We are learning ways to fight and remove weeds from the garden. How to destroy weeds? “Necessary” tips and thoughts Mechanical and manual removal of loaches

Today we will talk about weeds, how to remove them from summer cottages and gardens and what harm they cause.

• What harm do weeds cause to cultivated plants?
• Folk remedies.
• Weed killers
• How to sow a garden to prevent weeds from growing
• What to do to prevent grass from growing between the beds.

This is how we fight weeds.

Weeds are the main enemy of any garden plot. In the garden they compete with cultivated plants for food and moisture. It is from them that diseases and pests “come” to our vegetables. But not everyone succeeds in destroying the weeds on their site... The most difficult to eradicate weeds are rhizomatous (creeping wheatgrass) and root shoots (field sow thistle, common sow thistle).
Why are they dangerous for the garden, vegetable garden, and sometimes for humans?

Damage caused by weeds to cultivated plants

First of all, weeds are extremely prolific; many of them produce tens of thousands of seeds in one season, which have a very high germination potential, thereby abundantly replenishing their “reserves” in the soil.
For example, the woodlice, known to all gardeners, is a lover of wet areas. In 40 days it manages to sprout, bloom and produce just a huge amount of seeds. Over the summer, it can fill the entire garden.
The seeds of many weeds have a fairly dense shell. Many sprout after lying in the ground for several years, so destroying weeds on a site is extremely difficult.

If you do not destroy the grass in the beds, it can kill any cultivated plants.

With each loosening, we inflict mechanical wounds on such seeds, accelerating their germination. That is why, after weeding, weed seeds quickly germinate and form a solid wall.

In spring, weeds sprout and grow much earlier than cultivated plants. Therefore, they greatly inhibit the sowing of early vegetable crops, thereby causing great harm to cultivated plants.

Weeds have a much more powerful root system. Therefore, they are the first in the garden to absorb water and nutrients dissolved in it, taking them away from cultivated plants, depleting and drying out the soil, and this again causes harm to the plants that we grow with such difficulty.

For many perennial herbs, when weeding an area, pieces of underground organs remain in the ground, which quickly take root and new plants grow from them. Also, daughter roots grow from the main root, and from them, in turn, new plants sprout.

In addition, some weeds (for example,) release toxic substances into the soil, which significantly accelerate the process of soil fatigue.

They are also a favorable habitat for many pests. For example, cruciferous flea beetles and cabbage butterflies find shelter on weeds of the cruciferous family, and the Colorado potato beetle on nightshade crops. The wireworm's favorite habitat is thickets of creeping wheatgrass, and soil nematodes like to reproduce on field thistle.

And finally, weeds are “adapted” to colonize new territories. Their seeds are carried by wind and melt water, birds and animals. A good example is the soft bristles of young grass that appear shortly after the application of fresh cattle manure. I think that any summer resident, based on his own experience, knows what harm weeds cause to cultivated plants and how much time and effort it takes to destroy them.

How to get rid of weeds using folk remedies

Weed control video:

How to fight an “invincible” enemy? There are several rules that were “discovered” by our ancestors. There is nothing complicated or new about them. We know them well, but for some reason we often don’t adhere to them.

1. Weeds must be actively controlled before they grow. Even the largest area can be easily cleared of small grass. The later we do this work, the more effort will be required to destroy them. The most accessible and easiest way is spring harrowing, which is carried out as soon as the soil is “ripe.” On many crops with deep seeding, harrowing can be done almost before germination. When sowing crops whose seeds do not germinate for a long time, the rows are marked with pegs or a lighthouse crop (lettuce, radish) is sown. And on heavily weeded beds, you can start inter-row cultivation “blindly” - before the crop emerges when weeds appear.
2. Cut weeds with a flat cutter or sharp hoe. This should be done in sunny weather so that the weeds dry out immediately in the sun. Cut down in rainy weather, many manage to take root again.
3. It is necessary to cut off the growth point, which is located at a depth of 1-2 cm. Therefore, the hoe should go slightly deeper into the ground, and not chop only the tops of the grass. Even such a “dangerous” weed as wheatgrass, if every 4-5 days for 6-7 weeks to remove its growth point, i.e. depriving it of sun at all, without disturbing the roots, will die from exhaustion: it needs sunlight for development and growth.
4. It is necessary to fight grass not only in spring and summer, but also in autumn. Unfortunately, summer residents often struggle with weeds all spring and summer; by autumn there are fewer of them and gardeners calm down, forgetting that the remaining specimens can produce a lot of seeds and will have to be fought just as actively next season. Therefore, in the fall, weeds must be destroyed with special care. be careful not to allow them to form seeds. The most insidious times are considered to be wet September and October, when we often stop fighting weeds.

