How to Get Rid of Weeds

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Last Updated on March 14, 2022 by Admin

Want to learn how to get rid of weeds? I’ll show you some of the most effective ways to remove weeds from places they are not wanted.

This way, you don’t have unsightly plants growing in places you don’t want them to.

 

Weeds

Ah weeds… the gardener’s nemesis.

As much as every gardener wishes they didn’t have to deal with these nuisance, they’ll always be there.

So, the best thing you can do is educate yourself about them and learn how to prevent them from invading your garden. Or, when they appear, how to get rid of them.

 

What Are Weeds?

Simply put, weeds are plants that grow in the wrong place. As such, you don’t want them to be there.

That said, some weeds are lovely to look at like the wild pansy. Other weeds are beneficial to your garden. An example is red dead nettle which attracts bees that help pollination.

However, the biggest problem with weeds is that they compete with your vegetables for water and nutrients. As such, it’s a good idea to get rid of them.

 

How Weeds Affect Crops

Just like other plants, weeds absorb water and nutrients from the soil. As such, this leaves your crops with less moisture and “food” to consume. In essence, you’re feeding plants that you never intended to grow in your garden.

And worse, it’s at the expense of the plants you’re actually growing.

In addition to water and nutrients, they can also compete for light. Many weeds are fast growers. As such, they can create shade over your young plants.

These plants likewise take up space. In doing so, they prevent your vegetables from growing properly. Thus, resulting in stunted crops.

One of the more dangerous things about weeds is that some of them are toxic to humans and animals. As such, they can harm your pets and young kids playing in your yard or garden.

A few rare weeds even release chemicals through their roots that prevent other plants around them from growing.

Meanwhile, there are those that harbor disease and pests. And, their presence puts your crops at risk of getting infected as well.

Of course, weeds that become dense can also look unsightly. They also force you to get through them just to monitor or harvest your crops.

 

Related

 

How to Get Rid of Weeds in Your Garden

In case you discover weeds growing amongst your crop, there are a few ways you can get rid of them.

  • Pull them out by hand. If you’re up to it, you can just pull them out as you see them. This is the “quick and dirty” solution as it lets you handle the problem right there and then. That said, it works best with young weeds which haven’t established themselves too deeply into the soil. You can likewise use a trowel for the more stubborn ones.
  • Dig them up. For the ones that have established themselves, digging them up to get them out works great. You can likewise use a hoe or turn the soil to uproot their weeds. Doing so kills most of them.
  • Apply mulch. Applying a thick layer of mulch helps smother the weeds. And, it also makes those that get through the mulch easy to pull out.
  • Use Baking Soda. Baking soda is a multi-purpose pantry item that you can use in your garden as well. When it comes to weeds, you can use it to get rid of them by sprinkling it in areas where the weeds sprout. A word of warning though, while the salt in baking soda makes the environment inhospitable for weeds, it also isn’t good for your crops. So, this works better for pathways, walkways, and spaces where other plants are not present.

 

Conclusion

Nobody likes weeds because they are bothersome, grow in places they’re not wanted, stubborn and spread quickly. Hopefully, this guide has helped you learn how to get rid of weeks once and for all.