Content
Euphorbia is a tropical plant. They used to grow only in Africa and Madagascar. But nature is constantly evolving, so plants have spread all over the world, having managed to adapt to any climate and soil. Currently, scientists have counted more than 200 species of euphorbia. Why are the plants called milkweed? It's all about the white poisonous juice, similar to milk.
Plants can be as tall as trees, reaching a height of more than 20 meters. Among them there are shrubs and herbs. Some milkweeds have a decorative appearance and are grown as flowers. Among the plants there are many weed, filling the gardens and orchards. How to get rid of milkweed in the garden will be discussed further.
Description
There are many types and varieties of milkweeds. Some of them look decorative and are specially grown to decorate the site. Euphorbia is one of the worst weeds that needs to be controlled. But for the fight to be effective and give a positive result, you need to know who the enemy is.
The weed Euphorbia grows up to several meters. It has a thick, fleshy stem and large leaves with sharp spines. The leaf shape is a triangle. The stems and leaves contain a large amount of juice. An adult weed occupies an area with a diameter of 40 cm.
The root system is branched, powerful, the roots firmly hold onto the soil. The central root goes to great depth. Therefore, the plant is not afraid of drought: the roots can always get water. Euphorbia weed you see in the photo. There are few brave souls who can pull out a thorn with their bare hands.
In hot weather, the plant droops due to lack of moisture, thereby reducing the area of evaporation. Under favorable conditions, it can quickly fill large spaces. Moreover, it grows successfully in any soil. You can even find this plant in swamps and rocks.
It is propagated by seeds that ripen in large quantities and by lateral shoots growing from the lateral roots. Therefore, getting rid of milkweed weed is not so easy. Also, when you simply cut a plant without removing the root, it will produce new shoots. In place of one plant, a whole bush of weeds grows.
Flowering of the garden weed begins in July and continues until August. The flowers are monoecious, with a calyx around them resembling a spathe. The inflorescence contains one female and ten male flowers. The plant has an interesting trinut fruit with three lobes.
This plant has small leaves with a thick waxy coating. To help you identify the weed, we attach a photo.
Some rural residents feed this weed to their pets. In its raw form it is very dangerous. If it is caught in the hay, then there is nothing to worry about, since the juice dries up.
How to get rid of milkweed
The real reality is that milkweed can be found both in the wild and in vegetable gardens anywhere in the world. It's all about his vitality and ability to adapt. He is not afraid of either heat or frost.That is why the plant is called the scourge of agriculture.
In recent decades, the thickets of this weed have increased also because the area of agricultural crops has decreased: most fields have turned into virgin soil: they are not plowed or cultivated.
Euphorbia is a nasty weed that is very difficult to get rid of. And it absolutely must be destroyed. Having settled on a summer resident’s plot or a farmer’s field, the plant begins to settle in the territory, taking over it like a real aggressor.
The active growth of the garden weed, the photo of which is below, begins earlier than other plants. His growth bud is rapidly developing. When a gardener digs up the beds and applies fertilizers, he feeds not only cultivated plants, but also weeds, including milkweed.
No matter what agricultural practices you use, you will not be able to remove the weed if the seeds are still in the ground.
Ways to combat milkweed
How to deal with a malicious plant, for example, in a potato field or in a summer cottage? After all, it can choke potatoes and any vegetables with its numerous shoots and seedlings, depriving them of food and water. When it grows strongly, it forms a green carpet. There are different ways to kill milkweed:
- mechanical or agrotechnical;
- use of herbicides.
But you need to have illusions and hope that you got rid of it forever. As a rule, the “truce” with him does not last long. After all, plant seeds can get onto the site from shoes or animals.
Mechanical methods
You need to start fighting milkweed in early spring, when the buds are just waking up on the plant. A young plant, until the roots have gone to great depths, must be removed by the roots; this applies not only to milkweed. If you leave a small piece of root in the garden, the spurge will begin to grow again.
You can dig up the weed with a shovel, prying the root into the ground as low as possible. But mowing it is useless, since there are shoots on the lateral roots that prevent the milkweed from withering away.
Chemical method
If thickets of garden milkweed have occupied a large area, then it is no longer possible to do without the use of chemicals. Herbicides in the garden are used after mechanical impact on the weed and digging up the area. There are a large number of herbicides that thoroughly destroy weeds. These are the so-called continuous action drugs:
- TACK;
- Napalm;
- Titus.
In a fallow area, potent herbicides can be used several times during the summer. It really works.
There are also specially developed products that specifically destroy spurge. You can even use it on plantings with cultivated plants, including potatoes:
- Lapis lazuli;
- Roundup;
- Dicamba.
If the number of harmful weeds in the garden plot is insignificant, and you managed to pull out the young plants before flowering, then the use of potent herbicides is not necessary.
In overgrown thickets of an area that has been left fallow, you can water the spurge with an increased dose of preparations. So, you can clear the ground of weeds.
When spraying any herbicides, you need to take care of your own safety:
- work must be performed in dry, windless weather;
- Protect the skin with thick clothing;
- there must be a mask or respirator on the face;
- upon completion of treatment, all clothing should be removed and all exposed areas of the body should be washed thoroughly with soap;
- If the composition gets into your eyes, wash them with water and consult a doctor.
Prevention
Killing the spurge weed using various means is half the battle. The main thing is to consolidate the result. Mulching the soil using organic or inorganic means will help with this.
The dug up and processed area is covered with a thick layer of sawdust, wood chips, shavings, and humus. Covering with roofing felt or dark film (spunbond) helps a lot. The temperature under the shelter is high, the roots of the plant die, and the sprouts cannot break out.
No weeds, no chemicals:
Instead of a conclusion about the benefits of milkweed
Euphorbia is not only a green pest in gardens and gardens, it also has beneficial properties.
For example, spurge (see photo) repels mice, rats, cockroaches and bedbugs. Our grandmothers hung it in the house.
Parts of the plant, milky juice, were widely used by our ancestors to treat various diseases, including oncology, skin inflammation, gynecology and others. Ancient recipes have been preserved, but we would like people to remember: spurge and other types of it (even ornamental, indoor and garden plants) are poisonous plants.
