Content
Among the large number weedsgrowing in fields, orchards and vegetable gardens, there is an unusual plant. It is called garden purslane. But many gardeners and gardeners probably know this plant as a rug, sucker, butterlak, fat woman, chicken leg. The invasion of this weedy garden plant can begin even with one seed that has flown into the site. Soon, all the beds and paths will be covered with a green rug of the garden purslane. Then the question will be how to get it out.
That is why many gardeners are interested in how to get rid of purslane, what control measures and means will have to be used. Although several millennia ago, this plant was one of the products used in cooking, in the treatment of various diseases. The inhabitants of Central Asia still cook delicious dishes from purslane, salt and pickle red-brown shoots and green leaves.
Beneficial features
The first mention of the medicinal properties of the garden plant can be found in the works of the Persian scientist Avicenna. It was he who compiled recipes with the use of garden purslane for the treatment of various diseases. Only the aerial part of the weed is used for the preparation of potions. The green mass and weed stems contain a large amount of:
- carbohydrates and proteins;
- glucose, galactose and sucrose
- vitamins A, E, C, B1, PP;
- organic acids;
- norepinephrine;
- macro- and microelements: iron and copper, manganese and potassium, sodium and nickel, manganese, zinc and phosphorus.
The use of garden purslane is especially useful for elderly people and those with weakened health. The chemical composition of the medicinal plant is such that eating green mass or preparing tinctures enhances human immunity, increases vitality, and removes toxins from the body.
Beneficial features:
External and botanical signs of purslane
Wild purslane is an annual plant that grows almost everywhere. Its thickets are found not only in gardens, vegetable gardens and fields, but also along the banks of rivers, lakes, in forest glades, along roads. The plant itself is unpretentious, capable of surviving in any conditions, is not afraid of the heat, but dies at the first frost.
The plant grows just above 20 cm, and spreads its numerous serpentine shoots up to 45 cm long. They are red-brown, fleshy. All plants are clearly visible in the photo. Do you think it is easy to remove so many weeds from the garden?
The shape of the lush green leaves is different depending on the species. In wild purslane, they are round, like a shoulder blade.
The weed blooms almost all summer with small, nondescript yellow flowers. Ripening of small seeds (about 8 mm) occurs many times. One plant of the garden purslane during the vegetative period can give almost 38 thousand grains. In order for the seeds to germinate, moist soil and a temperature of + 24 degrees are required.
It is clear why getting rid of a sprawling butterlak (there is something in common with a ghoul) is not so easy.
Ways to fight
Since the purslane weed growing in the garden is a highly branched, creeping plant that can survive in any conditions, it must be fought with when shoots appear, until it blooms and scatters seeds over the site. If the gardener or gardener missed this moment, the work will increase significantly. Fight the weed by preventing it from multiplying. Imagine how much weed will appear on the site, given the huge amount of maturing seeds! All of them will interfere with the growth and development of vegetable crops.
We remove the weed without chemicals
How to deal with garden purslane without using chemicals?
- The weed propagates by seeds and cuttings. Therefore, the mechanical method of removing purslane is suitable like no other. But you need to do the job correctly. Pulling out the garden purslane, you need to remove all the smallest pieces so that the shoots cannot take root. Weeding the site from purslane is the most basic and effective way. Operations to cleanse the area should be carried out every 7 days. We fight garden weeds, not letting them "raise" their heads. Experienced gardeners write: “I pull out the garden purslane by the roots and put it in the sun. I spread the bundles not on the ground, but on some kind of cover, so that the lashes do not come into contact with the ground. " It should be remembered that the plant is juicy, fleshy, so it will take a lot of time to completely dry. To remove the weed purslane, you cannot use a cultivator, pruner, hoe or flat cutter: the garden will overgrow with weed even more.
- How else can you get the garden purslane? Mulching is one of the agrotechnical techniques concerning the issue of garden purslane and how to get it out. Straw, hay, peat, sawdust are suitable as mulch. You can cover the area with an overgrown rug with a piece of roofing material, boards, cardboard or dark film. The main thing is that the weed does not receive light and moisture. This method is widely used by gardeners on the ridges. Weeds are minimal, and the soil is always moist and loose. Lay the mulch in a layer of 3 to 5 cm.
- Digging the soil. Many summer residents are interested in the question of how to get rid of purslane in the garden. Immediately, we emphasize that it is undesirable to use a shovel for work. After all, she cuts the stems of the weed, thereby contributing to its reproduction. They dig up the soil with a pitchfork to a great depth so that the seeds go as deep as possible. They germinate at a distance of 2 cm from the soil surface. In this case, not only shoots are selected, but also weed roots.
- Experienced gardeners rid their plots of purslane weed with emergency watering. A week before the expected shoots of weeds, the site is carefully dug up and shed for several days in a row. In less than a week, seeds will begin to germinate and small pink dots will appear. This is a purslane weed growing. Now you need to select all the plants with your hands and remove them from the site.
Generally, agro-technical weed control measures are most often successful.
Chemical treatment
If you got a plot from careless owners, then the traditional methods of removing purslane will not help. Weed control can only be successful with continuous herbicides. The use of chemicals should be timed to coincide with the autumn harvesting of the site, when the entire crop is already in the bins. It is best to use a double solution to kill chicken leg weed, combining Roundup with other drugs. It can be Octigen, Pyramine, Lazurite. Roundup is poured first, then any other. It is necessary to dilute the solution strictly according to the instructions. It is used for spraying purslane weed.
As a rule, after two weeks, there will be no trace of the garden purslane.It is possible to control weeds with herbicides in the summer, if they grow on paths and along fences. The main thing is not to touch the cultivated plants when spraying, otherwise they will become the same as weeds in the photo.
Let's summarize
No matter how useful purslane or chicken leg is, the rug, first of all, is a terrible weed that interferes with the growth of cultivated plantations on the site. We tried to briefly talk about how to remove the purslane weed, about the measures to combat this plant. Each summer resident should choose a method independently. But more often than not, modern gardeners try to do without chemicals on their plots.
