Those who live in rural areas near farms or large pastures are probably familiar with pigweed weeds. These weeds – also known as redroot amaranth – spread quickly and can lead to a pretty serious infestation. If you don’t know how to get rid of pigweed weeds safely, then your garden might be at risk.
In this article we’re going to let you know the best way that you can get rid of pigweed without damaging the rest of your garden or lawn.
What Are Pigweed Weeds?
Pigweed, or redroot amaranth, is a weed that can be difficult to control. In terms of appearance, it has green leaves and flowers with off-red colours flushing through the stems. The pigweed is covered in a tough type of hair, much like you would see on a pig.
The seeds of pigweed are actually quite healthy for you, and some people enjoy cultivating pigweed. However, because of the huge numbers of seeds produced by the plant, many farmers and gardeners prefer to get rid of it rather than risk having their garden get taken over.
How to Get Rid of Pigweed Weeds
Fortunately for you, you don’t need to rely on harmful chemical weed killers to get rid of your pigweed. There are a few tried and true techniques that can be helpful for anyone who wants to get rid of pigweed.
Cultivate & Till Your Soil
Many gardeners are unsure of what to make of pigweed when they first see it, since it looks like a soft, fuzzy red layer that covers your soil in early Spring. What this ‘fuzz’ actually is, is a huge nmber of pigweed seeds getting ready to germinate.
The best way to prevent the weed from taking over is to till the soil when they start to germinate. Of course, you can do this with a tiller – this is the easiest – but you can also do it manually with a hoe or a smaller tool.
If your pigweeds are already established and maturing, you’ll need to make sure that you pull them out by the roots.
Mulch, Mulch, Mulch
Mulching is a great way to prevent weeds from spreading. Mulching prevents weeds from receiving sunlight, effectively preventing them from growing by eliminating their chances of photosynthesizing.
Mind you, if you have a huge garden, you may not have access to enough mulch. Straw, grass, leaf clippings from a mower, hay, and manure all make fantastic mulch that is nutritious for your garden.
Plastic or Cardboard ‘Mulch’
If you don’t have enough organic matter to use as mulch, you can also use plastic or cardboard. Cardboard is highly effective as it both suffocates the plants and prevents them from receiving sunlight. Plastic simply works by preventing the plants from breathing.
The Old-Fashioned Way
If your pigweed is already beginning to mature, and if there’s not a lot of it, you might just want to do it the old-fashioned way: by hand. Of course, this is more time consuming – but it’s the simplest way to make sure that you get your weeds out by the root.