that all these plants do not tolerate constant mowing and are sensitive to the effects of herbicides and prolonged shading. It is these properties that need to be used in the fight against weeds. So, let's look at the different options.

Plowing

If possible, it is necessary to plow virgin soil before winter, leaving large clods without breaking. This will help partially freeze some of the perennial rhizomes. In spring, the arable land is cultivated by breaking up clods and leveling the ground. It would be nice to say that this is where 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 up, they will sprout and the area 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 put them in a compost heap (or simply dry them in the sun).

Herbicide treatment

Sprouted young weeds need to 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.

You can spray weeds with herbicides before plowing, but again only at the beginning of the season. Since July, treatment with these drugs has not been particularly effective.

The grass begins to turn yellow and dry out after about a week, and after a month it is already possible to plant 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 made of boards, slate or metal are directly arranged. The bottom is lined with cardboard, and a “layer cake” is made from various organic waste on top.

Mown grass, both fresh and dried, as well as fallen leaves are used. All this is laid over with thin layers of earth, peat, and manure. A fertile layer is laid out over the top, into which seeds are sown and seedlings are planted.

Shading of areas

If you isolate weeds from light for a long time, they will certainly die. The method of combating weeds by covering future ridges with some kind of light-proof material is based on this phenomenon. It can be anything, from multi-layer cardboard to old rugs and carpets. For these purposes, it is convenient to use black spunbond, geotextiles, slate, roofing felt, and 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” the wild vegetation and gradually turn it into a beautiful and even lawn. To do this, carry out an initial mowing with a trimmer disc, and then mow the area regularly, at least twice a month, with a lawn mower.

Most plants will not survive such violence and will die. Only a few cereal 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 methods

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

Where a lawn is planned according to the plan, weeds are regularly mowed down and the beds are mulched with this organic matter and compost bins are filled. Thus, without special material and labor costs, you can gradually displace weeds from the site.

Getting rid of weeds with mulch

Mulching (surface covering) of the soil is the most effective way to combat various weeds. With mulch you can actually get rid of weeds for good. As it you can use:

black film, if soil warming is also necessary;
white film if you do not want to further heat the soil;
tree bark; small or large pebbles, purified crushed stone or expanded clay, any small stones;
straw without seeds, pulled weeds (also without seeds, they can ripen);
cardboard;
other various options for film and coating, materials where there is no glue or paint (newspaper will not work), which can seep into the ground and pollute it.

Learn more about mulching in this video.

Treating weeds with herbicides

Treatment with herbicides and pesticides must be carried out under strict dosage control. However, it is worth considering that with their help you will not be able to get rid of weeds forever - only for a season, and not for two, three or more. Let's take a closer look at different types of herbicides.

System sprayed onto the weeds themselves, the toxins cause the plant to die. This option is quite effective and is in great demand in Russia, where the weed problem is very acute.
Contact herbicides work differently and require more targeted spraying and are generally more troublesome to use. But on the other hand, they are safer for applications where you don’t want to kill the plant by accidentally dropping it.
Herbicides electoral action allow you to preserve fruit and vegetable crops, as they can identify them themselves. This is a very effective type, so it can be recommended to all gardeners. This option is great for the lawn; it will not harm the cultivated plants.
Herbicides continuous action remove all plants in the area you treated. They are not very popular among gardeners and gardeners, but they will help fight wheatgrass or hogweed that have infested the field.

How to properly fight weeds with your own hands

Of course, we all, to some extent, fight weeds in our garden the old fashioned way - we dig them up or pull them out with our hands. But here it is important to know one trick that will ensure you work more efficiently. If you don't pull out the entire root system, the weed, like a strong native plant (compared to hybrid tomatoes or flowers), will heal its wounds and continue to grow. And if you dig carefully with a small garden fork, then the weed will really disappear from your garden bed or flower bed.

Salt and vinegar to get rid of weeds

There are also traditional methods weed control. You can use ordinary salt to water the weeds. It is very important to use a lot of it - about 2–2.5 kg per square meter, diluted in about one or two buckets of water. True, this method is only suitable for terraces, because it destroys all plants, and therefore is not suitable for gardens, flower beds or vegetable gardens.

