How to deal with wheatgrass in the garden is a problem that every owner of a personal plot faces. The plant rightfully deserves the title of one of the most tenacious weeds. It sprouts both from seeds and from a small part of the weaving root, on which there are dormant buds. In a short time, wheatgrass is able to develop an impressive plot of land, after which getting rid of the weed is very labor-intensive and problematic, but this does not mean at all that this is impossible to achieve.

For effective fight with the enemy you need to know his strengths and weaknesses, use them skillfully and victory will not be long in coming.

What is creeping wheatgrass?

Creeping wheatgrass (plover, worm-grass, dandur) is a perennial herbaceous plant from the grass family, reaching a height of 40 to 130 cm. Has long cord-like roots with a large number of dormant buds, from which new stems grow at the slightest damage. The leaves are flat and long, 3–8 cm wide, dark green in color, possibly with a bluish tint. The inflorescences form a spike of about 150 seeds that retain the ability to germinate for 12 years. In just a few months, the weed will easily turn a once-treated and well-groomed area into unsuitable for cultivation. cultivated plants a piece of land.

Wheatgrass control

There are many ways to get rid of wheatgrass in your garden and dacha, and everyone can choose their own option. Based on the effect on the weed, the following control methods can be distinguished:

• artificial creation of conditions unacceptable for the normal development of the plant;
• treatment with special preparations;
• preparation and use various compositions at home.

Agrotechnical measures

Most environmentally friendly clean way to eradicate wheatgrass from a site without harming the soil means creating an environment unsuitable for its growth or mechanically destroying the roots and shoots of the pest. Covering a piece of land with dense material:

• dark film;
• cardboard;
• slate;
• old pieces of roofing felt.

The plant will not be able to climb up and, deprived of a source of light, will die.

Mulching straw, fallen leaves, sawdust will impede the germination of stems, which will significantly weaken them, in addition root system the weed lies at a depth of 20–25 cm. The presence of an additional layer on the surface will force it to rise higher and it will be easier to completely remove the weed.

Regular weeding forces wheatgrass to produce new shoots, which quickly depletes it and leads to death.

Removing roots manually can be produced in a small area in the fall or early spring, digging it up with a pitchfork and removing all the bushes. The work is very painstaking, but quite effective.

Growing green manure: peas, sunflowers, beans, corn, alfalfa, clover, mustard, capable of suppressing pests, will help rid your garden of its invasion.

Sowing oats - not only one of effective tools how to get rid of wheatgrass on your site forever, but also enrich the soil with nitrogen, improving its quality composition. The root system, more powerful than that of a weed, densely braids the upper layers of the earth, preventing more weak species. Before the oats have time to put out an ear, they are mowed, the soil must be plowed together with the topsoil and the seeds must be sown again. This procedure is repeated about three times, after which cultivated plants can be planted.

Arrange beds on weeds also an effective option for combating wheatgrass. The grass is mowed, and leaves, sawdust, straw and other organic matter from the garden plot are placed on top of it. All this is covered with earth, on which you can plant vegetables or flowers. A single growth that has emerged from under the embankment can be easily removed. Rotted bottom layer becomes an excellent organic fertilizer.

Fighting wheatgrass in the garden using chemicals

Faster and effective way To clear the area of ​​weeds is to treat it with herbicides. A considerable number of products have been developed to effectively combat wheatgrass. Depending on the specific application, drugs can have continuous or selective action. The former are used in places where it is simply necessary to clear the area of ​​any type of vegetation. The second is for destroying weeds in beds and fields that already contain useful crops. Among the most well-known chemicals for combating wheatgrass are the following:

• glyphos;
• Hurricane Forte;
• roundup;
• fusilade forte;
• tornado,
• agrokiller.

Created using modern technologies When herbicides fall on the foliage, they are absorbed and poison the entire plant, including the roots. After two weeks, the weed dies, and the reagents completely disintegrate in the soil and the area becomes suitable for planting seeds and seedlings. However, it is important to pay attention to the fact that treatment with chemicals is recommended no more than once every three years - herbicides kill not only plants, but also damage the microflora in the soil.

Depending on the name of the poison the method of application and consumption are different, but general rules working with it is universal:

• It is necessary to spray the composition on dry grass in cool, windless weather;
• mowing and weeding are not carried out in the treated area;
• the treated weed will begin to die in about 5–7 days;
• when working with the substance, be sure to use protective equipment, such as a mask, goggles, gloves, wear clothes made of thick fabric.

