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Every summer resident is familiar with weeds: all summer season, gardeners have to fight these pests of beds, flower beds and lawns. Each owner has his own methods of weed control: someone uproots the grass, it is easier for someone to periodically weed the site, in the most neglected and hopeless cases, herbicides are used.
Are all weeds dangerous for cultivated plants, what is their classification – an article about weeds in the garden, with names and photos, will tell about everything.
Types of weed
Weeds are called plants that appear on their own, without human help. To date, there are more than two thousand names of weeds, more than a hundred of them can be dangerous to animals or humans.
Garden weeds can harm not only cultivated plants, among them poisonous crops containing toxic substances come across. Even the simplest weed is not at all harmless, because it:
- takes away moisture from vegetable or cereal crops;
- sucks out all useful substances and fertilizers from the soil;
- creates an unnecessary shadow;
- attracts insect pests and becomes a source of disease.
All this complicates the fight against weeds, and in order to exterminate them quickly and efficiently, it is necessary to “know the enemy by sight” – to familiarize yourself with the classification and types of garden weeds.
Classification of weeds in the garden
A variety of weeds can be found in the country, some need to be disposed of as quickly as possible, while others can even bring some benefit. Medicinal plants are common among weeds, weeds used as feed for livestock or poultry, and even herbs that can be eaten by humans (for example, dandelion or nettle) come across.
Their classification will help to deal with the weeds of the summer cottage. These plants are divided according to several criteria:
- life expectancy;
- method of reproduction;
- food type.
Main division: into young and perennial weeds. In turn, juvenile plants are divided into several groups:
- Ephemeral plants – differ in the growing season, the duration of which is less than one season.
- Spring grasses are also called annual weeds, their life expectancy is one season. It is with spring weeds that summer residents and gardeners most often have to fight.
- Winter annual grasses begin their life cycle in autumn, they emerge from the ground along with winter varieties of cereals, and therefore are most often found in the fields.
- Biennial plants have a life cycle of two seasons.
Weeds from the group of perennial plants are able to reproduce both by seeds and vegetatively. The peculiarity of these herbs is that they can grow up to four years in one place, every year, throwing out new shoots.
The aerial part of such weeds dies off immediately after the seeds ripen, but the root system continues to live, in the spring fresh shoots sprout from the roots.
According to the mode of nutrition, all weeds can be divided into parasitic or non-parasitic. The latter have their own root system, green mass and can grow without outside help. But parasitic weeds definitely need a “donor” to which they can cling, since these herbs have neither roots nor leaves, therefore they do not feed on their own.
To completely get rid of a perennial plant, it is necessary to remove from the soil not only its aerial part, but also the entire root.
The most common weeds in the garden
Plants from this group are most often found in vegetable beds. They feel great in a site that is regularly watered, fertilized and rid of pests.
Classification with photographs will help to recognize such weeds – every summer resident should know the names of these plants.
“Crawling wheatgrass”
Probably the most common herb found in suburban areas and vegetable gardens. Wheatgrass also often grows in fields, near roads, and can also be found on river banks.
Wheat grass reproduces by the root system, it is very strong and branched. The speed of grass spreading over the site is very high – in a few months the weed will occupy the entire free area.
The grass has a straight and long stem, narrow, slightly rough leaves. The plant belongs to the cereal family, so its seeds are enclosed in small spikelets. Wheatgrass can grow on any soil, is able to withstand negative external conditions.
Wheatgrass is a perennial crop. To get rid of it once and for all, you need to destroy the entire root system. If this is not done, very soon the entire area will turn into a green meadow with weeds.
“Bindweed field”
Another perennial. The popular name for the weed is birch. Weed grass spreads very quickly and occupies vast areas. One plant can fill up to two square meters of the site.
The stem of the bindweed is long – up to 180 cm, the roots go deep into the ground. Grass entangles cultivated plants, creates a shadow, interferes with the growth of leaves and stems, takes away moisture and nutrients from the roots of garden crops.
The leaves of the bindweed are pointed, it blooms with white flowers. To get rid of a weed, you will have to completely dig out all its roots.
“purslane garden”
This weed is an annual, it propagates only by seeds. You can recognize purslane by its reddish stem, which is 50-60 cm long, and fleshy leaves. Weed shoots, common throughout the site, are easy enough to pull out – the fight against purslane will not be long.
There are also benefits from this weed: purslane has medicinal properties, can be used in cooking as a spice or an additive to certain dishes.
“Mokrica”
This weed belongs to the class of juveniles, moreover, it is ephemeral, that is, it grows in less than one season. The first shoots of wood lice appear in early spring, if they are not weeded, the grass will grow into a continuous thick carpet.