The same can be done with vinegar - a proven weed killer (200 ml vinegar, 50 g alcohol and 1 sachet citric acid 1 liter of water will be enough).

EM-preparations for weeds

A more environmentally friendly way to completely get rid of weeds in the garden would be EM preparations. Unlike herbicides and pesticides, they are based on natural ingredients and do not pollute the soil. True, everyone notes less efficiency this method compared to less environmentally friendly ones.

Working in a garden bed or garden takes a lot of time and requires effort, and the end result is that after a few days, young shoots emerge from the ground, depriving garden and vegetable crops of nutrients.

In agricultural enterprises, this issue is solved with the help of plants that destroy unwanted vegetation in the fields entirely and for a long time. You can purchase such agrochemicals for home use in any specialized stores.

But it is better to use folk analogues, which are only slightly inferior in effectiveness to chemical agents, but are completely harmless to the soil and garden plants. We will tell you how to fight weeds using vinegar and salt.

Vinegar - useful properties in a summer cottage

The question of how to get rid of grass forever plagues more than one homeowner. Meanwhile, experienced owners have long discovered the herbicidal properties of ordinary table vinegar. With its help you can easily get rid of weeds in and in flower beds. This folk remedy in tandem with salt can well be qualified as a herbicide with systemic and general effects.

Did you know?Vinegar is simply irreplaceable in the household. With its help, they remove stains from clothes and rust from small objects, get rid of scale and unpleasant odors, relieve pain in muscles, treat sore throats, correct the taste of a spoiled dish, add shine to hair, dissolve paint, wash plumbing fixtures and glass surfaces, and eliminate hiccups.

Liquid, when it gets on the stems of plants, due to the constituent acids, simply burns them along with the rhizome, without affecting negative influence on humans, pets and soil, since it instantly breaks down into water and carbon dioxide. For these purposes, 9% colorless vinegar is sufficient, but if this is not available, apple cider vinegar will do. This solution is more aggressive towards plants and the composition of the soil. Therefore, it is better to use it on paved or tiled paths.
Table salt enhances the effect of vinegar. Unneeded crops must be sprinkled with it after spraying. Moreover, the treatment should be carried out very carefully so that the product does not get on vegetable or flower crops.

Summer residents who have already tried to get rid of weeds with vinegar and salt note their effectiveness even in heavily overgrown areas. There is no plant that these traditional herbicides cannot cope with. In addition, in homestead farming, these products will help get rid of. Insects try to avoid such strong and unpleasant odors.

Important! Salt, getting into the soil, prevents the emergence of pathogens of putrefactive diseases.

How to get rid of weeds using vinegar, instructions

Vinegar is an effective and harmless weed killer in... But if you act illiterately, pouring liquid all around, you can end up with nothing. Therefore, we will look in detail at how to dilute the solution and treat it with it.

How to prepare a solution for treatment

In order to spray the garden and yard in order to get rid of unnecessary vegetation, you will need 3.8 liters of table vinegar and 10 liters of water. Combine the ingredients in a plastic bucket, add half a glass of table salt and a few drops of liquid soap. The last ingredient forms a dry coating on the foliage, preventing the rapid breakdown of the vinegar solution and thus enhancing its effect. Stir everything thoroughly until the grains are completely dissolved and pour into a spray bottle.

There are other recipes for. In very overgrown areas, you can use a mixture of equal parts water and vinegar. Some gardeners advise filling a three-liter jar with five glasses of vinegar and adding water to the top, recommending this strong solution for the most difficult cases. You can also mix table vinegar with lemon juice in a ratio of 3:1 or dissolve 150 g of salt in 1 liter of vinegar and add 10 mg of liquid soap.

Important! We annually apply about 5 million weed seeds to the garden with 1 ton of manure.

Precautionary measures

When working with vinegar solution, you should follow the same safety precautions as with pesticides. Firstly, it is better to plan spraying in the morning in calm, clear weather. Secondly, you need to act very carefully, protecting the foliage of cultivated plants and soil from contact with drops of the product.