Brief description of the most famous herbicides

Agrokiller, Glyphos, Hurricane forte, Roundup, Tornado- highly effective continuous action preparations that destroy all types of weeds. The main active substance is glyphosate (isopropylamine salt) in the soil and decomposes into safe elements within two weeks. Not highly toxic to humans and insects.

Fusilade forte, Gesagard, Dinoseb- selective herbicides that protect areas with potatoes, sugar beets, legumes and other non-cereal crops already affected by wheatgrass. Not dangerous for bees, worms and soil microflora, do not inhibit the development of other plants, and are not toxic to humans.

EM drugs

Not only chemicals, but also beneficial microorganisms can cleanse your wheatgrass garden forever. Microbial strains bred by biochemists feed on organic matter in the soil . Getting into the root system of bacteria, cause EM fermentation, having a detrimental effect on the plant. EM preparations not only do not harm the soil microflora, but also qualitatively improve its composition and structure.

Among the most effective bacterial compositions are the following:

• Revival;
• Amyx;
• Tamir;
• Baikal EM-1.

How to remove wheatgrass using folk remedies

In order to get rid of a weed in the garden, it is not at all necessary to treat it with chemicals. Products prepared at home or easily available in nearby stores or supermarkets will be quite effective in clearing your area of ​​weeds.

Salt can be used in places where it is not planned to grow any cultivated plants; it should be scattered around the area. After rains or watering, it will be absorbed into the soil and destroy the roots, and with them the shoots themselves.

Soda It will also eradicate weeds around the beds, on the recreation area, between the tiles paved on the path.

Ethanol, diluted 1:10, will get rid of weeds in the garden. The prepared solution is used to treat the area at the rate of 11 liters per 2.5 acres of land. This should be done a month before planting the main crops.

Herbicidal soap will become a faithful assistant in the fight against wheatgrass. The composition should be used carefully, as it kills all vegetation it comes into contact with. It is good to use against perennial weeds. Make this remedy at home from the following components:

• vinegar 15–20% - 3.8 l;
• detergent- 1 tbsp. spoon;
• table salt - 0.5 cups.

All this is thoroughly mixed, after which it is applied to the grass in dry, windless weather.

Preventing the appearance of wheatgrass on the site

Constant and systematic control of weeds in the garden will not allow them to grow and occupy the entire sown area , the following activities will help with this:

• mulching beds with grass and sawdust;
• timely weeding from unwanted pests;
• drip irrigation;
• alternation of cultivated crops and periodic sowing of green manure;
• covering row spacing and planting-free soil with black film.

Creeping wheatgrass- an incredibly tenacious weed, but with diligence and ingenuity you can get rid of it forever, the list of ways to remove the grass is quite wide and everyone can choose a remedy to their liking.

Every gardener knows firsthand how difficult it can sometimes be to get rid of weeds. They literally fill the entire garden plot. Weeds prevent ornamental and fruit and vegetable crops from growing normally. Their danger lies in the fact that they take away some of the nutrients, reduce soil fertility, and consume most of the water.

Wheatgrass weed causes enormous damage to gardening and vegetable growing. Weed vegetation is considered an indicator of the level of farming culture. The fewer there are, the higher the quality of your site. Weed control measures should be taken immediately. Under no circumstances should this be delayed. How to remove wheatgrass from the garden?

Plant characteristics

Wheatgrass (Elytrígia) is a perennial herbaceous plant that belongs to the grass family. Includes more than 1000 thousand species. It has a long rhizome with trailing roots. The stems of the cereal are straight and reach 40 cm to 1.5 m in height. Because of this, it greatly harms light-loving plants, darkening them. The leaves are long and bright green. The inflorescences are very small and inconspicuous. They are collected in small spikelets from 7 to 15 cm. Wheatgrass blooms in May-June, and begins to bear fruit in September.

Popularly it has several names: grass worm, plover, dandur and zhitets.

Weed damage

Wheatgrass is a plant that significantly interferes with the development of gardening and vegetable growing. It is rightfully considered the most harmful among all other types of plant pests. It causes enormous damage to agricultural crops. Wheatgrass reproduces very quickly and easily, making it very difficult to control. It practically does not reproduce by seeds. He doesn't need it. During vegetative propagation, it is capable of spreading over large areas.

It has high survivability. Not afraid low temperatures and tolerates drought well. This is what makes him so invulnerable. Its growing area is quite wide. These are mainly European countries and Russia.

If you have started your garden and it is overgrown with weeds, it will be very difficult to get rid of it. It is almost impossible to negotiate with wheatgrass. If he has already settled in your garden, then he can stay there for a very long time.