Mulch against weeds

Mulching beds is a very useful technique for many reasons. Mulch also prevents weeds from breaking through, but the layer must be at least 5 cm. This is perhaps the most useful, effective and absolutely free way to get rid of grass in garden beds.

Using black film

Instead of mulch, you can cover the bed with black film. Not a single weed will get through it, and small holes are made in the film for planting plants. Most often, this method is used when planting strawberries.

Killing weeds with vinegar

You can also destroy the grass with ordinary table vinegar. Vinegar must be added to the water so that the concentration is at least 15 - 20%. Such a mixture can burn everything it touches, not just weeds, so processing must be carried out purposefully. This is a safe method for people and can be used near cultivated plants.

If there is little vinegar and the required concentration cannot be achieved, you can add salt to the water with vinegar. The result will be an even more deadly solution, but it is better to use it outside the garden or on paths, away from the beds.

Use of ammonium nitrate

It turns out that saltpeter is used not only as a fertilizer, but also to control grass. Of course, you will have to make the concentration just lethal, dissolve three kilograms of saltpeter in a bucket of water and start processing.

This is also a completely safe method for humans, the saltpeter will quickly erode into the atmosphere in the form of ammonia, and not much working fluid is required, just to moisten the leaves.

Weed killers

We destroy grass using herbicides video:

Well, if you are distrustful of the experience of your ancestors, and at the same time of the hand cultivator and flat cutter, then the stores have a fairly large selection of chemicals to combat this scourge.

Continuous action herbicides. Only a few herbicides are approved for use on private farms. Continuous herbicides commonly used are Roundup and Tornado. They are capable of destroying almost all weeds - perennial and annual, including sow thistle, creeping wheatgrass, plantain, chamomile, and knotweed. field bindweed, and others.

Moreover, they destroy all plants, including berry bushes. trees, flowers. They can destroy even large trees if the drug gets on the leaves when sprayed.

Therefore, when using continuous herbicides, it is necessary to strictly follow the instructions, protect the garden and vegetable garden with film, cardboard, and ensure that the solution does not get on crop plants. If this does happen, be sure to wash the solution off the cultivated plants with water. Make sure that the wind does not blow the herbicide to neighboring areas.

The grass will not break through the black film.

Selective herbicides. Of the selective herbicides on country lawns, it is allowed to use Lontrel-300, which, without affecting cereal lawn grasses, will destroy dandelion, sow thistle, plantain and other weeds.

Before using the herbicide, be sure to carefully read the instructions included with the product.
But, in my opinion, the use of herbicides in garden plots to control weeds is a last resort that can be resorted to when developing a new plot. And in a well-established garden, a sharp flat cutter (or, in extreme cases, a hoe) in the hands of a gardener will prevent wheatgrass and sow thistles from descending.

How to sow a plot to prevent weeds from growing.

We sow green manure so that weeds do not grow video:

If you are not going to plant your plot (or part of the plot) with cultivated plants during the summer, then plant green manure there. This will not only destroy annoying weeds, but also enrich and structure the soil.

Mustard. Mustard is a cold-resistant crop, it can be sown as early as April, the seed sowing rate is per 1 sq. meter 5 - 6 gr. Scatter the seeds on the ground and cover them with a rake, then be sure to water. Mustard grows very quickly and with such dense sowing there is simply no room left for weeds. During the summer, mustard must be mowed several times to prevent it from blooming. The following year, plant remains are embedded in the soil.

