Even if the relationship to weeds has changed due to increased environmental awareness: Seeing them grow exactly where ornamental plants should actually thrive is not necessary. In the following article you will find out how to combat weeds in the garden in an environmentally friendly manner and without using chemicals.

Weeding is tiring, but the most environmentally friendly method

Why should weeds be removed at all?

However, since weeds grow much faster than vegetables, fruit and ornamental plants, they rob these plants of their nutrients. For this reason, mechanical weeding is one of the hobby gardener's most important tasks throughout the growing season.

This should be done before the weeds set seeds. These not only spread over large areas, but can survive in the soil for many years. This causes the unwanted green to show up again as soon as you remove it.

Proper weeding

In order to be able to weed successfully, you should take a close look at the weeds to be destroyed in advance. The root decides which tool is suitable for this work:

  • Taproots that reach deep into the ground, as is the case with dandelion, for example, use a root cutter.
  • Shallow roots are mainly found in mosses and lichens. They spread to a depth of a few centimeters and can easily be removed with a shovel iron.
  • Soil roots branch underground and are very difficult to control. The only thing that usually helps here is digging up and digging up a large area and thoroughly reading out the roots.

Weeding is much easier when the soil is wet. If it hasn't rained for a while, you can wet the soil with the hose beforehand. First loosen the substrate with a digging fork and remove all parts that are transported to the surface by the tines.

mulch beets

A protective cover made of bark mulch, pine bark, straw or grass cuttings not only protects the bed from drying out, but also ensures that weed seeds can no longer germinate. For this purpose, the applied layer should be at least five centimeters thick. Apply a long-term fertilizer before mulching, such as horn shavings (32.93€).

Apply weed fleece or film in the garden

Alternatively, you can lay weed fleece (€21.70) or weed film. As with mulching, the substrate in the bed is covered by this and the weeds are thus deprived of their basis of life. The materials are permeable to air and water so that rain and irrigation water can seep away. The gas exchange, which is so important for soil organisms and plant growth, is not disturbed either.

Depending on the stress and soil conditions, you will receive these weed control aids in different strengths. They are already cut or, for large bed areas, in rolls.

When laying out, proceed as follows:

  • Completely remove root weeds.
  • If necessary, improve the soil quality with sand or humus and work a slow-release fertilizer into the substrate.
  • Put on the weed film and fix it at the corners.
  • Distribute plants at the correct planting distance on the fleece.
  • Cut a slit in the foil where you want to insert them.
  • insert plants.
  • Finally, cover with a visually appealing layer of mulch.

Remove weeds from the paving joints

Weeds that have spread in the gaps between the paving slabs can be lifted out mechanically with a joint scraper. Alternatively, electric or gas-powered weed killers that effectively remove the green are suitable.

If you only need to clear a small paved area of weeds, heat is also helpful, but the kind that brings boiling water with it. This happens anyway in the kitchen when cooking pasta or potatoes. Pour the hot liquid specifically on the weeds growing in the joints, the plants will die off and can then be removed.

Green between paving stones can also be destroyed with a high-pressure cleaner (€119.90). A special brush is available as an accessory for these devices. It works just as well with the supplied cleaning attachment.

An effective alternative is weed-inhibiting joint sand, which is carefully swept into the cracks after mechanical cleaning of the joints. Due to the rounded shape, Dansand compacts very strongly, so that weed seeds cannot sprout. In addition, it offers the unwanted green no nutrient basis.

Tackle lawn weeds

Weeds can only spread in the lawn if it has not been supplied with sufficient nutrients. Therefore, fertilize green spaces regularly. You should also treat the grass with a scarifier in spring and late summer. This removes dead plant matter and aerates the soil.

Do not mow too short and leave at least five centimeters of stalk length. This shades the subsoil so much that weed seeds do not germinate. You can weed individual weeds in the lawn mechanically or lift them out with a weed puller.

tips

Chemical weed killers offer a quick but not environmentally friendly solution. In addition, the use of these agents on sealed surfaces is prohibited and will be punished with heavy fines. Weed control with vinegar or salt is also harmful and is prohibited on paved surfaces by the Plant Protection Act.

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Herbs