Potatoes especially suffer from its effects. It interferes with the full development of the vegetable. Main danger wheatgrass lies in the fact that it can “gnaw” potato tubers with its roots and suck everything out of them nutrients. Thanks to its powerful root system, it can absorb huge amounts of water, which contributes to its rapid growth.

As a result, it forms dense thickets that overshadow cultivated plants and deprive them of sunlight. All this leads to a significant reduction in yield. Sometimes the damage is much more serious, because the crop may even die.

But not only the crop is damaged by this weed. Harvesting machines are also affected. Harvesting machines become clogged with leaves, which leads to significant loss of productivity. And also to the quality of the harvest. In hot weather they become the culprits of fires.

Safe ways

Folk remedies are more safe way combating wheatgrass as opposed to using chemicals. They are very environmentally friendly and do not have a negative impact on the environment.

How to permanently get rid of wheatgrass on your property using folk remedies?

• Elimination of rhizomes

This is the longest and hardest path. But also the most primitive. If you prefer this method, it is better to use a pitchfork rather than a garden shovel. A shovel will be useless because with its help you can only cut off the root, and its particles will remain in the soil and continue to multiply.

The bush is picked up with a fork and then pulled out of the soil, while it is important not to damage the root system. Shake the roots to get rid of excess soil and throw away from garden plot, or destroy them completely. This method Although quite labor-intensive, it is very effective.

• Cutting young plants

The essence of this method is to constantly cut off young foliage. It is cut at the root, going a little deeper into the ground. After the leaves begin to grow a little, the procedure is repeated. And such actions are carried out until the plant weakens. You starve it out and gradually it will “leave” itself from your site.

• Cultivator

The essence of using this method is that you crush the root as much as possible with a cultivator, thereby greatly weakening the root system. After such actions, the grass is easier to pull out and does not remain on the site.

• Blackout

Wheatgrass, like many other plants, loves sunlight. And with its deficiency, it withers and gradually stops its growth.

To control the weed, you can place a dark film on your site, and sprinkle plenty of peat or straw on top of it. When using this method, you can also use rubber slate if you do not have a dark film. This method guarantees the complete disappearance of weeds.

• Sowing the garden with legumes

Wheatgrass simply cannot tolerate the proximity of legumes. Sow peas, corn, radishes or sunflowers in your garden. These plants have the ability to “absorb” wheatgrass rhizomes, thereby ridding you of it.

• Sowing oats

Another plant crop that wheatgrass does not tolerate. Make many furrows and sow oats in them. When the oats begin to grow, they are mowed down without allowing the seeds to ripen. We lay the cut greens in a board and plant the oats again. After three such sowings, you are guaranteed complete freedom from wheatgrass.

• Soda solution

How to get rid of wheatgrass using soda? Prepare a strong soda solution and pour it over the weed plant. Soda is very aggressive in fighting them. It will quickly help you get rid of wheatgrass.

Another home remedy for combating wheatgrass is table salt. Sprinkle it over weeds and around planted crops. Then water everything. Water will dissolve salt crystals, which will inhibit the growth of weeds.

• Blowtorch

A very extreme method, when using which you need to be extremely careful. You are simply burning the young grass. The disadvantage of this method is that you only get rid of the foliage, while the roots remain intact.

• Using Transparency Film

As with many plants, aggressive sun rays are destructive for wheatgrass. This method is the exact opposite of darkening. When you cover a weed with a transparent film, the so-called “magnifying glass effect” is triggered. Complete removal of the weed will occur in a couple of weeks.

• Using ethyl alcohol

Fighting wheatgrass with ethyl alcohol - this method comes from America. Many American farmers note that when using ethyl alcohol, weed control occurs throughout the entire sowing season.

Ethyl alcohol must be diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10. The soil is treated with this solution for 30 days before sowing.

• Citric acid

Using citric acid is similar to using baking soda. In one liter hot water dissolve 3 tablespoons of citric acid. Then use this solution to weed the weeds in sunny weather.

• Mulching

The essence of mulching is to minimize access to sunlight and air to the weed. The following materials can be used:

1. 1. Sawdust;
2. 2. Expanded clay;
3. 3. Gravel;
4. 4. Crushed bark;
5. 5. Mown grass.

The disadvantage of mulching is its duration. It will take 3-4 months to see results, especially if the wheatgrass infestation is large enough.

1. 1. Mark the beds for sowing;
2. 2. The surface of the earth is tightly covered with any material;
3. 3. You can add a layer of grass or sawdust on top.
4. 4. After a few months, the cover can be removed. It is advisable to use this method in early spring.

• Using Vinegar

How to fight wheatgrass with vinegar? You will need 15-20% vinegar, table salt and any detergent. All ingredients are mixed. The resulting solution is sprayed onto the weeds.