Rye. To prevent grass from growing on the plot, it can be sown with rye. Rye is usually sown in areas freed up after harvesting, for example after harvesting potatoes. This green manure not only destroys weeds, but also disinfects and fertilizes the soil. In the spring, it is also embedded into the soil using a shovel or walk-behind tractor.

What to do to prevent weeds from growing between the beds

To prevent weeds from growing between the beds, it is best to mulch the passages with sawdust, mown grass or wood chips. You can now buy a shredder for all kinds of garden waste in stores. There is always a lot of such garbage, including branches cut from trees, last year's raspberry shoots, etc. With the help of such a shredder, you can not only fill the passages between the beds, but also make paths in the garden from wood chips.

Weed control takes up the lion's share of gardeners' time and has a detrimental effect on their health. If there is a large area, it won’t take long for your back to be torn off. After all, they need to be weeded repeatedly, since this cunning weed manages to come out again and again in the most unexpected places.

Various drugs are also widely used to kill weeds. But this does not guarantee complete removal of weeds. A good alternative would be to use folk remedies to kill weeds in the garden, because they are inexpensive compared to herbicides, do not require special physical effort, and are not dangerous to health.

Most often, vinegar, salt, soap and soda are used when treating weeds.

How is vinegar used?

Vinegar completely destroys almost all types of weeds. It is absolutely safe for humans and does not have a negative effect on the soil. You can even remove ants with vinegar (spray the areas where they live with vinegar diluted in water).

However, if it gets on crops, vinegar can destroy them too, so you need to be careful when processing.

To avoid accidentally harming crops growing nearby, it is recommended to use a bottle with a nozzle or pump. If you need to treat a couple of bushes, you can take a brush. Spray the weeds in calm, sunny weather: the effect of vinegar is enhanced by the sun's rays, and calm weather will not allow harm to vegetables or flowers.

Leaves and stems should be sprayed generously with vinegar solution. Sometimes re-treatment is done if particularly persistent weeds are encountered. It is recommended to begin work on destroying pest plants in early spring, but I treat old perennial weeds in the fall. When treating weeds, several recipes with vinegar are used:

1. Dilute 5 glasses of 6% vinegar in two liters of water - this is enough to spray 2 acres.
2. Prepare a mixture of three parts 9% vinegar and one part lemon juice.

Salt - for particularly stubborn weeds

If vinegar alone does not control stubborn weeds, combine it with kitchen salt. To do this, bring a liter of water to a boil, add 5 tbsp. vinegar and 2 tbsp. salt. Pour the hot solution onto the weeds.

You can simply sprinkle the garden bed with salt, making sure that it does not get on the crops growing nearby. This method is good because salt will not only destroy the weed, but also, penetrating into the soil during rain, will prevent new ones from growing.

It should be remembered that frequent use of salt in the beds leads to changes in the composition of the soil. You can destroy all the weeds, but cultivated plants will not grow in this place.

Soap to the rescue

If you add liquid soap (one medical syringe) to a solution of salt (150 g) and vinegar (1 l), you will get a mixture called herbicidal soap. In this case, the best effect will be achieved by using 20% ​​vinegar. When spraying with herbicidal soap, cultivated plants should be covered with thick paper. The work is carried out at lunchtime, when the sun is especially hot.

Soda and weed

No less effective is adding baking soda to solutions. This will help get rid of small plants between the tile joints in the yard, and also fights powdery mildew. The following proportions are most often used:

• dilute 2 tbsp in 5 liters of water. l. soda and 1 tbsp. l. soap and spray the weeds once before flowering, repeat after a week - and so on three times;
• For 1 liter of water – a tablespoon of soda, liquid soap and vegetable oil. Carry out the treatment in cloudy weather.

You need to be very careful that the or that you import for feeding undergoes the necessary thorough processing. Weed vectors can also enter the garden through poor planting material purchased at a spontaneous market. Therefore, to avoid unpleasant consequences, it is better to buy seedlings or seeds in special stores.

