Gardeners consider goutweed to be one of the most harmful weeds. Even if a few seeds of this plant are accidentally brought into the garden or roots from a neighboring plot grow, the next year the weed will fill everything.
This seemingly cute plant will suck all the moisture and nutrients out of the soil, leaving nothing for the vegetables.
The easiest way to combat goutweed is to use herbicides. These agents are used to treat the area a season before planting vegetable crops, if there are many weeds on it. Goutweed is sprayed before the seeds appear on it.
When using herbicides, it is important to remember that such preparations are toxic and their contact with cultivated plants is highly undesirable.
There are other ways to get rid of harmful neighbors. Of course, environmentally friendly processes will be quite labor-intensive. But unlike the use of herbicides, they will not cause harm.
The fight against goutweed begins when digging up the plot. It will have to be done in spring and autumn, carefully picking out the weed rhizomes from the ground. It is best to use a pitchfork for digging. After all, a shovel can cut the root into several parts, and this will contribute to the reproduction of the weed.
The plants that have sprouted should be removed immediately, without waiting for flowering and the appearance of seeds. They are cut down with a sharp hoe to remove not only the green part, but also the growth point at a depth of 2 cm. Without green mass, which uses sunlight for the development of the plant, the rhizomes will eventually die.
Covering the soil with agrofibre or black film will lead to the same result, especially if the weed has managed to occupy a large area. Mulching is used to protect perennial plants and shaded plantings from goutweed. This method will prevent the germination of any weeds, including goutweed.
By the way, goutweed does not like being next to potatoes, because they are often weeded and hilled. And the closed tops simply "clog" the emerging weeds. So it is best to plant potatoes on a cleared plot.
To prevent the roots of goutweed from spreading across the plot, you can fence it with sheets of slate or metal, digging them to a depth of more than 40 cm. This method is especially effective for vegetable gardens located near a forest or overgrown neighboring dachas.
The main thing in the fight against goutweed is regularity. If you manage to win back a plot of land from it, it should not be left without attention.