However, this method only helps to get rid of foliage, while the roots of the plant remain intact.

How to kill a weed with chemicals?

Chemicals are excellent in controlling weeds. They are distinguished not only by high efficiency, but also by the speed of impact, unlike folk ways. Chemical reagents penetrate deeply into the entire plant during spraying and kill it.

To destroy grass between paving slabs or on the path, continuous chemicals are used. On large areas– selective chemicals for various types weeds. So how to remove wheatgrass with their help?

Attention! Don't forget that if you decide to use chemicals To combat green pests, protective measures must be taken: glasses, gloves and clothing that do not allow products to come into contact with the skin of the body.

• Roundup

This hybridicide has become widespread in the fight against weeds, especially in the fight against creeping wheatgrass. The new generation chemical has rightfully earned respect among gardeners.

It will completely rid you of weeds. It has quite high efficiency. It is practically not dangerous to people and environment when used correctly.

Roundup has a very low toxic effect, thanks to this characteristic it is included in the list of chemicals that are approved by the Ministry of Ecology, as well as the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.

It contains glyphosate. Due to its presence in the composition, the chemical can penetrate into all parts of the weed and reach the root system itself. All this usually takes 60-70 days.

• Hurricane

Chemical substance of continuous action. Containing the active substance glyphosate, it is considered an analogue of Roundup. Available in packaging of various sizes. This is very convenient when you have to process areas of different sizes.

Dilute 20-40 ml of the substance with three to four liters of water. This will be enough to process 1 hectare of your plot. As a rule, it is used in early spring, before planting, and also in autumn, after harvesting.

Its action is similar to that of Roundup. It also penetrates into all parts of the plant. Effective in the fight against creeping wheatgrass.

For greater effectiveness, you can add 100-150 g to the solution. urea per liter aqueous solution chemical.

Sowing sederat plants

Another method of control is sowing seeded plants. This is a natural way to help get rid of wheatgrass in your garden. When using it, the environment is not polluted. This method also promotes soil aeration and improves physical characteristics land cover.

The most popular sederats:

• Mustard;
• Common lupine;
• Phacelia;
• Peas;
• Clover;
• Rye;
• Rape;
• Buckwheat;
• Alfalfa;
• Ledvenets.

Sowed with sederats land plots a month before planting, or immediately after harvesting. They grow and displace weeds, preventing their root system from filling the entire space. In addition, grass clippings can be used as fertilizer. It helps increase fertility and fills the soil with useful substances.

Any gardener knows how difficult it is sometimes to remove weeds from your plot. There are a number of weeds that are difficult to destroy. Creeping wheatgrass is one such herb. Having a powerful root system and the ability to reproduce vegetatively, wheatgrass can live in your garden for a long time.But don't despair. Modern control methods will help get rid of the weed, no matter what area it has invaded, from an article with a photo close up you will learn the most effective ways to combat wheatgrass.

Wheatgrass: plant characteristics

, which can lie deep from 15 centimeters and more. The root system of one plant can spread up to three meters.

Wheatgrass grows and multiplies quickly, covering vast areas. This plant can grow up to one and a half meters in height. The leaves of the weed are long and dark green in color.

The flower represents a spike. The grass is popularly called zhitets, worm-grass, dandur, plover, dog grass.

Creeping wheatgrass can grow on any type of soil, even highly acidified. This is an opportunity to quickly reproduce vegetatively and by seed method make wheatgrass a strong and malicious enemy of useful crops. In addition, the plant tolerates frost and drought well, feels great both in the sun and in the shade, and grows at any temperature and humidity.

What harm does the weed cause?

So, wheatgrass is a tenacious plant, which will be very difficult to remove from the site or garden. But why destroy it? Let's figure it out.

1. Firstly, wheatgrass, like any other weed, takes most of the useful and nutrients from the soil. If a weed grows in a garden next to vegetable crops, it will take away from them useful substances and suck moisture from the soil.
2. Secondly, wheatgrass is quite tall. Thus, it deprives the crop not only of nutrients, but also of light. A lack of light can cause significant damage to the crop, and sometimes you can be left without it altogether.
3. The main victim of wheatgrass is potatoes. Since the weed has long and strong roots, they can “bite” into potato tubers and suck out nutrients and moisture from them.
4. Harvesters can easily become clogged with wheatgrass leaves. This leads to delays in the harvesting process, loss of productivity, and also affects the quality of the crop.

One of the main dangers of wheatgrass is that it reproduces quickly and efficiently. If you don’t pay attention to a few wheatgrass in your garden, you won’t even notice how it will soon fill the entire area. How does wheatgrass reproduce?

Reproduction occurs in two ways:

• vegetative;
• seeds.

Reproduction by vegetative means is more typical for wheatgrass. It involves the development of a plant from a part of the rhizome with a bud. Up to four buds can appear on one internode. Thus, if you do not destroy the roots of the weed, it will continue to grow for a long time.

As for seeds, one plant produces up to three hundred seeds, which are viable for up to five years. This means that a seed dropped by a plant can germinate next year, and maybe in five years. This greatly complicates the fight against weeds.

How to get rid of wheatgrass on your property forever

There are many modern methods weed control, which we conventionally divided into folk remedies and chemical preparations. Let's take a closer look at both methods.

Folk remedies

Folk remedies are the safest method for the environment, but also the most labor-intensive. The most effective control measure is removal of rhizomes. To do this, you will have to dig up the entire area populated by wheatgrass manually. There is no point in digging with a shovel, because this way you can easily cut off the root, and part of it will remain in the soil. It is best to pick up the plant with a pitchfork, while being careful not to damage the root system.

You can get rid of weeds using cultivator. At the same time, you grind the roots of the grass as finely as possible with a cultivator, thereby significantly weakening the root system. The grass particles can then be removed by hand, taking care to remove even the smallest parts.

If regularly cut off young shoots of weeds, it will weaken and disappear from your garden on its own. The procedure is done like this. The weed is cut to the very root, at a depth of about 2-3 centimeters from the soil. When young leaves appear from the ground, they must be cut off in the same way. You need to act until the plant weakens and disappears completely.

Wheatgrass, like any other plant, requires good lighting. To rid your area of ​​the “enemy”, you can deprive it of its source of energy - light. To do this, in the spring they put on the site dark film and press it along the edges. To prevent the plant from surviving, place something heavy, such as bricks or slate, over the entire area of ​​the film. This procedure must be performed for several years in a row, then the weed will probably leave your area. However, this method has a significant disadvantage: it will not be possible to grow crops in the cultivated area for several years.

From the video you can also learn several ways to combat wheatgrass in the country or in the fields.

You can deprive a plant of light mulching. To do this, in the spring the area is mulched with one of the following materials:

• sawdust;
• gravel;
• expanded clay;
• mown grass;
• chopped tree bark.

Seed the plot plants, the proximity to which wheatgrass does not tolerate. These include all types of legumes (beans, peas, chickpeas, soybeans), corn, sunflowers, radishes. These green manure plants have the ability to “absorb” the root system of the weed and repel it.

Oats- another plant that wheatgrass does not tolerate. Sow the field with oats, making furrows. Without allowing the seeds to ripen, mow the oats along with the weeds, and repeat the procedure next year. In a few years, there will be no trace of wheatgrass left on your site.

Helps fight weeds soda solution. The solution must be strong. Spray the weeds with the resulting solution, this will help weaken them. Instead of soda, you can use citric acid, which is also effective in controlling weeds.

Another effective measure in the fight against wheatgrass is ordinary table salt. Sprinkle salt on and around the plant, then water. Salty soil is not a very favorable condition for weed growth.

Burnout- quite extreme and dangerous method. It is used extremely rarely, and the method is not as effective as the others. Its essence is to burn weeds in the spring using a blowtorch.

If you cover an area with weeds transparent film, then soon a greenhouse effect. From heat, humidity and sun rays, the power of which is enhanced by the effect of a magnifying glass, the weed should die.

A month before sowing the site, you can cultivate the soil ethyl alcohol. To do this, alcohol is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10. Water the soil with the solution and the weed will not be visible throughout the entire sowing season.

How to deal with wheatgrass using chemicals

Gardeners, as a rule, rarely resort to chemicals, however, sometimes they cannot be avoided. The undoubted advantage of this method is its speed and efficiency. Chemicals, falling on a weed, they destroy and kill it. The most effective chemicals against wheatgrass are herbicides.

Roundup- a herbicide with low chemical impact, however, which is popular with gardeners. Since it penetrates inside the plants right down to the root system, it destroys it from the inside. This takes about 60–70 days. Roundup is one of the most effective and at the same time safe drugs to control weeds, including wheatgrass.

Any gardener and gardener has to deal with weeds on his site. One of the most common and difficult to remove weeds is wheatgrass - this plant is ubiquitous, penetrates into any nook and cranny of the garden, and is also a perennial. Its “persistence” and unpretentiousness make wheatgrass very strong enemy, so to fight they use different methods: from folk and home remedies to heavy artillery in the form of toxic herbicides.

In this article we will look at the features of combating wheatgrass on the site: we will find out what harm this weed causes, what preventive measures will help prevent its appearance, and how it can be eliminated forever.

Description and harm

Creeping wheatgrass - perennial, belonging to the cereal family. In total, this family contains more than 1000 different species. herbaceous plants: Most of them are weeds. Some types of wheatgrass, including those growing on our personal plots, can reach a height of one and a half meters.

Due to its size, wheatgrass greatly shades cultivated plantings. And this is in addition to the fact that it also depletes the land, sucking out nutrients from it that are intended for the development of crops.

The root of the weed can go 20 meters deep, which makes controlling it very difficult. And in width, the root of the plant covers a three-meter area around its stem. The weed is completely unpretentious, and feels quite well on any soil, even rocky: its long and powerful roots will obtain food from any depth.

Many gardeners consider wheatgrass to be the most dangerous and harmful of all types of weeds. And this is not surprising: the damage caused by wheatgrass and its amazing vitality justify this opinion. The weed multiplies at an amazing speed, and in a short time it can fill the entire area if action is not taken in time. Moreover, the plant’s distribution area is very significant, although it reproduces vegetatively.

The plant has amazing vitality, and it’s a shame that such valuable properties are inherent in a weed, and not in a valuable agricultural crop. Judge for yourself: wheatgrass is not afraid of cold weather, can withstand drought for long periods of time, and the plant is practically invulnerable to any external weather influences. And its seeds germinate already at a temperature of +3 degrees. If horsetail appears on your site, then you should follow the link and read information about how to get rid of it.

In the video - how to get rid of wheatgrass on the site:

Wheatgrass poses a danger to all garden crops, but it is especially harmful to potatoes and strawberries. In the beds with these crops, wheatgrass is doubly atrocious: it sucks nutrients from the ground, blocks sunlight with its leaves and stems, and creates conditions for the proliferation of fungus, diseases, and rot. Sometimes the weed causes damage so serious that it destroys the crop completely.

In addition to harm to the wheatgrass crop, it is also dangerous for the machines that harvest this crop. Their mechanisms become clogged with weeds, which leads to a decrease in productivity. In hot and dry summers, wheatgrass can also become the culprit and accomplice of fire. It will also be useful to learn about how to get rid of dandelions on the site, and what means are the most effective in this fight.

Prevention

What measures will help limit the spread of wheatgrass on the site.

Shading

If you don’t want wheatgrass to grow in your area, make more shady areas on it - the weed cannot tolerate the absence of light.

Legumes

It is known that wheatgrass does not tolerate the proximity of plants from the legume family. Plant them on the site to scare away the weed initially. You can plant peas, beans, or even sunflowers with corn, radishes.

Oats

This grass is an undesirable neighborhood for wheatgrass. It can be used as green manure, left on the ground after mowing. After three plantings, according to experienced farmers, wheatgrass disappears from the site forever.

Control measures

Since wheatgrass is a malicious weed (that is, the most difficult to destroy), the fight against it is serious. The main measures to combat wheatgrass today are the following:

• Mechanical destruction. This includes mowing, weeding, and removing rhizomes by hand.
• Digging up the earth. The method is also often used, and one way or another, but you always have to dig up the beds in any garden.
• Mulching. If cultivated plantings are mulched (with film, organic matter), then the weed will not be able to break through the dense layer.
• Chemical etching. The method is used very often, and sometimes it is the only one that can cope with wheatgrass thickets.
• Green manure. Plants called “green manures,” planted annually in front of the main crops, can “discourage” wheatgrass from the garden in a few years.
• Traditional methods. This includes various homemade recipes and folk wisdom invented by generations of gardeners.

Let's look at these methods in a little more detail.

Mowing

To cope with wheatgrass using this method, mowing the grass must be done several times during the season.

Note that this method cannot get rid of wheatgrass forever, since only the top is mowed down, but the root remains in the ground and then sprouts again. In this way you can get rid of it on your site.

Digging

This method is quite labor-intensive and tedious. You need to dig up the ground, carefully removing wheatgrass roots from it. Once will not be enough; you need to dig it up several times before the wheatgrass disappears from the garden completely.

Mulching

Enough reliable method struggle. In addition to wheatgrass, mulch will prevent the germination of other weeds. You can use materials such as film (black), sawdust, grass, hay, expanded clay, non-woven fabric, etc.

Traditional methods

The video shows the fight against wheatgrass in a garden plot:

Removing rhizomes

This, although primitive, is the simplest way to fight. Plus it's quite effective. It is better to use a pitchfork rather than a shovel for the operation - it will be more convenient. The advice is explained by the fact that a shovel will cut off the root, and its parts will remain in the ground, then continuing to divide and multiply.