And finally, the ideal carrier of weeds is the wind. One gust of it is enough to re-infect even the most perfectly cleaned area with weed seeds.

Even burning plants in the fall does not help in the fight against weeds in the country. Unfortunately, weeds adapt very well to unfavorable environmental conditions, are resistant to frost, high humidity and drought, and quickly recover even after mechanical damage is caused to them. Even the use of radical measures helps eliminate the problem with weeds only for a while.

How to fight weeds in the garden

Mechanical method: weeding

The oldest and easiest way to remove weeds is manual or mechanical weeding. This is the most accessible and cheapest method, which is absolutely harmless to cultivated plants and human health, but it is also the most labor-intensive. Weeds need to be weeded systematically and constantly, otherwise there will be no effect.
The most important thing in this method is to prevent weed seeds from getting onto the plant, and if some do get in, they need to be removed during germination. The torn material does not need to be thrown away; it is better to put it in a compost heap.

Important! Weeding should be done near the dacha fence, around the garden and in hard-to-reach places, as this will help destroy weeds in the dacha and prevent them from reproducing.

Special devices for the thermal destruction of weeds by flame or hot steam blast are also quite effective. This method works well when you need to get rid of weeds on patios and flagstone paths.

In large-scale plots or fields, electric plows are also used to control weeds. They plow the ground and chop up the weeds. After such cultivation, the land must be immediately planted and mulched to prevent new germination of weeds.

How to get rid of weeds in the garden forever: a chemical method

Be that as it may, chemicals for weed control are sometimes a real salvation, because only with their help can you get rid of such malicious weeds as or. However, you should not expect that chemicals will rid your area of ​​weeds once and for all, but there will be much less of them. Unfortunately, weed seeds that previously fell into the ground will germinate again, and control measures will need to be repeated.

Important! Only green weeds are sprayed with herbicides, not the soil!

Many vegetable growers are distrustful of chemicals for weeds. But you shouldn’t worry about this, because it’s not the means that cause harm, but their incorrect use.

Herbicides with specialized action harm only specific types of weeds; they do not harm lawn grasses and cultivated plants (except for some garden plants).

Only one chemical is allowed to be used on potato and tomato plantings - this, containing metribuzin (700 g/kg). Other safe, environmentally friendly and proven means are (selective herbicide, active ingredient clopyralid); combined "Proweed" (dicamba + chlorsulfuron), as well as preparations based on glyphosate: which kill almost all weeds.

Treatments with the above preparations should be carried out only during the growing season of weeds (on green leaves), while protecting nearby flowering cultivated plants with film.

All drug consumption rates indicated on the packages are calculated based on the results of various tests and inspections. Therefore, if you strictly follow the instructions, the use of chemicals against weeds will only bring benefits and reliable protection to the site.

Did you know? The action of herbicides is affected by weather conditions. When sunny weather is favorable for growth and development, the drugs penetrate the plants much faster and the death of weeds is accelerated. When it’s cool, the opposite is true—they penetrate less, and the death of weeds slows down.

Mulching the soil as a method of weed control

This is covering the soil surface with mulch to improve its properties and protect it. Today, mulching is widely used to control weeds in Western Europe, Canada and the USA. Gradually this method is becoming popular among us. The main advantages of mulching are maintaining moisture and favorable temperature conditions, preventing soil erosion, maintaining its looseness and reducing the intensity of weed growth.
Almost all plants respond well to mulch; the main thing is to choose the right mulching material. To do this, you can use pebbles, crushed stone, gravel, cardboard and even newspapers moistened with water - this is inorganic mulch. Organic includes humus, pine needles, straw, hay, tree bark, nut shells, mown grass, thin branches.

At the beginning of the season, you need to spread the mulch on pre-weed-free, well-warmed soil. If you cover unheated soil with mulch, it will inhibit plant growth. At the end of the season, in late autumn, you need to clear the area of ​​the remaining mulch and burn it. When mulching seedlings, you need to leave a couple of centimeters of free space at the base of the plant. The first mulching must be done immediately after planting the plants, then add a fresh layer of mulch twice a year.

