Thistles look beautiful when dried. But when they're on your lawn, they can be a bit frustrating. Especially if you're trying to have a kid-friendly lawn where your barefoot children won't walk on any prickly weeds. Fortunately, you can combat thistles in your lawn with simple and effective home remedies and enjoy a weed-free garden again.
How to combat thistles in the lawn with simple home remedies
Although thistles have pretty purple flowers, they are actually annual or perennial weeds that are harmful enough and difficult to control. If you are trying to remove them from your lawn but want to avoid harsh chemicals, choose one of the following natural control methods and successfully rid your lawn of theminvasive plants.
Fight thistles in the lawn: with vinegar
Some gardeners use vinegar to keep thistles in theFight garden. Please note, however, that the use of this home remedy on lawns and beds is not prohibited by law, but is actually not a really environmentally friendly alternative to chemical weed killers. However, vinegar is used as follows:
- Pour vinegar into a spray bottle. A 10 to 20 percent vinegar is much more effective than regular household vinegar, especially against older, established thistles.
- Spray directly onto the foliage and stems of the thistle plant, being careful not to spray nearby desired plants.
- It is best to treat weeds from spring to fall when they are actively growing, and preferably when no rain is forecast.
- Once the thistles have died, pull them out of the ground. If they grow back, spray them again.
- Water the area thoroughly to wash the vinegar out of the soil and prepare the soil for future planting.
To enhance the effect of the vinegar, you can also use road salt. Sprinkle a pinch of salt at the base of the plant as it will dry it out and the thistle will die even faster. Never use more than one pinch per plant to avoid deteriorating the soil quality. It is important to know that road salt is prohibited as a weed killer.
Make your own spray from gin and vinegar
Since perennial thistles in lawns spread both through seeds and through their roots in the soil, using a gin spray is an excellent way to attack the weeds at the roots. But don't wait until the plants are fully grown. The younger the thistles, the smaller their root system and the easier it is to control. So treat them immediately if you notice them in the lawn.
To do this you need:
- 30 ml apple cider vinegar
- 50 ml Gin
- 1 tbsp liquid dish soap
- 1 liter of water
Start by mixing all the ingredients in a spray bottle and misting the thistles once a week until they dry out completely. Then remove them by pulling them out by the roots. With this recipe you can tooget rid of other weeds naturally.
Get rid of thistles with lemon juice
Lemon juice works similarly to vinegar by drying out the thistle. It's best to try this method on a hot, sunny day as its effectiveness is enhanced by the heat.
Pour 120 ml lemon juice and 1 liter white vinegar into a large spray bottle and spray all parts of the plant weekly until the plant can be easily pulled out of the ground.
Cover the invasive plants with plastic wrap
To kill thistle, you should heat its roots for a few weeks. If they are confined to a specific area in your garden, you can use the power of the sun to ensure they don't grow back.
First, remove as many thistles as possible using a weed wrench or mowing. Then place a clear plastic sheet over the area and place a few stones on top to hold it in place. Leave the film in place for two to three weeks and then remove it to allow the lawn to recover.
If the thistles grow back, you can remove them and repeat the process.
Fight and prevent thistles in the lawn
Once the thistles are killed and removed, you can use these simple techniques to prevent them from growing back.
Cover the problem areas with newspaper, cardboard or garden waste such as pine needles and wood chips to reduce the amount of light required and thereby destroy the thistles. Or place a thick layer of organic mulch over the weeds.
The regular oneMowing the lawnis another method of combating it. Mow the thistles before they bloom in the spring to prevent them from spreading their seeds. Mow them again whenever you notice new growth.