The liquid should be distributed from a spray bottle only onto the stems and leaves of the weeds. Within a few days they will begin to wither and turn yellow. Please note that the hotter the weather outside, the faster your environmentally friendly

The main types of weeds growing in gardens

Weeds are plants that have settled in the cultivated area on their own. Among them there are useful ones, but mostly they are harmful to garden crops or poisonous to people and animals. The danger lies in the fact that pests settle on them, which subsequently move on to the bushes planted by the gardener. Some representatives release specific harmful substances into the soil, create shading, and absorb large amounts of nutrients and water from the ground.

When destroying weeds in the garden, it is necessary to take into account their life expectancy, methods of reproduction and nutrition. There are ephemerals (live less than one season), spring and winter annuals, biennials and perennials.

The seeds of some representatives remain viable for several years, germinating when favorable conditions occur.

Common noxious weeds:

creeping wheatgrass;
field bindweed (birch);
woodlice (chickweed);
purslane;
barnyard grass (chicken millet);
sow thistle pink (thistle field).

Useful ones include blue cornflower, meadow clover, nettle, horsetail, and knotweed. They can be used in recipes traditional medicine and cosmetology due to the content of many beneficial nutrients. Some are used in cooking, for example, nettle, dandelion, cornflower.

How to fight weeds in the garden to get rid of them forever

Improper management of manure and compost is also a common cause of site contamination. Before using these additives for their intended purpose, they must be prepared. The temperature in the compost heap rises quite high, so the weed seeds that fall gradually lose their viability. If you violate the fertilizer manufacturing technology, do not carry out periodic mixing, or use fertilizing prematurely, you can add weed seed material to the soil along with the nutrient mixture.

It is not recommended to purchase seedlings and seeds of garden crops at spontaneous markets, since improper procurement can cause weeds to appear in the garden.

For this reason, it is advisable to buy planting material in specialized garden centers, stores, and nature reserves.

Main groups of weed control methods:

mechanical;
chemical;
folk.

It can be difficult to get rid of weeds on a site forever because of their high adaptability to an unfavorable environment, resistance to mechanical and chemical damage, and ability to sprout even several years after the seeds hit the ground. Good results are shown by an integrated approach, in which weeds are destroyed and then their reappearance is prevented. Often, weed control methods in the countryside are used in a comprehensive manner, which increases the effectiveness of the measures taken.

Mechanical methods

The main methods are weeding, cutting off the top layer of soil, mulching, burning with a gas burner. Traditionally, to prevent weeds from growing, it is recommended to carefully cultivate the garden in the fall. Remove all plant debris and burn it, dig the earth deeply, leaving large lumps. Over the winter, the lumps of soil will freeze and the seeds will die.

Weeding is carried out throughout the active growing season. It is important to remove young shoots so that harmful specimens do not have time to develop a powerful root system. This method will not help for perennials with deep-rooted rhizomes. A conventional operation can cause harm, since from the remaining roots, instead of one bush, several will grow at once. When weeding such thickets, it is recommended to cut off the above-ground part at soil level, being careful not to damage the root system. Several removals are enough to completely destroy the remaining weed after drying it out.

Cutting off the soil layer

Cutting the top layer of soil helps get rid of annual and biennial weeds with shallow roots. It is not necessary to throw away the removed soil; it is enough to remove plant debris and heat it with steam or a burner. It is undesirable to water with chemicals, since these substances will subsequently harm cultivated specimens.

Mulching

Most effective method get rid of weeds in the beds and between the rows - use mulching. The lack of light will deprive weeds of the opportunity to sprout. The main mistake when carrying out this method is a small layer of mulch (2-3 cm). For the protection to work, it is recommended to spread the material used 5-10 cm thick. Even with this, individual specimens may appear, so the plantings are regularly inspected and weeded if necessary.

Fire treatment

A modern way to remove weeds from beds is to treat them with fire or steam blast. It can be used after sowing seeds of cultivated plants or immediately before this operation. It is important that weed sprouts have already appeared, and beneficial varieties are absent on the surface. The procedure is carried out with care so as not to harm the planted seed material.

