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Fight with weeds gardening is one of the most labor-intensive activities. Many summer residents spend the entire summer in their garden beds, destroying weeds. To control weeds, you can use different means: weeding, pulling out the grass with your own hands or using various mechanisms, mulching the soil. But the most effective remedy from weeds in the garden - herbicides.
How to use chemicals to kill weeds, which weed killer is most effective and safe for humans - this is discussed 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 against weeds People used only hoes and their own hands, but today herbicides have come to the aid of gardeners.
A herbicide is a chemical solution that fights weeds. The active ingredients of these products may vary, but most herbicides are made based on isopropylamine salt.
All herbicides are divided into two large categories:
- Continuous action agents.
- Selective drugs.
The first group of chemicals is capable of destroying absolutely all vegetation in the treated area, that is, continuous action herbicides kill not only weeds, but also cultivated plants.
Products that act selectively have a composition that fights only specific herbs, while having virtually no effect on the development of garden crops.
Besides, There are three groups of chemical weed killers:
- systemic weed killers in the garden - destroying all parts of the weed: roots, stems and leaves;
- contact the means affect only that part of the plant with which they came into direct contact (for example, the above-ground part of the weed dies off after treating the area);
- soil The products are aimed at destroying weeds through the roots; these herbicides also kill the seeds of weeds located in the ground.
If the instructions for use of the drug, its dosage and processing rules are followed, the poison will not penetrate inside the fruit.
How to properly destroy weeds in the garden using chemicals
Chemicals destroy weeds very effectively - this is the most effective control method to date. But in order not to cause harm, you must know how to use herbicides.
It is not always necessary to use a chemical control method, but only in especially severe cases:
- when an area prone to erosion (for example, a hillside) is being cultivated and mechanical weeding may compromise the integrity of the soil;
- if there are too many weeds and it is impossible to deal with them 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 treatment in the country should consist of several stages:
- Spring soil irrigation. Immediately after digging, the ground is treated with soil herbicides, which can neutralize the seeds and destroy the root shoots of the weed.
- It is easier to remove young weeds, especially since it needs to be done before the grass has shed its seeds. If you manage in time, you will be able to get rid of weeds on the site even before planting the cultivated plants.
- If weeds still germinate between cultivated plantings, it is necessary to use selective agents that act on specific plant species.
- During the flowering or ripening period 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 begins to grow again, the cultivated plant will already be mature and strong. Such herbicides act more carefully, 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 combined weed control in a summer cottage (mulching, weeding, mechanical removal and chemicals).
The best way to remove weeds from a site
If you have already figured out how to destroy weeds correctly, now it’s worth talking about which product is best to use for effective control.
All chemicals are good in their own way: even the most ineffective of them have their advantage - they have less impact on crops and do not harm health.
The best herbicides will help you remove weeds from your garden:
- "Roundup". The main advantage of this product is that it is harmless to humans and pets. Along with this, Roundup is considered one of the most powerful weed control drugs. The product is systemic, that is, it penetrates 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 crops. Vegetables or cereals can be planted in treated soil immediately after chemical treatment. With the same effect, Roundup kills annual and perennial weeds, and it is also used to treat particularly difficult areas with poisonous plants, such as Sosnovsky's hogweed, for example. Under the influence of the product, the production of amino acids in weeds is disrupted; the treated plants die completely 7-10 days after using Roundup. It is better to remove green plants before their height exceeds 15 cm.It is better to fight taller shrubs with Roundup in the second half of summer or administer this product as an injection into the stems of the weed. The herbicide is active against burdock, dandelion, hogweed, horse sorrel, sow thistle, wheatgrass and other weeds.
- "Tornado". This product is often used to treat gardens, vineyards, and lawns. The herbicide is a continuous action product that actively destroys both annual and perennial crops. Tornado can help in the most difficult cases, for example, when you have to fight cattails, wheatgrass, reeds or reeds. It must be remembered that “Tornado» kills not only weeds, but also garden crops, so it is better to carry out treatment before planting. Already green pests die due to the penetration of the product into the capillaries, this requires about three hours. The grass will completely die in 7-10 days. If you use the product in accordance with the instructions, you do not have to worry about 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 weed species. You can treat row spacing with this product, the ground around grapes or under trees, or use “Tornado” in the fall or early spring to cultivate the soil.
- "Hurricane Forte" This is a continuous action drug that destroys absolutely all vegetation on the site. It is used for weed removal in undeveloped areas, cultivating land near greenhouses, as preparation before planting a lawn or as autumn prevention for the garden. The product is absorbed into all parts of the plants, and after 2-3 weeks the grass dies.You cannot mow the grass before treating it with Hurricane and weed the garden after exposure to this drug.
- «Glyphos» is an aqueous solution of glyphosate, which, in turn, actively destroys both annual and perennial weeds. The product works by stopping the production and absorption of amino acids by the grass, as a result of which the plants dry out and die.
- "Lapis lazuli" mainly used for processing potato beds. The product destroys weeds well, with virtually no effect on the potatoes themselves. The only thing is that the tubers will need about three days to recover. The grass will not grow on the site for two months.
- "Agrokiller" can be used in the most difficult cases. The product destroys absolutely all weeds; it can also be used to treat shrubs (for example, to remove raspberries or cherry shoots from a plot).
It is clear that drugs based on chemical compounds cannot be absolutely safe. In addition, such products cost money - you will have to spend a lot of money to process large areas.
Folk remedies for weeds
Homemade “chemicals” are more harmless, and such herbicides can be prepared from improvised means without spending money on buying ingredients. Folk remedies fight weeds a little worse than store-bought 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%) you need to add 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice. About 30 ml of alcohol and a couple of teaspoons of dishwashing detergent are poured into it. Now mix everything thoroughly and dilute with water in a ratio of 1:2 or 1:3.The liquid should be poured into a plastic bottle with a spray bottle and sprayed onto the weeds in areas. The composition must not come into contact with cultivated plants, otherwise they may also die.
- You can use regular table salt to remove grass from unused areas. It is necessary to prepare a very strong saline solution using hot water. This product is used to treat grass, tree stumps, shoots, and shrubs. It is necessary to first wet the plants with a saline solution, then sprinkle it thickly with dry salt, and then irrigate again.
- Simple boiling water can also help 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 to prevent it from appearing again, it is necessary to mulch the area 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 harvest ripens. Even laboratory testing will not detect toxic or dangerous substances in such vegetables.
The video will tell you more about how to remove weeds from the garden using herbicides:
