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Sometimes you go to a friend’s dacha, and there are tender, fragile plants with small, cute white stars spread out like a carpet under your feet. I just want to pet them. But in fact, these beautiful flowers are the worst enemy of gardens and vegetable gardens.
This weed woodlice causes a lot of trouble for owners of summer cottages and garden plots. It is very difficult to remove it from the garden. What measures to combat it have not been invented by resourceful gardeners! Beginning gardeners are concerned about what measures can be taken to eradicate woodlice, a pest of cultivated plants. Let's try to answer this question.
A little about the plant
There are several types of woodlice in nature. Forest chickweed grows in the Russian expanses. Woodlice weed is an annual, less often biennial, herbaceous plant. Despite its small size, one plant, if not pulled out in time, covers a fairly large space. The stems of woodlice weed are highly branched and have tiny fibers on them. Early in the morning, while there is still dew, the plant appears crystal in the rays of the rising sun.
The development time of an ephemeral plant is approximately a month. After which the woodlice dies, but does not disappear from the garden.The reproductive performance of this weed is enviable. Reproduction method - seed and vegetative (pieces of stem that sprout roots).
In just 4 weeks, the smallest seeds (up to 25,000) ripen on the woodlice weed, which immediately germinate, since they do not have a dormant period. The seeds can lie quietly in the ground for several years; they do not die in either heat or frost.
+4 degrees is enough for seeds to germinate, which is why it “meets” site owners before other weeds. Woodlice weed is not afraid of even the first frost. Chickweed reproduces rapidly in warm weather, covering the surface under cultivated plants with a green carpet, oppressing them.
The plant is popularly called woodlice. Grows on fertile soil, in partial shade and with strong moisture.
Beneficial features
Whatever we say about harmful plants, they simply do not exist in nature. They are harmful to gardeners and gardeners and interfere with the cultivation of cultivated plants. In fact, each plant, including chickweed, has its own purpose.
Woodlice is also called bird lettuce. Our ancestors fed chickens, geese, ducks, and turkeys with this weed. Woodlice and pigs do not refuse the weed. And the people themselves did not disdain the first greens; they prepared various dishes from woodlice.
Useful properties of woodlice
- Participates in metabolism.
- Improves joint mobility due to collagen synthesis.
- Has a rejuvenating effect on the body.
- Woodlice weed is used for arthrosis.
- Increases the body's immunity.
- Reduces oxidative processes, promotes the removal of waste and toxins.
- It is used as a prophylactic agent to prevent oncology and ischemia.
- The herb chickweed is used to create gynecological preparations.
- It has a beneficial effect on the heart muscle and blood vessels, cerebral circulation, and normalizes blood pressure.
You can harvest the medicinal herb woodlice weed yourself or purchase it in dry form at a pharmacy.
Chickweed is rich in:
- vitamins C, E, B, carotene.
- magnesium, copper, iron and cobalt, wax and chlorine;
- alkaloids and flavonoids, lipids, sapons;
- essential oils, tannins;
- complex nitrogen-free organic compounds.
Useful properties of woodlice weed:
How to get rid of green pest
No matter how attractive the plant is for its beneficial properties, woodlice growing in gardens and orchards is primarily a weed.
What harm does forest chickweed cause in gardens and vegetable gardens:
- As the weed grows, it covers the ground like a blanket, does not allow the rays of the sun to pass through, and prevents air circulation. Therefore, in places where there is a lot of woodlice, excellent conditions are created for the development of harmful microorganisms that absorb beneficial bacteria. Under the green cover of the chickweed weed, a favorable atmosphere is created for weevils, aphids, cruciferous flea beetles and other garden pests.
- You should not think that the thin, tender roots of the plant are harmless.In fact, the root system of woodlice weed is so branched and powerful that cultivated plants constantly lack moisture.
- The weed draws nutrients from the soil, depleting it.
Many gardeners and gardeners, not only beginners, but also trainees, are often interested in how to get rid of woodlice. Although they understand perfectly well that any measures in the fight against weeds, temporary. Any plants, except cultivated ones, have excellent vitality and the ability to reproduce even under unfavorable conditions. Science has not yet invented means of combating weeds that defeat them once and for all. This is not necessary, otherwise the natural balance will be disrupted.