Traditional methods of weed control

One of the popular ways to get rid of weeds in the garden is alcohol. Its essence is to spray the soil with a 6% solution of ethyl alcohol a month before sowing. This helps to germinate millions of weed seeds, which can be easily removed by mechanical methods before sowing, and the soil for sowing remains absolutely clean for a long time. Instead of alcohol, you can take moonshine: 1 liter. for 10 liters of water.
This amount is enough to cultivate 2.5 acres of land. This method is especially suitable for those who prefer an organic approach and do not like to use chemicals in farming.

Mustard will help fight weeds such as bindweed. It is necessary to sow it twice a season in places where the largest amount of this weed grows. Only for the winter you need to dig up the mustard.

Another home helper who knows how to remove weeds in the country is ordinary table salt. You need to evenly sprinkle the beds around the plants with it, stepping back a little from their bases. Salt will not only rid the area of ​​existing weeds, but will also prevent new ones from growing for some time.

And another proven and effective home remedy for weeds is "herbicidal soap". Mix salt, vinegar and grated laundry soap (1:1:1). Spray the mixture onto the weeds.

Weed control in the country: myths and reality

Among the many tips on how to remove weeds, some are outdated and not entirely effective. For example, you should not dig up the soil with or without reason, as many farming manuals advise. Digging up the soil brings to the surface deep-lying weed seeds, which germinate faster in the light.

If you are tired of fighting weeds manually, you can resort to herbicides. And if you use them wisely, without violating the instructions, then their use will not negatively affect the soil and your health.

There are continuous action herbicides - these are those drugs whose action is aimed at destroying all weeds indiscriminately and selectively - the action of such drugs is selective, for example, they can destroy all grass, except potatoes and tomatoes, etc. That's how far science has come.

Let's look at the most popular and probably the best weed killers.

Herbicide, instructions for use

Zenkor

This is a systemic herbicide with a broad spectrum of action against dicotyledonous and cereal weeds in the pre- and post-emergence period of their development. It is used on potatoes, tomatoes, alfalfa and essential oil crops. Active substance: metribuzin, which is easily absorbed by the roots and seedlings of plants, and also penetrates through the leaf surface of the plant.

Zenkor destroys weeds at the moment of their germination (with pre-emergence application) or within 10-20 days with post-emergence application.

Advantages of this herbicide:

• ensures cleanliness of crops from weeds for a period of 1-2 months or more, depending on weather conditions during the growing season and soil type;
• reliability: confirmed through widespread use in various soil and climatic zones.

How to use Zenkor

On tomatoes. The amount of solution for processing 1 hundred square meters of land is indicated.

• Spraying the soil before planting tomato seedlings. Dissolve 10-15 g of Zenkor in 3 liters of water;
• spraying crops in the phase of 2-4 leaves of the crop. 7 g of the drug per 3 liters of water;
• spraying weeds 15-20 days after planting seedlings in the ground. 10 g per 3 liters of water.

On potatoes. 3 liters of working solution is enough to spray 1 hectare of land.

• Spraying the soil before potato sprouts. 7-14 g of Zencor per 3 liters of water.
• spraying the soil before crop emergence with subsequent treatment at a tops height of 5 cm. 5-10 g per 3 liters of water;
• spraying of plantings with a height of potato tops of 5 cm. Dilute 7-8 g in 3 liters of water.

Tornado

This is a universal, continuous action drug that serves to destroy all types of weeds, including malicious ones such as wheatgrass, thistle, bindweed and unwanted trees and shrubs.

Active substance: glyphosate (isopropylamine salt). The herbicide is available in containers of 5 ml (ampoule), 50 ml, 100 ml, 1000 ml (bottle).
Analogues of the drug Tornado: Glysol, Glialka, Ground, Roundup, Hurricane, GlyTERR.

How does Tornado herbicide work?

It has a systemic effect, penetrates into weeds through leaves and other green parts and is transported throughout all organs of the weed, reaching their root system. The herbicide blocks the synthesis of aromatic amino acids, which leads to damage to growth points and complete death of above-ground and underground organs. Tornado does not affect seeds.

