How to eliminate “weeds” from the garden naturally

If you take over an overgrown garden, you won’t be able to completely avoid the hoe. The good news is that removing unwanted plants whole, including the roots, with the hoe or by hand, It serves to oxygenate and improve the quality of the soil.

On sunny days, freshly cut grasses (with a few stubborn exceptions like short grass, turf, or vines) they can be left where they are cut, where they will quickly wither and be turned back into valuable humus by soil organisms.

Harvest the herbs instead of removing them

Did you know many so-called “weeds” are very rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, and that you can harvest them and then eat them, instead of fighting them?

If you are still new to the subject, it’s worth reading a book or two on wild herbs or taking an expert-led hike. After that, you will see many herbs growing wild in your garden with different eyes.

Methods to eliminate the so-called “weeds”

1. Remove “weeds” with boiling water

You can use the heat of the cooking water to kill “weeds” without any additional equipment.

The next time you cook potatoes, pasta or something similar, don’t just dump the cooking water, pour it while it’s still hot on selected surfaces. The heat kills the seeds and roots in the soil.

2. Kill “weeds” with liquid compost and bokashi

Homemade vegetable liquid compost (for example, nettle compost) and bokashi compost juice, which can be made in just two weeks, make excellent organic fertilizers that are usually applied in highly diluted form. However, in concentrated form they are suitable for killing weeds.

Fill a spray bottle with liquid compost or bokashi juice (pour through a cloth or sieve).

In dry and sunny weather, spray the solution directly onto the leaves and stems of the “weeds.” Make sure your useful and ornamental plants are safe. You can protect them by putting a cube on top of them.

Due to the high mineral content in the liquid fertilizer, an osmotic reaction occurs: the leaves of the weed are “burned” and the plants die. Microorganisms turn them into humus on the spot, and the sprayed fertilizer also benefits the soil.

This method works best on very thin-leaved plants that hold little water. Depending on the situation, repeat applications and some trial and error may be necessary to find the optimal concentration.

3. Remove “weeds” with wood ash

You can also remove unwanted weeds by using ash as a fertilizer. Dust them several times with wood ash in the fall and they won’t sprout again in the spring. Wood ash helps prevent moss growth on your lawn.

4. Avoid “weeds” with groundcovers

Undesirable plants need light to grow like any other. To deprive them of it, there are several methods, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

The most natural approach is to plant fast-growing groundcovers such as cotoneaster or ivy.

Mustard also grows quickly, which prevents the development of new “weeds”. It also has wide and deep roots, which loosens and oxygenates the soil. You can achieve a double benefit by choosing an edible groundcover for weed control.

At the end of the gardening season, the “green manure” it helps curb the growth of unwanted wild plants, protects the soil from erosion, and also provides it with new nutrients.

5. Stop “weeds” by mulching

Mulch is made from finely chopped tree and shrub clippings, grass clippings, hay or straw and can be used for protect large areas around flower beds, shrubs and hedges. It should be renewed periodically.