Are you sure that all the green sprouts in the garden beds are your friends?
One inconspicuous plant, which many people take for a harmless weed, methodically strangles the roots of vegetables, sucks moisture and nutrients out of the soil, and you, without knowing it, feed it organic matter.
We are talking about creeping wheatgrass. Its long white roots, reminiscent of wire, penetrate the soil to a depth of up to a meter, forming an impenetrable network.
Every piece of root left in the ground after weeding produces new shoots.
The worst thing is that couch grass loves manure and compost. When you fertilize your garden beds, it absorbs nitrogen and potassium faster than cultivated plants.
How to recognize the enemy? Young shoots of couch grass look like thin tufts of grass with tough leaves.
If you pull on the stem, it will slip out of the ground, but the root will remain inside.
To destroy couch grass, dig up the soil with a pitchfork (a shovel will cut the roots, making the problem worse) and manually select all the white "threads". Then pour boiling water over the soil with 100 g of salt per 10 liters.
Cover the area with black film for a month - without light the couch grass will die.
Never put it in compost: even dried roots remain viable for years.
If couch grass has taken over the space between the rows, sow mustard - its roots secrete substances that suppress the growth of the weed. After harvesting the mustard, dig the greens into the soil - this will improve its health.
And remember: regular weeding doesn't work here. Couch grass survives even drought and frost, and its seeds are carried for kilometers.
Check the area every 3 days and destroy the seedlings immediately - this is the only way to save the crop.
Author: Kurchev Anton