Mechanical impact and agricultural technology
- Removing woodlice weed mechanically is the most common and safest method. Manual removal is best done while the woodlice has not yet managed to form a powerful root system. The roots of woodlice weed look like thin white threads; they break off at the base.
- Agrotechnical standards are effective against the weed: plowing and digging the area, loosening with heat to destroy the seeds that begin to germinate.
- We get rid of woodlice using a sharp hoe or flat cutter. If you deepen the tool two centimeters, the growth point will be cut off and the plant will cease to function. It is good to carry out this work on a sunny, windless day. Woodlice weed must be selected from the site, down to the smallest twigs, and placed on film to dry.
It is better to work with a pitchfork, digging up the soil several times. Not only grass, but also roots are removed from the ground.
Reducing soil acidity
How to decide on the soil
The fight against forest chickweed will be more successful if you reduce the acidity of the soil. Gardeners and vegetable gardeners, unlike agronomists, do not have laboratory equipment to determine how acidic the soil is on a site. Plants can help with this.
We invite you to listen to useful tips:
- On too acidic soils wild mint, horsetail, and tricolor violet grow.
- On slightly acidic soils, chamomile, dandelion, gooseberry, clover, and coltsfoot thrive.
- Neutral soils are favored by nettles and white pigweed (quinoa).
Focusing on wild plants, you can approximately determine the acidity of the soil in the area.
Methods for soil deoxidation
In order for the fight against the woodlice weed invasion on the site to have a greater effect, it will be necessary to carry out preventive measures to deoxidize the soil. There are different options for substances that help make the soil less acidic, which means there will be less weeds. Can be used:
- wood ash;
- fluff lime:
- dolomite flour.
The effect of fluff and dolomite flour on soil acidity is shown in the table.
| Name | Application rules, effectiveness |
|---|---|
| Pushonka (slaked lime) | The best application effect is obtained on soils with high fertility, where clay or loam predominates. The application rate is from 0.4 to 0.65 kg per square, depending on the acidity of the soil. There is no need to violate the norms for adding fluff to the soil. Excess preparation will reduce the ability of plants to absorb potassium and phosphorus, because they will change their structure and become insoluble. |
| Dolomite flour (lime flour) | If the soils are light, sandy loam or lack magnesium, it is best to use dolomite flour, which will compensate for the deficiency of the microelement. You need to add strictly according to the norm, depending on the quality of the soil from 0.35 to 0.6 kg per square meter. Dolomite flour should be finely ground. Potatoes and tomatoes respond well to it. |
Chemical effect on weed
Now let's talk about how to get rid of woodlice weeds in the garden, if neither mechanical, but agrotechnical methods, nor soil deoxidation reduce the number of plants on the site. In this case, chemistry comes to the rescue, drugs called herbicides.
Chemical production provides summer residents with a wide range of products created specifically for the destruction of weeds in small areas.
You can use drugs approved in Russia:
- Roundup and Glyph;
- Glysol and Zero;
- Tornado, Hurricane and Whirlwind.
Despite their different names, herbicides have the same ability to kill weeds.
Gardeners often ask the question of how to fight weeds, including woodlice, using chemicals. A herbicidal attack on weeds is carried out when woodlice grows completely in places where cultivated plants do not grow. It is best to carry out this work after harvesting.
If this is not possible, plantings are protected with covering material and targeted weed control is carried out, as shown in the photo.
As a rule, weeds treated with chemicals first turn yellow and then dry out.There is no need to clean the area until the plants are completely dead. In just 3-4 weeks, the preparations completely decompose and do not accumulate in the soil.
Conclusion
Harm and benefit woodlice plants merged together. One way to combat it could be to use the weed as a medicinal product and a product for preparing salads and vitamin tea.
We wish gardeners and gardeners successful control of any weeds, as well as woodlice, in order to obtain safe, environmentally friendly products from their plots.
