Unfortunately, when spring arrives in the garden, not only vegetable and ornamental plants stretch their first tender tips out of the ground. Seed and root weeds, grasses and mosses also make life difficult for the gardener. The following article reveals which herbicides are permitted in the garden and whether their use makes sense at all.

Many chemical herbicides are harmful to humans, animals and plants

Table of Contents

Show all
  1. the essentials in brief
  2. What are herbicides?
  3. Are herbicides allowed in the garden?
  4. Permitted herbicides for house and small gardens
  5. When are herbicides useful?
  6. mode of action
  7. Use herbicides correctly
  8. problems
  9. frequently asked Questions

    10. the essentials in brief

    • Herbicides are chemical or natural agents that kill so-called "weeds".
    • Herbicides may also be used in allotment gardens, provided the chosen pesticides are permitted for use in the home garden
    • Paths, terraces and other paved areas must not be treated with herbicides
    • Glyphosate and other chemical herbicides are harmful to soil-dwelling microorganisms, insects, and the environment. Glyphosate is also suspected of being carcinogenic and damaging to genetic material.

    What are herbicides?

    Herbicides are also known as plant protection products or weed killers. These are biologically or chemically active substances that primarily kill certain types of plants, such as monocotyledonous or dicotyledonous weeds or mosses, in that their active ingredients penetrate through the leaves or roots and thus destroy the unwanted growth.

    From an ecological point of view, so-called “weeds” have their justification, as they offer welcome food to numerous insects. However, our cultivated plants are in constant competition with them for light, water and nutrients - which the much more robust weeds would generally win. The result would be, for example, that the vegetable harvest would not be satisfactory or that the perennial bed would be overgrown by wild plants. As a result, the gardener controls weeds in several ways:

    • by weeding, plucking, digging and chopping
    • through mechanical methods such as laying out a weed protection mat
    • by applying weed killers, both chemical and biological

    How long have herbicides been around?

    Weed killers in the last sense only appeared from the middle of the 19th century, when gardeners first used iron sulphate and sulfur sulphate against the annoying weeds. Iron sulphate is still primarily used today against moss. The compound 2,4-D, which is also contained in many lawn herbicides today, has been used exclusively to control dicot weeds since the 1940s. Incidentally, a chemically close relative of this herbicide is the notorious "Agent Orange", which destroyed entire rainforests during the Vietnam War and even today causes considerable damage to the people who live there.

    Are herbicides allowed in the garden?

    You can't just spray herbicides in the garden as you please

    According to the Plant Protection Act in force in Germany, the use of herbicides and other plant protection products is generally permitted on areas used for agriculture, forestry and horticulture. However, not everyone is allowed to handle every plant protection product as they please, because this must be specifically approved for use in house gardens and allotments.

    In order for a plant protection product to be used in the private sector - i.e. in the home and garden - the manufacturer must first submit an application for approval to the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety. The authority ultimately decides on such approval, but only grants it to a limited extent. On the other hand, completely different means may be used on commercially used agricultural and forestry areas, but in private gardens - for good reason! - are not allowed.

    No pesticides on paved surfaces

    However, the application permit only applies to areas used for horticulture, i. H. Hardened garden areas such as garage driveways, terraces and paths must not be treated with weed killers - no matter how annoying the weeds growing between the joints are. The only option here is to combat the weed mechanically (e.g. by scraping joints), thermally by flaming it or sealing the joints with suitable materials. The latter, however, prevents rainwater from seeping in and is therefore not a good ecological alternative.

