Nature blooms in full force, plants are growing nicely. But troublemakers appear in the garden although we didn’t plant them: Weeds! These lawn invaders ruthlessly dismantle your tireless efforts and rob your garden of its tidy, idyllic charm. Below, you will find more information on how to prevent the growth of new weeds, and what action you can take against these annoying plants without the use of chemical agents.
Prevent weeds
The best trick is: Don’t give weeds the chance to settle in the garden. Everything begins with the purchase of lawn seeds. Cheap seeds are often interspersed with weed seeds which of course supports the growth of weeds. If you find gaps in the turfgrass, sow new lawn seeds immediately.
Do not mow the grass shorter than 4 cm so that the grass can cast shade and prevent germination of the weed seedlings.
Refresh the lawn by scarifying/aerating. You help to remove undesirable matter, to loosen the ground and to give the lawn the necessary stability. The result is: The soil will better absorb the rainwater and distribute it into deeper layers. Missing nutrients are often a cause for the dieback of plants and the spreading of weeds. With fertilizer you can give the lawn the missing nutrients to grow healthily. But do not forget to water during longer dry periods.
Different ways of combatting weeds
In order to get rid of weeds, you can choose the most ecofriendly technique: Mechanical weeding to give the lawn the space it needs to grow. If the soil is moist, it’s really easy to pull the plants out of the soil. For bigger weeds like dandelion, we recommend using a GARDENA weeding trowel.
Before using chemical herbicides, try to use biodegradable products such as stinging nettle liquid manure or also diverse products from garden centers which you can apply without worries. Spray the liquid directly onto the unwelcome plant. Repeat this process until the desired success has shown.
Not every weed is a nuisance. Many of those herbs have positive effects which we often don’t know. The nettle is for most of the garden owners trouble rather than help, although you can brew a tea out of the leaves, which helps against gastrointestinal complaints. Young dandelion also tastes delicious in salads. Ribwort is suitable for first wound care, inflammations and after an insect sting. What do you think of the idea, giving such plants another place in the garden and to use them differently?