Having a beautiful and well-groomed garden is the dream of all those people who enjoy spending time in contact with nature. In addition to pleasing the eye, a well-kept garden transmits peace, tranquility, is relaxing and attracts fauna, such as butterflies, bees and colorful birds.
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In fact, many doctors recommend gardening as a very effective therapy for stress, anxiety, panic attacks, and other emotional conditions.
Those who have a garden at home make an effort and dedicate a lot of time to it, in order to obtain satisfactory results. However, the opposite is also true, when a garden is not cared for, the branches of the trees grow out of control, the flowers are not appreciated and this detracts from the beauty and cleanliness of the house in general.
However, sometimes, no matter how hard you try to have a well-kept garden, there are silent enemies that are gaining ground within it and that are later difficult to completely uproot, such is the case of weeds.
Do you know what it is? Probably yes, because surely you have already tried to eliminate it and you have not been successful, since it is more difficult than it might seem. Therefore, if you feel frustrated and discouraged by the presence of weeds in your garden, this post has been written with a solution in mind.
In it you will get timely information about weeds, you will be able to know the different types that exist, in order to be able to identify the one that grows on your property and be able to get to work to disappear it once and for all.
Also, I will be telling you what you need to achieve it and what are the most effective methods, known to this day. Do not resign yourself to living with weeds in your garden.
Instructions
Weeds are nothing more than wild plants that grow in areas that are cultivated by man. However, in some places where a plant can be considered a weed, others do not see it in the same way; such is the case of mint. So the concept is very subjective and varies depending on the geographical area.
Taking into account the general concept, we can say that any bush that grows unexpectedly is considered a weed. However, it also has other particular characteristics. For example, it progresses aggressively, stops the growth of other species and is difficult to eliminate.
It is said that there are more than 8,000 types of weeds among the 250,000 species of plants that can exist. This allows us to see that they make up 0.1% of all the vegetation on earth.
The weed is considered harmful for different reasons. For example, it detracts from the aesthetics of the garden; it competes with crops for resources, such as light, water, nutrients and the extension of the land.
Some species of weeds have thorns and chemicals that are irritating to the skin. In addition to remains or fragments that stick to clothing, grow profusely and are harmful if ingested, they can cause toxic bodies and harbor diseases.
It should be noted that weeds have a great capacity for germination, regardless of the environment, they are born without help and grow and develop very quickly. They also produce seeds continuously, allowing them to spread short and long distances. On top of that, they last for years on the ground.
Weeds attract insects that are destructive to crops, proliferate in adverse situations and survive in places that have been manipulated by man, such as agricultural fields, plains, buildings, roadsides, etc.
Since you already know the enemy and how destructive they can be, what else do you need to know?
What do you need:
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, there are many types of weeds, at least 8,000 different species. Among the most common are:
- The annuals: as their name indicates, their life span and growth, from germination to fruit production, is one year. Some varieties complete this cycle in just a couple of weeks, which gives them the possibility of having several offspring during that period of time. Although it has shallow roots and can be easily pulled out by hand, you should do this before it starts spreading its seeds , as the seeds can remain intact in the soil for anywhere from 4 to 40 years, making it a real pain in the ass. Head.
- The perennial weed: This variety is much more resistant and survives 2 years or more, as long as the environment is favorable. For example, in tropical climates, this weed remains green throughout the year. In addition, it can spread in different ways: through stems fixed to the ground that creep in a hidden way, seeds or pieces of the root.
- The herbaceous weed: its behavior and its leaves are similar to those of the grass, since it is created one at a time. Several of them create rhizomes and fleshy bulbs that sprout again if they come into contact with the earth, after they have been uprooted.
- Broad- leaved – Its leaves are broad and flat, making them easier to separate and remove when they are still small and growing.
Some of these weeds have a layer on their adult leaves that makes it difficult for herbicides to penetrate.
Since you are already familiar with the most common weed varieties out there, the next step is to learn what you can do to eliminate them from your garden.
Tips
Perhaps, when you want to eliminate weeds, the first thing that comes to mind is the use of herbicides. However, many of them are toxic to the environment, to our pets, and even to us.
But this does not mean that you should sit idly by, far from it. Actually, there are different alternatives that will allow you to eliminate it, without worrying that your crop, your pet and even yourself, suffer damage.
Some of the homemade herbicides that you can use to combat weeds are the following:
- The boiling water. You just have to place a pot of tap water on the fire, when it reaches the boiling point, pour it carefully on the weeds you want to eliminate; otherwise you will kill other nearby plants. This is the least harmful herbicide for the environment and people.
- The salt. If you want an area not to grow weeds again, you just have to throw salt. This is the ideal solution and the most practical if you have a tiled path and do not want weeds to grow in the middle of them.
- Since it has a damaging effect on the soil, the recommendation is that you apply it only to the leaves of the weed, how? Dissolve one part of salt in 8 parts of water, add a little liquid soap, so that it adheres to the leaves more easily, and place the mixture in a spray bottle.
- The vinegar. You can use any of the types of vinegar you know. However, before using it, you must extract the weeds, since acetic acid is responsible for killing the leaves, but not their roots. Also, it tends to be more effective on younger plants.
- Corn flour. This is one of the best herbicides, once you’ve already uprooted the undesirable weeds. You just have to spread it on the garden soil and that’s it. Nothing will grow under it because it acts as a sort of nullifier for the seeds.
These are just some of the natural remedies that you can use as herbicides to eliminate, once and for all, the weeds in your garden. So what are you waiting for to try it? This will ensure that your garden is always healthy and beautiful.
