Weeds are generally considered undesirable by gardeners and are frequently invasive and difficult to control. A weedy garden or flowerbed is unattractive and gives the impression of being unkept.
Weeds refer to any plant growing where it is not wanted, where it is out of place – a rose shrub in a strawberry field would be considered a weed.
Ever since humans first attempted cultivating plants, they have had to fight invasive weeds in their crop fields. They interfere with human activities, for example; they compete with crops for water, light and nutrients. They can even harbour insects that damage flowers or crops. They are highly adapted to where they grow with efficient root systems, grow rapidly and can produce incredible amounts of seeds. A single weed of a certain species can produce hundreds of thousands of seeds.
Many methods have been developed to suppress or eliminate them.
Mechanical weed control involves removing weeds while they are still small to prevent them from producing seeds, as it is easier and quicker to remove them at this early stage. This procedure gives instant results, but this back breaking work must be repeated frequently. When the soil is disturbed, more seed is pulled to the surface where it will germinate.
Mulching by spreading a layer of material over the surface of the soil will suppress the germination of weed seeds. This layer could be organic like hay, bark, leaves and pebbles or inorganic like plastic weed sheets. Plant plants close together and do not create gaps in-between your plants where weeds can germinate.
The use of chemical herbicides is very effective when used correctly. When using these, the most crucial issue is to read and follow the instructions on the label, this will ensure you use the correct product for the specific weeds and circumstances in which the weeds occur. For example, do you want to prevent germination of weed seed (pre-emergence control), or are the weeds actively growing (post emergence control)? Does one need a selective herbicide to control weeds on your lawn or a non-selective herbicide to control weeds on your paving?
Never spray in windy weather as the overspray can kill adjacent plants. Apply the herbicide in the early morning when the plants are not wilted as herbicide is quickly absorbed by stressed plants.
The best solutions to get rid of weeds
Weeds are pioneer plants and thrive in gardens that are under stress during droughts, temperature extremes, etc. To prevent weeds from taking over your entire garden, use Clear Pave or Clear All on your paving and driveways. Clear Pave is a non-selective herbicide and will therefore get rid of all weeds and grasses that grow on paving. Two Step SC is a herbicide with pre- and post-emergence control of a wide spectrum of annual and perennial broadleaf weeds and grasses. Two Step has a long residual action and can control weeds up to 6 months which makes it ideal for fences, curbs, etc.
The latest addition to the Protek stable, Fascinate, is a non-selective, partly systemic contact herbicide for the control of broadleaf weeds, grasses and Fascinate does not contain Glyphosate.
Broadleaf weeds also tend to “adorn” lawns and once they have set seed and it is usually difficult to eradicate them. Protek’s Versus and Pure Lawn are both selective broadleaf herbicides that will not damage your lawn but will kill the weeds. Scatterkill for Weeds is a convenient, ready-to-use, selective granular herbicide that controls a wide variety of broadleaf weeds on lawns without killing your lawn.
When applying pesticides, especially herbicides, it is important to use a spreader and sticker, this improves the efficacy of the product by ensuring that all parts of the leaves and plant surfaces are adequately covered. Sprayfilm 10 improves the adhesion of the spray droplets on the target and controls the lifespan of herbicides. With its use, the waxy coating on leaves can be better penetrated and excessive run-off is prevented. Some weeds are covered with fine hair preventing the drops coming into contact with the leaf surface, but when Sprayfilm 10 is used, the surface tension of the drop breaks down, forming fine water droplets to ensure even distribution on the leaf surface. Remember, Sprayfilm 10 is rainfast within 1 hour and will not wash off.
There are sometimes complaints from consumers that pesticides are not effective. The reason is not the quality of the pesticide, but rather the poor quality of South Africa’s water in which the pesticides are diluted. Most plant protection products are unstable at low (acidic), or high pH (alkaline). The efficiency of the pesticides is compromised when the pH of the mixture is too high or too low. Most pest control remedies are stable at a pH range of 4 to 6.5. Protek All Buff lowers the pH of alkaline water and raises the pH of acidic water, buffering the pH at an optimum level of between 4 and 6.5. For efficient performance of pesticides, always buffer the water with Protek All Buff before adding the pesticide to the dilution water.