Symptoms of the drug’s effect on annual weeds become noticeable after 4 - 5 days, on perennial weeds - after 7 - 10, on trees and shrubs and reeds - on the 20 - 30th day after treatment and appear in the form of yellowing, then drying out of the leaves. Next, the stems, roots and rhizomes die off. Complete death of weeds occurs approximately 3 - 4 weeks after treatment, and tree and shrub vegetation - after 1 - 2 months. Under unfavorable weather conditions (cold, drought, precipitation), the effect of the herbicide may slow down.

Advantages of this herbicide:

• high penetrating ability;
• ability to destroy 155 species of weeds;
• ideal for tilling the soil before sowing.

When spraying, you need to make sure that Tornado does not get on cultivated plants and forest belts. To avoid spray drift onto crops, it is not recommended to carry out treatment at wind speeds of more than 5 m/s.

Since this herbicide does not have soil activity, selective herbicides must be used to kill weeds growing from seeds after crop emergence.

How to use Tornado

• Against annual cereals and dicotyledons, 20-40 ml/100 sq.m. is sufficient. m;
• against perennial cereals and dicotyledons - 40-60 ml/100 sq.m;
• against malicious perennials (field bindweed, pink bitterweed, horsetail, horsetail) - 60-80 ml/100 sq.m;
• against hydrophytic (aquatic) - 80-100 ml/100 sq.m;
• against deciduous trees and shrubs - 40-80 ml/100 sq.m.

The dosage is influenced by the type of weed, stage of development, foliage, and grass density.

The recommended concentration of the working solution is 1 - 3%. The working solution is prepared immediately before spraying and is not stored. First, the drug is thoroughly mixed in the original packaging, then the required amount of the drug is measured for one sprayer refill. Fill the sprayer tank approximately halfway with water and pour in a measured amount of herbicide, mix and bring the sprayer tank to full volume with water. Mix everything thoroughly.

Treatments with Tornado can be carried out at any above-zero temperatures, both in spring and autumn.

Treatment should be carried out in calm, dry weather and not in the sun. Rain falling earlier than 4 hours after spraying can wash away the drug that has not penetrated the weed leaves and significantly reduce the effectiveness of the herbicide.

Prima

This is a systemic post-emergence herbicide intended for the control of annual and some perennial dicotyledonous weeds in grain crops and corn. Affects weeds that have already sprouted at the time of treatment.

Destroys many dicotyledonous weeds, including such malicious and difficult-to-eradicate species as: tenacious bedstraw, odorless chamomile, field thistle, yellow sow thistle and others.

Active substance: 2,4-D (2-ethylhexyl ester) + florasulam.

How does Prima herbicide work?

It is easily absorbed and quickly (literally within an hour) spreads throughout the weed plant, blocking growth processes.

Symptoms of damage (visible) in plants appear 1-3 days after spraying, and their death occurs on 7-14 days. Rain 1 hour after treatment will no longer affect the effectiveness of Prima herbicide.

Due to the fact that the half-life of the active ingredients of this drug is only 14-20 days, it quickly degrades in the soil without causing negative consequences for subsequent crop rotation crops.

How to use Prima herbicide

Prepare the working solution immediately before use. To begin with, the drug is thoroughly mixed in the original packaging. The sprayer tank is filled 1/3 with water. Next, add the required amount of the drug per 1 sprayer refill and mix. Then add water to the full volume of the tank and mix the resulting mixture.

On spring and winter wheat, rye, spring barley.

• Spraying crops in the tillering phase of the crop and the early phases of weed growth. Winter crops are processed in the spring. The rate of use of the drug is 0.4-0.6 l. Working fluid consumption is 200-400 l/ha.
• Spraying of crops in the boll phase (1-2 internodes) of the crop and the early phases of weed growth (taking into account the sensitivity of the varieties) in the case of the predominance of tenacious bedstraw; if weather conditions did not allow processing earlier than this date. Winter crops are processed in the spring. The rate of application of the Herbicide is 0.6 l.