    These herbicides are approved for home and small gardens

    The herbicides listed in the following table have been approved by the responsible Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety until the end of 2022 at the latest, whereby an extension of the approval can be granted at the manufacturer's request.

    medium active ingredient scope of application area of application application form Hints
    Allflor lawn fertilizer with weed killer 2.4-D + dicamba against lawn weeds on lawns Granulate for spreading use max. twice a year
    Allflor lawn fertilizer plus moss destroyer ferrous sulfate against moss in lawns on lawns Granulate for spreading use max. twice a year, hazardous to health, protective clothing
    Bayer long-term weed-free Permaclean glyphosate + metosulam + flufenacet against grasses, seed and root weeds in house gardens and allotments portioned granules for dissolving in water and syringes works for 6 months, hazardous to health, protective clothing
    Bayer Garden Weed Free Keeper glyphosate against grasses, seed and root weeds in house and allotment gardens, v. a. before sowing new lawns and for ornamental trees concentrate Approval is required for use on paved areas, protective clothing is required
    Beckhorn weed killer plus lawn fertilizer 2.4-D + dicamba against dicot weeds on lawns granules use max. twice a year
    Beckmann in the garden weed killer plus lawn fertilizer 2.4-D + dicamba against dicot weeds on lawns granules use max. twice a year
    BELOUKHA GARDEN pelargonic acid against annual monocots and dicots, against mosses Paths and squares with woody plants spray Approval is required for use on paved surfaces
    Compo organic lawn moss free pelargonic acid against annual monocots and dicots, against mosses on lawns, in the garden spray Approval is required for use on paved surfaces
    Celaflor acetic acid acetic acid against annual monocots and dicots, against mosses on lawns, ornamental trees. Pome and stone fruit, paths and squares with trees spray Approval is required for use on paved surfaces
    Celaflor Lawn Weed Free Anicon Ultra MCPA + clopyralid + fluroxypyr against common lawn weeds on lawns concentrate protective clothing required
    Celaflor Lawn Weed Free Weedex 2,4-D + MCPA + Dicamba + Mecoprop-P ,against common lawn weeds, leaf and root effect on lawns concentrate protective clothing required
    Chrysal Moss-Los Lucky ferrous sulfate against moss in lawns on lawns Granulate for spreading use max. twice a year, hazardous to health, protective clothing
    Chrysal weeds gone 2.4-D + dicamba against dicot weeds on lawns granules use max. twice a year

    tips

    On the website of the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety, you will find an online database under the tab "Pesticides" and then under "Home and Garden" in which all currently permitted herbicides for non-professional users are listed.

    digression

    Glyphosate is heavily criticized

    Glyphosate, a chemical of the phosphonate compound, is a total or broad spectrum herbicide and is considered to be very effective. The drug was launched under the brand name "Roundup" in the mid-1970s and is now immensely controversial. As glyphosate is increasingly used in conventional agriculture, traces of it have been found in groundwater, in our food and even in the human body. After the initial euphoria, glyphosate is now considered carcinogenic and seems to have a significant impact on ecosystems - including any damage to the genome. Therefore, this herbicide should be used with caution and should not be used in the home garden if possible.

    This article by BR Fernsehen offers an insight into the history of glyphosate:

    youtube

    When is the use of herbicides useful and when not?

    Don't trust a garden without weeds.

    There is no question: When unwanted weeds sprout in the perennial garden and in the vegetable patch, quick help is needed. Annual seed weeds can be kept under control by regularly plucking them before sowing. But what about root weeds? Quendel, morning glory, couch grass and co. keep coming back despite constant weeding. So resorting to herbicides seems pre-programmed. But does it actually make sense to use it?

    Which arguments speak against the use of herbicides

    Herbicides usually not only harm the unwanted weeds, but often even bees and other insects

    • Against root weeds So-called foliar herbicides are used, the active ingredient of which is absorbed through the leaves and then transported to the roots. In order for these to be effective, however, a sufficiently large mass of leaves must be present.
    • herbicides not only damage weeds, but also the plants desired in the garden bed - in many cases even months after application. A blowing away of the used agent can hardly be avoided.
    • Herbicides in the lawn are also only effective against monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous weeds. Undesirable grasses such as millet, on the other hand, can hardly be combated because there is no selective herbicide for this.

    In which cases the use of herbicides can be useful

    If a garden that is heavily overgrown with root weeds such as creeping thistle, couch grass or stinging nettle or if a single bed is to be newly laid out, the use of herbicides actually makes sense in individual cases. Proceed as follows:

    1. Apply the herbicide before digging.
    2. Dig up the soil and remove all plant debris.
    3. After the required waiting time, sow a green manure.
    4. Alternatively, you can start by growing potatoes.
    5. Clear the field after a year.
    6. Apply another herbicide.
    7. Observe the prescribed waiting time before replanting.
    8. Replant the bed/garden.