Chemicals

Herbicides are the most effective way get rid of weeds and harmful herbs forever. Despite their effectiveness, they are rarely used in practice, since there is a high probability of harming garden crops. At correct use chemicals danger side effects is reduced to a minimum, so you should not abandon this method.

It is recommended to use herbicides against perennials with a powerful, deep-rooted root system, as well as in areas where it is not planned to plant useful crops. The use is justified when combating poisonous specimens, for example, hogweed. When removing weeds with pesticides, it is necessary to retreat at least 30 cm from garden plants to avoid the drug affecting them. For some time, the treated area may pose a threat to humans and animals, so it should be fenced off if possible.

Irrigation of the soil is carried out in the spring immediately after digging. Soil herbicides destroy the roots and seeds of weeds. It is advisable to complete the work 2-3 weeks before planting cultivated plants in neighboring beds.

Herbicides designed to destroy all weeds in the garden:

Glyphid;
Roundup;
Honor;
Carnaby;
Legate;
Pyraclides;
Rimanol;
Tornado;
Rangoli-Galsithil.

We must not forget about precautions and safety rules when using chemicals to control weeds and herbs in the garden. It is unacceptable to spray the area and weeds during windy conditions to avoid getting the toxic solution onto neighboring plantings, as well as people and animals. The weather is good, sunny, at least 2-3 days before and after there should be no precipitation. Carry out work in protective clothing, with your face covered. After spraying, undress, soak your suit, and take a shower.

Traditional methods

You can remove weeds from the garden using various improvised means that do not have as many side effects, like herbicides. It should be borne in mind that after applying most recipes, even cultivated plants will not be able to grow in the treated areas, so the method must be chosen with caution and taking into account the purpose of the treated area. Spray or scatter the most powerful products at a distance of 30 cm from garden crops.

Salt

Prepare a solution from salt or sprinkle large crystals on the ground at the rate of 1.5 kg per 1 m². The main disadvantage of this product is the unsuitability of the treated soil for subsequent farming. For this reason, salt is used to control weeds on paths and when preparing areas for artificial turf.

Soda

Saturated soda solution stops the growth and development of weeds. The effect will be enhanced by adding laundry soap grated on a coarse grater. The disadvantage of the method is similar to the previous one - the treated soil is not suitable for further use for planting garden crops for a long time.

Alcohol solution

An alcohol solution prepared in a 1:1 ratio should be watered in early spring. The procedure is carried out between rows, and emerging weeds are removed by weeding. This method will not remove weeds from the beds forever, but after about 1 year the effect will be noticeable.

Vinegar

Regular table vinegar will replace herbicides. Based on it, developed various recipes preparation of folk remedies. For example, it is recommended to mix 2 tbsp. vinegar essence, 2 tbsp. water, 1 small packet of citric acid, 30 g of alcohol and 2 tsp. liquid dishwashing detergent. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spray the weeds and the soil surface underneath them. Garden crops cannot be touched.

Herbicide soap is popular. To make it, you need to mix grated laundry soap, rock salt and vinegar. Dissolve the mixture in water and treat the above-ground parts of the weeds with the resulting solution.

Boiling water

Proper pre-sowing preparation of the beds will help you get rid of weeds and grass in your garden. Before the procedure, you need to water the soil with boiling water. In addition to the seed material of harmful weeds, the soil will be cleared of pathogenic microorganisms and pest larvae.

This method will not solve the problem forever, but it will greatly facilitate subsequent care of the beds.

Planting green manure

Green manure is planted immediately after harvest. The root system of this group of plants is powerful, superficial, and with frequent sowing it forms a dense turf that prevents the development of weeds.

In addition to getting rid of weeds, green manure helps enrich the soil with nutrients and fights many pests. Such crops grow quite quickly and require further digging when they reach a height of 10 cm or before active flowering. It is permissible to plant them immediately after harvesting, and dig up the ground within a month.