The bush must be picked up with a pitchfork and then pulled out of the soil by force. The bush must be shaken off the ground, and then, having collected several copies in a heap, burn it. You can destroy it in the same way, but there are other methods of struggle.

Young growth cutting

The essence of this method is the regular and methodical cutting of the foliage of young wheatgrass. You need to cut at the root, even going a little deeper into the soil. Actions are carried out until the weed gives up all attempts to germinate.

Cultivation method

The more you can crush the weed roots with a cultivator, the less likely it is that the plant will survive and germinate.

Creating a Shadow

Wheatgrass is a light-loving plant and does not settle in shady places. If you artificially create shade for it, the weed will soon wither and then stop growing altogether.

You can mulch the beds with black film (very important when growing strawberries). This method will completely eliminate the weed from cultivated areas.

Chemicals

If the wheatgrass on the site cannot be controlled using gentle folk methods, or if the weed has grown significantly, you will have to use chemicals. They are quite effective, and you will feel the positive effect immediately: you don’t have to wait weeks and months, as when using traditional methods.

Chemical agents penetrate deeply into the tissues of the weed, poisoning it and killing it completely. Just remember to protect yourself with special clothing, goggles, and gloves before spraying herbicides.

So, let's look at the most effective chemicals in the fight against wheatgrass.

Roundup

In addition to the listed remedies, the following are also effective in the fight:

• Tornado;
• Ground;
• Agrokiller;
• Fusilade.

Let us note the low toxicity of these drugs: in addition to the direct destruction of the weed, they can also be used for preventive purposes. The period of harmful effects on wheatgrass for most of these drugs is a week: that is, the treatment is completed, and after a week or a little more the weed withers.

EM drugs

These products are also used for spraying on the site, however, their composition is not chemical, but biological. Thanks to this, EM preparations do not cause harm to the environment, are harmless to people, animals, beneficial insects, future harvest. The effect on the weed occurs due to the microorganisms contained in the substance that feed on the plant.

EM drugs

In addition to the environmental friendliness and effectiveness of these products, we also note their nutritional composition: EM preparations perfectly fertilize the soil and make it more fertile. The following biological agents have shown the greatest effectiveness in unequal weed control today:

• Shine;
• Amyx;
• Baikal-EM-1;
• EM molasses;
• Revival.

So, we looked at the features of combating wheatgrass on the site. As you can see, this weed can cause considerable damage to the crop and even harvesting units, so everyone must fight it available methods. With the help of the tips from the article, you can destroy wheatgrass for a long time, or even forever - and garden crops will thank you for this with abundant harvests.

Any summer resident or gardener knows from experience how much work needs to be put into even small plot to grow invaluable “vitamins from the garden” - vegetables and berries. Unlike garden crops, weeds thrive without any care and attention, drawing water and minerals from the soil intended for berries and vegetables.

One of these uninvited guests in a garden plot or a well-groomed lawn is creeping wheatgrass. This perennial from the cereal family is incredibly resilient. First of all, this quality is present in the weed due to the structure of the root. Long knotty roots can go a meter deep and spread, growing from a small piece of root that has fallen into the soil. In addition, wheatgrass “spikelets” produce seeds that remain viable for up to 10-12 years. Simply put, it is incredibly difficult to get rid of this plant that has “settled” in the garden or lawn.

If wheatgrass on a lawn can simply be mowed periodically along with all other grass, then how to get rid of wheatgrass in a garden is not an easy question. This is a very time-consuming task.

All available methods of combating this plant can be divided into two categories: the herbicide method, that is, using special chemicals, and more harmless “chemical-free” methods, the so-called folk remedies.

Before resorting to spraying herbicides, it is worth trying to find out how to get rid of wheatgrass in the garden folk remedies, harmless to humans and more gentle on the soil.

Picking roots

Gardeners are accustomed to fighting most weeds by simply digging. But this does not work with wheatgrass, but rather has the opposite effect: by cutting the rhizome with a shovel and leaving pieces in the ground, you can allow the weed to grow even larger and faster. How to get rid of wheat grass in the garden? The most common effective method is to carefully remove all the roots of this creeping weed from the ground. To prevent wheatgrass from appearing from root remains, you need to sort out all the soil lumps. Experienced gardeners recommend digging and sorting the soil using a pitchfork instead of a shovel.

Blackout

How to get rid of wheatgrass in the garden without “chemistry”? Another folk method- darkening. It is great for large areas of the garden that are overgrown with this creeping weed. Light-loving wheatgrass is simply blocked completely summer period access to sunlight, covering this area with a dark film and simply sprinkling it on top, for example, with straw.