    If you use perennials and other plants from weed-infested locations when replanting, first carefully remove the old soil and wash it from the rootstock. it often contains germinable weed seeds or root remains.

    How do herbicides work?

    Most of the herbicides approved for the home garden act as contact poisons above or on the leaves, which is why these agents are usually applied as sprays and the plants are sprayed with them.

    • foliar burns: apply only in dry weather, also work at temperatures below ten degrees Celsius; Disadvantages: since the active ingredients do not penetrate the roots, root weeds keep coming back after one treatment
    • Systemic Herbicides: are also taken up via the leaves, but do not remain localized; migrate instead to non-wetted parts of the plant and to the roots; Only use in warm temperatures
    • soil herbicides: Often contained in lawn herbicides, primarily combat weed seeds dormant in the soil

    Systemic herbicides are also referred to as total herbicides. Use this only if useful and ornamental plants are not affected - weed killers do not distinguish between "good" and "bad". Therefore only spray when there is no wind at all and protect the crops, for example with a cover. Few herbicides are selective, killing only certain groups of plants. For example, 2,4-D, which is often used in lawn herbicides, only combats dicotyledonous plants and leaves monocotyledonous plants - which also include grass - standing.

    Use herbicides correctly

    Herbicides are usually commercially available as a spray or pouring agent. Only weed killers for use on lawns are also available in the form of solid granules. When applying these agents, be sure to observe the following safety instructions:

    • Always follow the manufacturer's dosage instructions!
    • Apply herbicides only on dry days, otherwise they will be washed off again
    • Spray only on absolutely windless days, otherwise the agents can get into other areas of the garden
    • Never dispose of leftovers down the drains as they cannot be degraded
    • First let weeds grow and then fight them: Sufficient leaf mass is necessary for high effectiveness.
    • Spray again against root weeds after a waiting period of approx. two weeks, as these often sprout again.
    • Children and pets must not be near when spraying herbicides!
    • You yourself wear long-sleeved protective clothing and sturdy shoes.

    Herbicides cause many problems

    It is best, however, if herbicides - even supposedly harmless ones such as acetic acid and salt - are not used in the home garden at all. These agents are always highly toxic and have serious effects on the ecosystem - animals as well as other plants are also affected and often suffer damage. Even if the product is labeled "Bee-friendly", it is not - especially since other beneficial insects such as birds, hedgehogs, etc. are also poisoned by them. Quite apart from that, the active ingredients often get into the ground water and thus also into our drinking water due to improper use. It is not without reason that glyphosate can also be found in our food and accumulates in our bodies.

    frequently asked Questions

    What do I need to buy if I want to control pests or fungi?

    With herbicides you only control unwanted plants. On the other hand, if you want to get rid of pests, use insecticides or pesticides. Depending on the species, there are suitable fungicides for controlling fungi. These agents are all summarized under the generic term "plant protection agents".

    Are there also home remedies that can be used as herbicides?

    In fact, there are cheap remedies in every household that can be used to combat weeds just as effectively. Vinegar or vinegar concentrate and salt are to be mentioned, but also citric acid. It applies to all means that they should be used just as carefully and exclusively on areas used for gardening. Household remedies are also covered by the Plant Protection Act! A good biological method for removing weeds, on the other hand, is self-made nettle manure.

    Can I remove the green stuff between the paving stones with normal household vinegar?

    Even with supposedly environmentally friendly home remedies such as vinegar concentrate, citric acid or pelargonic acid, you should not remove weeds from paved garden areas. Strictly speaking, these agents are also herbicides and can get into the groundwater. The same goes for salt.

    tips

    If you don't want to constantly bend down to pluck and weed, simply use long-handled garden tools. Alternatively, you can also - completely non-toxic - flame weeds or pour boiling water over them. But be careful: both only work if there are no cultivated plants nearby.

Category:

Herbs