Weed control

Weed control in the garden is one of the most labor-intensive tasks. Many summer residents spend the whole summer in the beds, engaging in the destruction of weeds. To control weeds, you can use different means: weeding, tearing grass with your own hands or using various mechanisms, mulching the soil. But the most effective remedy for weeds in the garden is herbicides.

How to use chemicals to kill weeds, which weed remedy is most effective and safe for humans – about this in this article.

How to control weeds in the garden with herbicides

Fighting weeds in the garden in a modern way means using special chemicals for this. If earlier people used only choppers and their own hands against weeds, today herbicides have come to the aid of gardeners.

A herbicide is a chemical solution that fights weeds. The active ingredients of these products can be different, but most herbicides are made on the basis of isopropylamine salt.

All herbicides are divided into two broad categories:

1. Means of continuous action.
2. Selective drugs.

The first group of chemicals is capable of destroying absolutely all vegetation in the treated area, that is, continuous herbicides kill not only weeds, but also cultivated plants.

Means that act selectively have a composition that fights only with specific herbs, while practically not affecting the development of garden crops.

Also, There are three groups of chemicals for weed control:

• system remedies for weeds in the garden – destroying all parts of weeds: root, stems and leaves;
• contact means affect only that part of the plant with which they came into direct contact (for example, the aerial part of the weed dies after processing the site);
• soil funds are aimed at destroying weeds through the root, and these herbicides also kill weed seeds that are in the ground.

If the instructions for the use of the drug, its dosage and processing rules are followed, the poison will not penetrate the fruits.

How to properly destroy weeds in the garden using chemicals

Chemistry destroys weeds very effectively – this is the most effective method of control today. But in order not to cause harm, you must be able to use herbicides.

It is not always necessary to use the chemical method of struggle, but only in especially severe cases:

• when an area prone to erosion is being treated (for example, a hillside), and mechanical weeding can compromise the integrity of the soil;
• if there is too much weed grass, and it is impossible to deal with it manually;
• the use of chemicals is justified to combat poisonous plants (such as hogweed, for example);
• if you need to remove weeds from large areas or fields.

Effective processing in the country should consist of several stages:

1. Spring irrigation of the soil. Immediately after digging, the earth is treated with soil herbicides that can neutralize the seeds and destroy the root shoots of weeds.
2. Young weeds are easier to remove, especially since this must be done before the grass has shed its seeds. If you have time in time, you can get rid of weeds on the site even before planting cultivated plants.
3. If weeds still germinate between crop plantings, it is necessary to use selective agents that act on specific plant species.
4. During the period of flowering or ripening of fruits of garden crops, it is preferable not to use chemicals, since there is a high risk of their accumulation in vegetables and berries. In this case, it is better to use weed preparations that stop their development – when the weed grass begins to grow again, the cultivated plant will already be mature and strong. Such herbicides act more gently, as they have a lower concentration of chemicals.

But not all crops are able to grow in such conditions, so the most reasonable method of control is a combined weed control in a summer cottage (mulching, weeding, mechanical removal and chemical means).

What is the best way to remove weeds from the site

If we have already figured out how to destroy weeds correctly, now it’s worth talking about which tool is best to use for effective control.

All chemicals are good in their own way: even the most ineffective of them have their own plus – they have less effect on cultivated plants and do not harm health.

The best herbicides will help to qualitatively remove weeds from the garden:

1. Roundup. The main advantage of this tool is that it is harmless to humans and pets. Along with this, “Roundup” is considered one of the most powerful drugs that fight weeds. The tool is systemic, that is, it penetrates into all parts of the weed, causing their destruction and death. At the same time, the herbicide does not accumulate in the soil, so it cannot harm the fruits. It is best to use Roundup in the spring, before sowing or planting cultivated plants. Vegetables or cereals can be planted in cultivated land immediately after treatment with a chemical agent. With the same effect, Roundup kills annual and perennial weeds, and it also treats particularly difficult areas with poisonous plants, such as Sosnowsky’s hogweed, for example. Under the influence of the agent, the production of amino acids in weed grass is disrupted, the treated plants die completely 7-10 days after the use of Roundup. It is better to remove green plants until their height has exceeded 15 cm. It is better to deal with higher Roundup shrubs in the second half of summer or to inject this remedy in the form of an injection into the weed stalks. The herbicide is active against burdock, dandelion, hogweed, horse sorrel, sow thistle, wheatgrass and other weeds.
2. “Tornado”. This tool is often used to treat gardens, vineyards, lawns. The herbicide belongs to the drugs of continuous action, actively destroys both annual and perennial crops. Tornado can help in the most difficult cases, for example, when you have to fight with cattail, wheatgrass, reeds or reeds. It must be remembered that “Tornado” kills not only weeds, but also garden crops, so it is better to process before planting. Already green pests die due to the penetration of the agent into the capillaries, this takes about three hours. Completely the grass will die in 7-10 days. If you use the product in accordance with the instructions, you can not be afraid of its toxicity. The strengths of “Tornado” are as follows: it is not absorbed into the ground, it is not dangerous for bees and animals, it is active against 150 types of weeds. You can process this tool between rows, the land around the grapes or under the trees, use the “Tornado” in the fall or early spring for tillage.
3. “Hurricane Forte”. This drug is a continuous action, destroying absolutely all vegetation on the site. It is used to remove weeds in undeveloped areas, tillage near greenhouses, as a preparation before planting a lawn, or as an autumn prevention for a vegetable garden. The agent is absorbed into all parts of the plants, after 2-3 weeks the grass dies. You can not mow the grass before the treatment with “Hurricane” and weed the garden after exposure to this drug.
4. “Glyphos” is an aqueous solution of glyphosate, which, in turn, actively destroys both annual and perennial weeds. The remedy works by stopping the production and absorption of amino acids by the grass, as a result of which the plants dry out and die.
5. «Lazurite» mainly used for processing potato beds. The tool well destroys weeds, with virtually no effect on the potato itself. The only thing is that the tubers will need about three days to recover. Within two months, the grass on the site will not grow.
6. “Agrokiller” can be used in the most difficult cases. The tool destroys absolutely all weeds, it can also process shrubs (for example, remove raspberries or cherry shoots from the site).

It is clear that preparations based on chemical compounds cannot be absolutely safe. In addition, such funds cost money – you will have to spend a lot on processing large areas.

Folk remedies for weeds

Home “chemistry” is more harmless, and you can prepare such herbicides from improvised means without spending money on buying ingredients. With weeds, folk remedies fight a little worse than purchased chemicals. If you use them in time and periodically repeat the treatment, you can significantly increase the number of neutralized weeds.

You can prepare the following compositions at home:

• in 400 ml of table vinegar (9%), add 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice. About 30 ml of alcohol and a couple of teaspoons of dishwashing detergent are also poured there. Now everything is thoroughly mixed and diluted with water in a ratio of 1:2 or 1:3. The liquid must be poured into a plastic bottle with a spray and weeds should be treated on the plots. It is impossible for the composition to fall on cultivated plants, otherwise they may also die.
• To remove grass from unused areas, you can use ordinary table salt. It is necessary to prepare a very strong saline solution using hot water. This tool is used to treat grass, tree stumps, undergrowth, shrubs. It is necessary to first wet the plants with saline, then sprinkle it thickly with dry salt, and then re-irrigate.
• Simple boiling water can also serve in the fight against grass. A large pot of boiling water should be poured directly onto the weed bush. The plant will die instantly, and in order to prevent its reappearance, it is necessary to mulch this place with large sawdust, black film or stones.

In order for weed control to be as effective as possible, it is necessary to use herbicides in the first phase of grass development – then the cultivated plants will have time to grow and outstrip the weeds in growth.

You can protect yourself from chemicals in fruits if you stop killing weeds with herbicides 45 days before the crop ripens. In such vegetables, even a laboratory examination will not detect toxic or hazardous substances.

For more information on how to remove weeds from the garden using herbicides, the video will tell: