The following contribution is from another author.
Introduction
Sometimes, you find yourself in the face of a weed in the garden that is extremely stubborn and you can only use herbicide to combat this issue. While you can use herbicide if the need for it arises, you should try other ways first before turning to it. You may try hoeing or you can pull the weeds. Alternatively, you can also dig up the weeds or even consider tillage. Read on to find out more from the experts at partnersinhome.com/ on how you can use herbicide in the garden.
Herbicides are a type of chemical that can kill or stunt the growth of plants. Herbicides employ different ways to kill the plants and can kill many different types of plants. If you want to understand herbicides, the first thing you can do is to refer to the label, as it will instruct you on how to use it properly and ensure safety as well. Keep in mind that it is not legal to utilize herbicides for anything other than their intended purposes which are reflected on its label.
There are several tips you can follow to use herbicides appropriately and safely:
- Don’t use herbicides when experiencing heavy winds or near water bodies.
- Make sure you are properly covered; protective masks should be worn along with gloves and make sure you are wearing sleeves to cover up your arms
- Keep your pets and children are kept indoors when you are using the herbicide
- Buy only what you need; don’t keep excess herbicide and make sure you are storing it in a place where young children cannot reach
Different Kinds of Herbicides
There are two categories that herbicides can fall under. They are typically grouped into selective herbicides and non-selective herbicides. Selective means that the herbicide can kill specific weed types and does not cause harm to other plants. The label on your herbicide should indicate the types of weed that they are used for and the plant types that will not be affected by the chemicals. Non-selective herbicides, on the other hand, kills all types of plants. Therefore, it’s optimal to use herbicides that are non-selective to clear land for a fresh start when you’re planning to grow a garden.
Among selective herbicides, you can find two subcategories: pre-emergent herbicides and post-emergent herbicides.
What are pre-emergent herbicides?
Typically, people use pre-emergent herbicides to eradicate weeds in the early stages when they grow as seedlings. They are normally applied during the later parts of winter or early on in spring.
What are post-emergent herbicides?
Post-emergent herbicides, as the name suggests, tackle existing weeds. As opposed to pre-emergent herbicides which should be used before any weeds emerge, post-emergent herbicides are used after they have sprouted. Not only can post-emergent herbicides kill grown weeds, but they can also help in the prevention of weeds sprouting again in the future. If you’re unsure of whether your herbicide can do the job, pay attention to the description of the product on the product label so that you can identify the types of weed that it is suited for.
Normally, post-emergents go for the plant leaves or seep to the weed’s roots. Some formulas enable you to simply spray the herbicide or granular herbicides where they come in the form of pellets. Identify the parts of your garden where the weeds have taken over and use them there for maximum effectiveness. However, you should be wary during application as the spray could spread and come into contact with plants that you do not want to target.
The herbicide should come with crucial information like the type of weeds it can be useful for, how you should apply the weed killer and whether it is safe for use on the grass or unavoidable areas where it could possibly come into contact with other plants.
As far as post-emergent formulas go, there are systemic herbicides and contact herbicides that fall under this umbrella. Systemic herbicides are extremely useful for attacking weeds that are perpetually growing again and again. For example, products like this moss algae killer are an effective systemic herbicide because they kill active weeds or moss on the surface whilst effectively “treating” the surface simultaneously to reduce regrowth in the long term. This is because the plant absorbs the herbicide and the herbicide then travels inside of the plant to ensure it kills it off completely. On the other hand, contact herbicides only attack any parts of the plant that are exposed and are usually used on weeds that are smaller in size or those that only grow in one particular season. Even though this seems like its impact is not significant, it is enough to kill most weeds because killing the foliage itself is sufficient for the whole plant to die off.
How to use a post-emergent herbicide
When using a post-emergent herbicide, it needs to be activated and used in a tightly controlled application setting to obtain optimal results. Once you’ve made up your mind on what your needs entail and the best formula for your intended use, you have to take note of the application rate, any complications caused by the leftover herbicide, and any action required for the prevention of soil contamination or soil leaching.
Herbicides should be used on drier days where there is no rain so that the product can be left to try for a minimum of a half-hour up to eight hours. If you want the best results, you should keep the temperature no lower than 12 degrees celsius and not exceeding 26 degrees celsius. After the period of time where the herbicide is drying, add some water to the soil.
Avoid windy days to use your herbicide and avoid contact with your skin. Also, make sure you do not inhale the herbicide.
Conclusion
If you’re using a herbicide in your garden, you should always take precautions and protect the parts of the garden that you don’t want to harm, as it could kill the plants that you want to keep. You can do so by using cardboard to make a collar that you can surround the weed with before using the herbicide on it. If you want to kill a weed that is harder to control or cannot identify, glyphosate is great for tackling such plants. But remember, organic methods are always more eco-friendly and should be tried out first before resorting to chemical methods of control.
