While the sorrel often adds an interesting facet to the look of the landscape in natural meadows, it is more of a disruptive factor in the home lawn. You should tackle it properly so that it does not become a fight against windmills.

Pull the emergency brake early

Always keep a close eye on the composition of the plants in your lawn, even if you do not value a pure grass area without any herbs. After the summer flowering period, the numerous sorrel seeds are dispersed by birds or attachment to the soles of shoes. In the lawn you can usually recognize the sorrel relatively easily by its rosette-like and lanceolate leaves growing out of the ground. If you wait too long to get rid of it, the plant can spread beyond just seeds. The roots also form a subterranean fertility reservoir that can hardly be removed later on if they grow longer in one location.

Be careful when fighting with chemical agents

Various chemical weed killers such as Roundup or Weedex can also be used to get rid of sorrel. This procedure is tempting in view of the lower effort, but other parts of the lawn are also destroyed, even if it is only applied selectively and in a targeted manner. When using weed killers, always observe all of the manufacturer's safety instructions so that you do not risk any damage to your health through inhalation. You must also be aware that parts of plants in the garden contaminated with these substances are usually no longer suitable for human consumption or feeding horses or rabbits. An appropriate distance to the vegetable patch and to the feeding areas of domestic animals should therefore be strictly maintained.

The mechanical control of sorrel in the lawn

The sorrel can also be combated without toxins, even if this means some work. It is important:

  • regular lawn inspections
  • the prevention of self-seeding
  • the correct cutting out of the roots

The sorrel tolerates a low cutting height less well than most types of grass. So mow your lawn as short as possible to a cutting height of 3 to 5 centimeters in order to fundamentally weaken the sorrel population. Be sure to remove the plants before flowering to prevent the seeds from spreading further in the garden. The young leaves of the sorrel are also ideal for herb salads if they are not contaminated by pesticides or other contaminants. When digging out, you should definitely make sure that the roots are completely removed, since root remains in the soil can always produce new plants.

tips and tricks

If the sorrel has established itself in a location for a long time, its extremely regenerative roots can reach a depth of 150 centimetres. These can be removed more easily than with a spade with a so-called dock pick from the garden trade.

WK

Category:

Herbs