Weeds affect the growth of surrounding plants by competing for nutrients, space, soil, and water. If left uncontrolled, weeds can also become hosts for various pests and plant diseases. The damage caused by weeds is not limited to surrounding plants. Some types of weeds can block drainage pipes. Others may disrupt the function of farm machinery used for cultivation.
If you want to know how to get rid of weeds, read on to learn more about the different techniques for effective weed control.
How to Get Rid of Weeds: The Preventative Method
Prevention is an important aspect of weed management. Early detection and quick response will save you time and money. Once a weed infestation becomes established, it will become more expensive to control and manage.
Preventative weed control refers to any method that aims to prevent weed infestation in a farm, pasture, or greenhouse. Some examples of preventative weed control include using certified weed-free seed, making sure that farm equipment is cleaned before moving from one area to another, transporting weed-free hay, and checking irrigation water for weed seeds to prevent them from traveling along irrigation ditches.
How to Get Rid of Weeds: The Cultural Method
Cultural control is the establishment of competitive or desired vegetation that helps prevent or slow down the growth of weeds. Cultural control is considered effective in weed management. Examples of the control method include crop rotation, using well-adapted competitive forage species, maintaining good soil fertility, and avoiding overgrazing of pastures.
Weeds are opportunistic and invasive. Disturbances that damage desirable and competitive vegetation (such as intensive livestock grazing, densely populated prairie dog colonies, road construction, etc.) create sites for weed invasion. Controlling weeds in such areas can be in vain without vegetative restoration because weeds can easily reinvade the disturbed area.
How to Get Rid of Weeds: The Biological Method
Biological weed control is any technique that involves the use of living agents to suppress the germination and spread of weeds. These agents include insects, fungi, bacteria, or grazing animals (such as goats, sheep, horses or cattle).
Insect agents are used in cases where eradication might be impractical due to the inaccessibility or vastness of an infestation or where other methods of control are not feasible. The desired scenario is when a weed infestation is reduced to a “tolerable level”, wherein the insect agents are significantly limiting the abundance of the weed species and the density is no longer detrimental to the plant community. Grazing, meanwhile, produces the same results as mowing.
Some examples of biological weed control are the use of sheep to control leafy spurge or tansy ragwort, chrysolira beetle to suppress St. John’s Wort, tansy flea beetle and cinnabar moth to control tansy ragwort, and goats to control brush on rangeland.
How to Get Rid of Weeds: The Mechanical Method
Mechanical weed control refers to techniques that involve the use of farm equipment to suppress or control weeds. This method is done through physical disruption. The success of various mechanical control methods depends on the lifecycle of the target weed species. Some examples of mechanical weed control are pulling, digging, disking, plowing and mowing.
Hand pulling and digging are considered effective on annual/biennial species such as kochia, diffuse knapweed, and musk thistle. It’s important to remove the upper 2 to 3 inches of taproot to prevent regrowth.
That said, hand pulling/digging a perennial weed like leafy spurge can be futile unless one has the time and patience to diligently pull or dig regrowth over several seasons.
Shallow tillage with a sweep or disk is effective for controlling annual species like kochia or cheatgrass, but can be counterproductive when trying to control perennial weeds, such as leafy spurge, field bindweed, Russian knapweed, or Canada thistle.
Perennial root systems usually have meristematic buds that can produce a new plant from root segments that are deposited on the soil’s surface. Actually, shallow tillage of perennial weeds can result in a larger and denser infestation than the initial patch.
Moldboard plowing (or the complete turnover of the top 10 to 12 inches of soil) disrupts underground roots and buries seeds from the surface so deep that it would be hard for them to germinate. This type of tillage is typically not feasible to do on a regular basis.
Mowing is a suppression measure which can decrease or prevent seed head production. Mowed weeds will regrow and set seed from a lower height, so a combined method is necessary in order to be effective.
Mowing weakens perennial plants by forcing them to send carbohydrates up from underground root reserves to nourish regrowth. Mowing perennial weeds a couple of times during summer can weaken the plants significantly and, when combined with fall herbicide application, provides excellent control.
How to Get Rid of Weeds: The Chemical Method
Chemical weed control is the use or application of chemicals (herbicides) to soil or weeds to control weed growth. The use of herbicides is considered the most time-efficient and best way to kill weeds. Some herbicides are especially formulated not to cause harm to surrounding plants.
Always read the label before using herbicides. When using such products, it is important to follow the instructions for handling, use, and cleanup. Consider the proximity to water, shrubs, trees, and other desirable vegetation.
Herbicides are applied by either spot spraying (targets individual plants) or broadcast spraying (covers an entire area). No matter what method is used, spray equipment calibration is recommended for accurate delivery and mixing calculations.
Most Common Herbicides |
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| Glyphosate | A non-selective herbicide that controls many types of weeds. Pre-plant application is allowed in most plants. Meanwhile, post-directed/spot spray treatments are allowed for certain ornamentals (care must be taken to avoid contact with foliage). |
| Trifluralin | A pre-emergent herbicide that is applied to established ornamental plants before the weeds have emerged. |
| Sethoxydim | Provides selective post-emergence contact control of various grass species, including bermudagrass, crabgrass spp, broadleaf signalgrass, foxtail spp, johnsongrass, and goosegrass. |
Don’t let excessive weed ruin your lawn. Get rid of weeds and pests with the help of the experts from PestGuide.org. Contact us today!
Pro Tip:“Research what type of weeds you have in your lawn before you choose an elimination method.” – PestGuide.org |
Effectively Manage Your Weeds: Contact PestGuide
Weeds can be harmful to your lawn, garden, or farm. There are various weed control methods that you can use to eliminate them. If you want to know more on how to get rid of weeds and other pests, contact PestGuide today.
FAQs on the Techniques for Effective Weed Control |
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Which method is best for weed control? |
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| Chemical (i.e., the use of herbicides) is considered the best method for weed control. Not only is it time-efficient, but it is also very effective in controlling or suppressing weeds. Read the label before using the product. | |
Why is weed control important? |
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| Weeds can stunt the growth of surrounding plants. If left unchecked, weeds can compete with other plants for nutrients, space, soil, and water. | |
What are the benefits of cultivation? |
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| The elements can dry the soil into a crust. Cultivation breaks up the crusty soil surface and allows easier penetration of nutrients, air, and water deep into the soil. |