Imagine: you go out to a plot of land and there’s not a single weed there.
Clean beds, neat paths, and all this without daily weeding and herbicides.
Sounds like a fairy tale? Actually, such a scenario is possible if you understand how weeds work and what really stops them.
It turns out that the main mistake most summer residents make is trying to fight the consequences rather than the cause.
Weeds grow where there is empty land. Nature does not tolerate "gaps", and if you do not occupy the space with cultivated plants, dandelions and couch grass will take over.
The solution is simple: sow the free areas with green manure - mustard, phacelia or clover.
These plants not only suppress weed growth, but also improve the structure of the soil, enriching it with nitrogen.
Another life hack is mulching. But not just with sawdust or grass, but with black agrofibre.
Not a single weed will survive under it, and moisture will be retained many times longer.
By the way, many people underestimate the power of ordinary cardboard. Lay it between the beds, sprinkle with soil, and in a year you will get a perfectly clean area with a rotted layer that will become fertilizer.
And forget about digging: every time you turn over layers of soil, you bring to the surface weed seeds that have been lying deep down for years.
Try replacing the shovel with a pitchfork and you will see how the problem begins to disappear on its own.
Author: Elena Shimanovskaya