In gardens, orchards or on any surface where we have grass, it is common for plants known as weeds to grow. Perhaps the name is not the most appropriate. Some of the so-called weeds are actually plants that can be very valuable, for example, the case of red valerian or dandelion.
However, if you are one of those who tries to take care of the lawn or garden, the weeds can not only be unsightly in that space but, in addition, they will compete for the water, light and nutrients of the soil with the rest of the garden plants and the lawn itself. That is why in the following EcologiaVerde article, we will explain how to remove weeds from the lawn in different ways.
Weed problems
If you want to keep your lawn looking neat, it is essential to control and keep weeds at bay. As we have already commented previously, the problem with weeds is not only that they give the feeling of abandonment and neglect, but neglecting the growth of these plants can cause other drawbacks that directly affect the health of our lawn:
- They compete with the plants you are growing for the same soil, light, water and nutrients. Which can cause your plants not to grow in all their splendor because weeds will destroy those limited resources.
- Weeds greatly facilitate that pests may appear, for example, that of the mealybug or the aphid. These pests will not only affect weeds, but will also cause damage to lawns and other plants in the garden.
How to pull weeds
As in so many other occasions in life, the best option is not always the simplest. In this case, surely the best thing is what you have done your whole life, that is, roll up your sleeves and pull weeds out of the lawn one by one.
What you should do is take the plant and carefully stretch it, avoiding that it breaks. In this sense, this is a task that will be much easier to do if the soil is wet. That is why the best thing you can do is water or wait for it to rain and pull them up immediately, if you let a long time pass, the plants would bloom again or leave their seeds in the ground.
If doing it with your hands seems like too hard work, one option may be to use the hoe, but be careful, when using the hoe, you must take into account not to hit or split the root, since then the plant will grow again from new.
Herbicides against weeds
If what we have explained in the previous section seems like too much work, you still have some options that do not require so much physical effort, for example, the use of herbicides to eliminate weeds:
- Selective herbicides: they eliminate some type of weed in particular.
- Total herbicides: they eliminate any type of weed.
For example, Glyphosate, a herbicide with negative effects, is used to eliminate any type of weed. When the plant absorbs these herbicides, it is affected and ends up dying. That is why if you use a selective herbicide, it is advisable to be very careful when spraying it to prevent it from spreading through other plants or the lawn.
Within the greener alternatives and more recommended, we have the homemade preparations based on vinegar. The acetic acid present in this liquid has been shown to be an effective contact herbicide. In the following EcologiaVerde article, we explain how vinegar, acetic acid and weeds work.
Brush cutter for weeds
If the lawn is very extensive, another great solution to eliminate weeds can be a brush cutter. Among the main advantages of this machine is that you can clean a very large area of land in a few minutes and very easily. On the other hand, all that weed that you eliminate can be left shredded integrated in one place.
However, you must be clear that this method does not remove the roots of the plants, but simply the superficial part of them. That is why every so often you will have to repeat that process so that you can remove the plants as they grow.
From EcologiaVerde, we recommend the new STIHL cordless brushcutter, practical, silent and without cables. Not only will you achieve a great machine for the care of the lawn and the garden, but also on these dates you will be able to join their solidarity campaign "The tree with the most gif.webpts in the world" through which STIHL, together with the NGO Messengers of Peace, will make a donation of toys to children. Visit the page of the tree with the most gif.webpts in the world, choose the gif.webpt, the paper and the box before depositing it on the tree, it only costs a few clicks!
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