Protek Sprayrite Spray Indicator is a cost-effective way to reduce over application of pesticides or leaving missed areas untreated. The blue colourant is mixed with the pesticide solution and is designed to fade in sunlight within 48 hrs, allowing for temporary marking of sprayed areas.
Mixing instructions
- Mix 1 ml Protek All Buff in 1 liter of water in a spray bottle or spray can.
- Add 1.5 to 5 mℓ Protek Sprayrite to this mixture.
- Add the correct dose of pesticide to this mixture and mix well.
- Lastly, add 0.5 ml Protek Sprayfilm 10 to the mixture and mix well.
The mixture is now ready for application.
Remember to look out for the bright blue boxes in the gardening section of your
Act 36 of 1947
Clear All: L7221, glyphosate 360 g/l a.e., VERSIGTIG, registration holder: Arysta LifeScience South Africa (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 2009/019713/07, 7 Sunbury Office Park, Off Douglas Saunders Drive, La Lucia, 4019, telephone number: (031) 514-5600
Clear Pave: L7219, glyphosate 360 g/l a.e., CAUTION, registration holder: Arysta LifeScience South Africa (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 2009/019713/07, 7 Sunbury Office Park, Off Douglas Saunders Drive, La Lucia, 4019, telephone number: (031) 514-5600
Comet GR: L7524, bromacil (uracil) 80 g/kg, terbuthylazine (briazine) 120 g/kg, CAUTION, registration holder: Arysta LifeScience South Africa (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 2009/019713/07, 7 Sunbury Office Park, Off Douglas Saunders Drive, La Lucia, 4019, telephone number: (031) 514-5600
Pure Lawn: L7220, MCPA 400 g/l, CAUTION, registration holder: Arysta LifeScience South Africa (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 2009/019713/07, 7 Sunbury Office Park, Off Douglas Saunders Drive, La Lucia, 4019, telephone number: 031 514 5600
Scatterkill for Weeds: L4182, dicamba (dimethyl amine salt) 10 g/kg, MCPA (dimethyl amine salt) 5 g/kg, CAUTION, registration holder: Effecticide (Pty) Ltd, company registration number 08/06493/07, Unit 5, King Court, Mineral Crescent, Crown Industrial, Johannesburg, 2001, telephone number: 011 839 1636
Triclon: L6661, triclopyr (pyridyloxy compound) (as butoxyl ethyl ester) 480 g/l, HARMFUL, registration holder: Arysta LifeScience South Africa (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 2009/019713/07, 7 Sunbury Office Park, Off Douglas Saunders Drive, La Lucia, 4019, telephone number: 031 514 5600
Two Step: L9401, glyphosate isopropylamine salt 167 g/l, glyphosate acid 125 g/l, simazine (triazine) 175 g/l, terbutylazine (triazine) 175 g/l, CAUTION, registration holder: Arysta LifeScience South Africa (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 2009/019713/07, 7 Sunbury Office Park, Off Douglas Saunders Drive, La Lucia, 4019, telephone number: 031 514 5600
Versus: L8879, dicamba 120 g/l, 2.4-D 180 g/l a.e., MCPA 157.5 g/l, HARMFUL, registration holder: Arysta LifeScience South Africa (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 2009/019713/07, 7 Sunbury Office Park, Off Douglas Saunders Drive, La Lucia, 4019, telephone number: 031 514 5600
Fascinate: L10931, glufosinate-ammonium 200 g/l a.e., registration holder: Cropserve (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 80/08776/07, PO Box 10420, Aston Manor, 1630, telephone number: 011 979 2252
AllBuff: L6154, organic buffer system & alkylated phenol ethylene oxide condensate, 484,7 g/l, CAUTION, Arysta LifeScience South Africa (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 2009/019713/07, 7 Sunbury Office Park, Off Douglas Saunders Drive, La Lucia, 4019, telephone number: 031 514 5600
Sprayfilm 10: L7120, terpenic polymer, 902,4 g/l, L7120, CAUTION, Arysta LifeScience South Africa (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 2009/019713/07, 7 Sunbury Office Park, Off Douglas Saunders Drive, La Lucia, 4019, telephone number: 031 514 5600
Distributed by: Protek, a division of PE-BEE Agri (Pty) Ltd, PO Box 72, Heidelberg,1438, tel no (011) 812-9800 or 0861 PROTEK (0861 77 68 35), www.protek.co.za