Tender shoots of carrots suffer the most from wood lice. When the drought begins, woodlice die if the site is not watered.
“Schiritsa thrown back”
An annual plant from the spring group. A characteristic feature of amaranth is a phenomenal ability to reproduce. The fact is that numerous weed seeds are so tenacious that they are not afraid of mechanical damage and can stay in the ground for about 40 years, retaining the ability to germinate. However, seeds that are in the ground deeper than three centimeters will not be able to germinate.
The stalk of amaranth is very high – up to 150 cm, the leaves are large, oval-rhombic in shape, the inflorescences are collected in panicles.
lawn weeds
Not only farmers have to deal with unnecessary grass, gardeners are also familiar with this problem firsthand. Weeds can spoil a beautiful lawn, a flower arrangement in a flower bed or in a discount. Therefore, gardeners have to regularly remove them or use herbicides.
“Bluegrass”
This grass is an annual, it is difficult to notice it immediately, since bluegrass seedlings are very inconspicuous. But soon the plant begins to bloom, and the area is covered with ugly islets of weeds.
Bluegrass grows well in low-lying areas of the garden; this grass loves moisture and shade. It is easy to remove the weed if you cut the stem or uproot the plant, for several years you can not worry about the reappearance of this grass on the site.
“Dandelion”
Everyone is familiar with dandelion. This plant looks very impressive on a carpet of young spring grass, dandelion flowers are loved by children, wreaths are woven from it. But this weed is good only in the wild, but the dandelion has no place on the lawn.
Getting rid of dandelion in the country is not so easy, this weed has very powerful and fleshy roots. If you cut only the above-ground part of the plant, the weed will most likely sprout again. Pulling out fragile roots is quite difficult, so dandelions are most often fought with herbicides.
“Creeping Buttercup”
This weed is known for its ability to creep along the ground, braiding the stems of cultivated plants. The length of the buttercup stem can reach a meter, its leaves are tubular.
Creeping buttercup propagates both by seeds and vegetatively. It grows mainly on moist soils, in places where the rays of the sun rarely penetrate.
“Plantain”
Everyone probably knows about the healing properties of plantain, but besides this, the plant is a weed. Plantain bushes like dense, even trampled soils, so the grass can grow through a dense lawn carpet or between the tiles of a garden path.
A garden fork will help get rid of plantain bushes – a special device for uprooting weeds. Plantain loves moisture, so it often sprouts in frequently watered areas or in dense shade.
If the weed has grown too much in the garden, you will have to use herbicides.
“Veronica filamentous”
This grass is quite low – a maximum of 12 cm in height. Veronica stems are thin and inconspicuous, but the weed reproduces very well by shoots.
Veronica filamentous grows mainly on well-fertilized soils with high humidity.
“Clover”
Useful for agriculture, clover is completely inappropriate in the garden or on the lawn. It is very difficult to deal with this weed. Clover is a perennial weed, its stem length can reach half a meter.
Clover roots are taprooted, go deep underground, and the leaves are oval-shaped. If clover has grown on the site, you need to think about the amount of nitrogen in the soil – the germination of this weed may indicate a lack of this fertilizer.
Useful Weeds
Surprisingly, not all weeds are equally harmful – some of them have certain benefits for plants, humans or pets.
“Cornflower blue”
This herb is considered medicinal, because it can relieve problems with the genitourinary system and relieve pain, has a choleretic and wound-healing effect. In addition, cornflower is used in cooking for coloring creams or soufflés – blue cornflower flowers are taken for this.
“Nettle”
The young nettle that appears in early spring is a source of many vitamins. The infusion of this herb is used as a multivitamin cocktail, because it contains carotene, vitamin C and a host of other useful substances.
“Horsetail”
A perennial weed, often found in vegetable gardens and orchards, can also be used to good use. Infusions are made from horsetail to treat inflammation of the bladder, this herb can also be used as an antibiotic, because it has an antimicrobial effect.
“argue”
Ordinary grass, with which all parks, lawns, gardens and orchards are “decorated”, can also have a healing effect. Knotweed leaves contain flavonoids, essential oils and coumarin.
The infusion is used as an antipyretic, they treat colds, heal wounds and ulcers.
Results
For the most part, weeds cause considerable harm to gardens and orchards, but even among them you can find useful plants that can cure a person or be used in cooking.
If you do not remove weed grass from the site in a timely manner, you can lose all your plantings. Weeds take away water and nutrients from cultivated plants, they create shade and promote the reproduction of pests.
You can fight weeds in different ways: pull grass with your hands, thorny weeds can be weeded with a chopper, and especially tenacious ones are removed with the help of chemicals (herbicides). The photos and names of weeds presented in the article will help determine which weed has grown in the garden and draw up a plan to deal with it.