You can get rid of weeds in your garden forever with an integrated approach. By combining several methods and carrying out treatments regularly, you can get results quite quickly. Prevention and implementation of agricultural techniques for planting and growing garden crops play an important role. At the end of the growing season, it is recommended to burn the harvested plant residues or keep them in water for several days, then add them to the maturing compost heap.

With the beginning of growing the first garden crops, humanity was also faced with 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 combating harmful plants appeared, differing in their purpose and implementation.

Method #1 – regular mechanical weeding

This is perhaps the simplest and most common method, despite its complexity. The main property of weeding is regularity, which means constant connection to the garden. Vigorously waving a hoe and even working with a walk-behind mower will not produce results if you forget about weeding for at least two weeks, and besides, the effectiveness of the action is minimal. Garden regulars such as wild oats and wheatgrass tenaciously hold on to the soil with their rhizomes, which spread around and form a real carpet. Removing part of the rhizomes does not deprive the plant of life, but only promotes their rapid reproduction.

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

Along with traditional tools, a weed extractor is used to weed beds. To remove a plant, simply immerse the extractor in the soil and turn it 180 degrees.

Method #2 - using covering material

linoleum;
black film;
cardboard;
roofing felt

The method for clearing the soil of weeds is simple: cover the desired area of land 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, stem buds and leaves will naturally die, after which they can be easily removed with an ordinary rake.

Some weeds have tap roots that go deep. Sometimes the length of rhizomes and their shoots reaches 1 m or more

The peculiarity of this method is that weed control must occur before sowing or planting vegetable and berry crops, that is, the procedure must be carried out as early as possible. In the middle zone, March is recognized as the optimal time for covering work. A pleasant exception is strawberries, which can coexist quite happily with black film. The beds are completely covered, leaving nests for berry bushes. As a result, the film simultaneously performs a number of functions:

attracts sun rays;
helps retain moisture in the soil;
prevents rotting of berries;
stops the growth of weeds.

The use of black weed film 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 remarkably saves water, but also feeds only the necessary vegetable crops. Water flowing from a water supply 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, without giving weeds a chance to grow.

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

Method #4 – protection by mulching

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

fallen leaves;
dry grass;
compost;
straw;
crushed film;
landscape fabric.

A layer of carefully crushed material 6-7 cm thick is placed in a dense carpet around the 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 entire bed, 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 plants are planted in autumn, then the protective mass must be added immediately after planting. In early spring, before using mulch, you should check whether the ground has warmed up well. If the weeds have already begun to grow, it is necessary to thoroughly 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 oats and chamomile, creeping wheatgrass and horse sorrel, tansy and jasmine, St. John's wort and string. But none of these plants can withstand aggressive chemical action - spraying with herbicides.

There are a number of means of so-called systemic action. These include “Tornado”, “Roundup”, “Growd Bio”. They are applied to the visible surfaces of plants - leaves, stems, inflorescences. The toxic composition is absorbed by the pores of grasses 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, cultivated plants can be safely planted. The duration of exposure to pesticides depends on their composition and the degree of resistance of the weeds; most often, 2 weeks are enough to completely clear the area.

“Agrokiller” equally well destroys not only annuals and perennials, but also shrub and woody shoots. With its help, you can effectively fight the dangerous and tenacious hogweed, which can cause 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 toxic substance kills any plants equally effectively, including berry bushes and vegetable crops. Due to the total destruction of all living things, the optimal 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 furrows, burdock and thistle bushes along the sides of garden paths.

Let's take a closer look at the two tools. Roundup is a universal herbicide that is used to get rid of absolutely any plant. It does not have soil activity, so it is used before sowing vegetable crops. If you act according to the instructions, the product is completely safe for people, animals and the environment. A 1-liter container, which is enough for 20 m², costs 1,250 rubles.

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

The second popular remedy is “Tornado”. In the garden it is recommended to use it against weeds such as cattail, creeping wheatgrass, bindweed, thistle, pigweed, and 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, you can plant vegetables and berries 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, avoid contact of the solution with the mucous membrane of the eyes

After learning how to control weeds with in various ways and funds, you can increase productivity and turn semi-wild garden thickets into an exemplary plot.