A more complicated method of shading is to build beds directly on top of the wheatgrass. The weed is covered with a layer of cardboard, a layer of weeds, chopped branches, etc. is poured onto the cardboard, and then a small layer fertile land. For reliability, the “bed” can be lined with stones or bricks along the edges, and then sown with any plants.

Grinding wheatgrass roots

How to get rid of wheatgrass in the garden using other methods? This is without a doubt one of the most effective ways, completely "contradictory" to digging. The method is based precisely on the property of the wheatgrass rhizome to germinate young plants from a cut root.

Using a cultivator, the wheatgrass rhizome is crushed, and young shoots with “bumps” sprout from it, which are much easier to remove from the ground. The only condition: this must be done in a timely manner. Until the roots of the new plants have grown and become stronger.

Trimming

Pruning of growing young wheatgrass is carried out in the spring. The grass is cut so as to slightly enclose the rhizome - five centimeters will be enough. At the same time, the roots remaining in the soil begin to sprout new grass from “dormant” wheatgrass buds. After germination of a new young plant, it is pruned in the same way.

Each time the grass germinates, the root system will expend more and more energy, which will lead to the death of the wheatgrass. The effectiveness of this method can be enhanced if, after several prunings, the area is sown with plants that increase soil fertility - green manure or other garden crops that can destroy wheatgrass.

Sowing the site with cultivated plants

Another way to combat creeping wheatgrass is to sow the area “captured” by it with plants, next to which this weed dies. If you don’t know how to get rid of wheatgrass in your garden with additional benefits, then this method is for you. You can get a harvest from cultivated plants and, if the plant is also green manure, the soil in this area will be enriched with useful substances.

This is done simply: the area is dug up or plowed to about 20 cm, after which it is sown with a plant or even a mixture of seeds of plants with which wheatgrass is not “friendly”.

To such garden crops include buckwheat, various legumes and cruciferous plants.

Oats can also defeat creeping weeds. To do this, oat seeds are sown in dug up (plowed) garden soil, and then the oats are mowed before the seeds ripen. On top of the resulting green mass, turned down in layers, the area is re-sown with oats. Next, the grown oats are mowed again, dug up and sown. This method additionally contributes to the enrichment of the soil with nitrogen.

Mulching

How to get rid of creeping wheatgrass in the garden without numerous digging? A very useful and gentle way is to dig up and prepare the beds and pour a layer of mulch 30-35 cm thick on the surface. Mown grass or straw are perfect for mulching. Ideally, it is best to let the soil rest under a layer of mulch for a whole year.

The root system of creeping wheatgrass, isolated from the surface by a layer of mulch, will tend to “crawl” to the surface, as a result of which the root will not be in the soil, but in the straw or grass itself. Because of this, wheatgrass that grows through the mulch layer is very easy to remove by pulling it out along with the root.

An additional benefit from mulching is that moisture accumulates in the soil, which is a favorable environment for earthworms.

Vinegar

If the area infested with creeping weed is small, then there is another quick way. Those who don’t know how to get rid of wheatgrass in the garden can simply pour vinegar or boiling water over it. The plant will die.

“Chemical” against weeds: herbicide method

If all non-chemical methods to get rid of wheatgrass seem too complicated, time-consuming or ineffective, and also if you need to get rid of wheatgrass as soon as possible, you can resort to the use of special chemicals. The main advantage of this method is the result, that is, the death of the creeping weed will occur within two, maximum three weeks.

The most destructive to wheatgrass are glyphosate-containing herbicides. Most often you can find the following drugs of this type on sale: “Glyphos” and “Glyphosate” (these are different drugs), “Glysol” and others.

Just spraying a purchased herbicide is not enough; there are some features here. Here are a few rules on how to get rid of wheatgrass in the garden using chemicals so that this weed does not appear again:

• Due to its resilience, wheatgrass is a plant that is poorly susceptible to chemicals. Therefore, the weed can only be removed with a concentrated solution. Conclusion: it is necessary to observe the dosage when diluting the herbicide. A solution that is too weak will not work desired effect, and too concentrated is unsafe for both the soil and human health.
• Wheatgrass is most vulnerable during the period of active growth, that is, from the moment the “bush” is formed until the “spikelets” appear. It is at this time that spraying medications is most effective.
• Herbicides can ONLY be used once every three years!

The question arises: if herbicides are so dangerous, then can the soil be used after treatment? Specialists in the field agriculture claim that active substances the drug, getting directly into the soil, is neutralized and breaks down into harmless components.