How to eliminate invasive plants

All of us who have a garden or a patio with plants sooner or later will have to start our fight with a type of plant beings that should not be living in our area: herbs or invasive plants.

Although there are many fast-growing species that can become a real pest when the conditions are right, the reality is that there are few cases thanks, above all, to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Wild Flora) that prevents them from entering those countries where they are not native. But what to do if we have some in our pots or solarium? How to eliminate invasive plants?

Home remedies to remove invasive herbs

As much as we want to get rid of them, it is better to try home remedies first and leave chemicals as the last option. Why? Because the latter end up damaging the environment, impoverishing the soil; And that's not to mention that they are toxic to all living things, including human beings.

If we want to eliminate invasive plants with home remedies, we can choose to:

• Pour boiling water on them, taking care that it does not reach the plants that we do like.
• Sprinkle salt on them. They will quickly become dehydrated.
• Moisten them with vinegar. Acetic acid will kill the leaves, but not the root, so it is only recommended for use on young plants.
• Cover them with newspaper, to prevent them from continuing to grow. In the absence of light, they will become weak and dry; furthermore, the seeds will not be able to germinate.
• Uproot them. If it is an isolated specimen or a small group of invasive plants, they can be removed with a hoe, chopped up well (especially the roots) and thrown into the compost heap.

Chemical remedies to eliminate invasive plants

If we have a large pest of invasive plants in the garden and we want to choose to use chemical remedies, There are a number of things we need to know:

• They are toxic products. The use of rubber gloves is (or should be) mandatory. Putting on a protective mask doesn't hurt either.
• You have to read the label carefully and follow its instructions exactly.
• They should be applied to the plants that are to be eliminated, not around or near, as we could endanger other plants that are not invasive.
• After having eliminated those that were invading the garden, we have to wait at least a month before planting in that area.
• The use of these products in pots is not recommended.

That said, when we go to a nursery we have to ask for a herbicide. Now which one? There are those that are selective, such as metribuzin, which eliminate only the plants indicated on the package; and non-selective ones, like glyphosate, which eliminate everything. So that, It will be very important to tell the seller what type of plant we want to eliminate.

Thus, we can easily eliminate them without harming the rest of the plant beings that we have in the home.