Hogweed is a large umbrella plant, widespread in our country. As a rule, it very quickly captures the territory, forcing out all the rest of its "brothers". In this regard, the question "How to get rid of hogweed on the site?" is becoming very relevant.
Cow parsnip grass in a summer cottage is a much more serious problem than it might seem at first glance. From other weeds, quite harmless, it is distinguished, firstly, by its size (it reaches 2.5 meters in height), and secondly, by the danger to human he alth. Contact with the leaves or stems of hogweed can cause severe burns, since the substances contained in the juice of this plant significantly increase the sensitivity of the skin to sunlight. This weed is especially dangerous for families with children, as kids make blowguns from hogweed, after which they suffer from burns.
Those who are interested in how to remove hogweed from the site should understand that this is quite difficult to do, since the plant is tenacious, with a powerful root system, and its seeds are capable oflie in the ground for several years, waiting for favorable conditions. However, there are time-tested ways to help get rid of a poisonous scourge.
To stop the spread of hogweed, you can tightly tie each inflorescence (they are collected in white umbrellas in hogweed) with an opaque plastic bag and leave until the seeds ripen. When the hogweed fades, its stems will dry out, and the bag of seeds can be burned. If the inflorescences are cut immediately, the weed will release new ones. The plant does not spread by root shoots, so the proposed method helps to stop the hogweed from seizing new territories, but does not solve the problem of how to get rid of the hogweed in the area completely.
A more complicated way is the annual digging up of the earth with the removal of all rhizomes. It is very important not to miss a single root, otherwise the tenacious weed will sprout again. You can plant recultivating plants on the same plot of land that grow quickly and are able to "clog" the hogweed: legumes, cereal grasses (urchin team, rump), potatoes.
How to get rid of hogweed on the site, if the above methods did not help? Almost any plant needs sunlight to live, so one of the most effective ways is to use shading covering materials. This should be done in early spring, when the weed shoots have just appeared from the ground. The canvas is spread directly onto the area occupied by the hogweed and fixed withcargo - ideal for a layer of earth in which you can plant other plants.
Another method is to use glyphosate-based herbicides. They should be used with caution. Herbicides are best applied pointwise, and in no case should they be allowed to fall on cultivated plants; in addition, if there are children or pets in the house, they can get hurt. In this case, one should ask not only the question “How to get rid of hogweed on the site?”, But also this: “How to do it as safely as possible?”
