Chemical weed killers are mostly prohibited and are, in any case, harmful to the environment. Their propagation by capillary action kills the underground fauna and pollutes the water table, in addition to wiping out all the flora. Fortunately, there are several very effective chemical-free alternatives that help you weed without harming nature.
Manual weeding
Manual weeding with a hoe is still the most ecological way to weed effectively, but it restricts you to small areas. You can go over your patio or your gravel driveway, but you can’t use it over large areas.
To optimize manual weeding in your garden, you have some very effective tools.
Weeding trowel
The weeding trowel allows you to completely eradicate weeds. This long fork with two or three tines helps you remove dandelions, thistles and other unwanted plants by digging up to the roots.
Digging fork
The digging fork looks like a wooden chisel. It allows you to carry out very specific, eco-friendly weeding, for example between the flowers in your flower beds or in your vegetable garden.
The digging fork is really reserved for small areas.
The edge trimmer
With the edge trimmer you can handle larger areas. It has a half-moon blade at the end of a handle. You stick it vertically into the ground, in order to cut down the plants you want to get rid of. The blade cuts through the leaves and roots, causing unwanted plants to die naturally.
The edge trimmer allows you to trace a border around a grove, a row of raspberry bushes or along a fence, for example.
Weed control with a sprayer
For weed control with a sprayer, instead of using chemicals, you can prepare your own solution for organic weed control.
The water you put in your sprayer will be mixed with baking soda, vinegar or salt. The effect is less rapid than with a chemical product and often requires several uses to get rid of the weeds.
You can also use very hot water, but you will spend a lot of energy for a not always convincing result. This method, which, at first glance, appears to be eco-friendly is actually not, because of the electricity needed to heat the water and the number of times it needs to be used.
Mulching
Mulching allows you to weed organically, without chemicals. You can use it everywhere in your garden and vegetable garden. It consists of placing matter at the foot of your trees, shrubs and plants that will prevent weeds from growing, but allow the soil to breathe and the exchange of moisture between air and soil to take place.
You can use a special tarpaulin, bark, pebbles, etc. The most eco-friendly and cheapest trick is to use simple brown cardboard. For aesthetics, it can be covered with pebbles or bark. Over the course of the year, the cardboard biodegrades and you need to replace it.
Thermal weed control
Thermal weeding is an attractive solution, as it allows all surfaces to be weeded effectively. You can use it for your garden, but also on a professional level for the maintenance of a community or an estate.
The thermal weeder is a tool that runs on propane gas, eco-friendly and economical. For large areas, you can use a cart to transport the gas cylinder.
The heat generated by the device creates a thermal shock that explodes the plant cells, but does not burn the plant. Photosynthesis is blocked because of coagulating plant proteins. Two applications are enough.
You just have to be careful of fire hazards and avoid bushy areas.