Ambrosia can be found in almost every household plot. Such a herbaceous plant looks completely inconspicuous and does not stand out from other weeds. However, it is not so easy to protect yourself from such a harmful and annoying neighbor in your garden; you will have to put a lot of effort and patience. In order to destroy all the shoots of this green grass, you must first study its structure, features of growth and development.
Characteristics of ragweed
This wormwood weed belongs to the Astrov family, which has several dozen plant species. The place of its appearance is called North America. From here begins the further spread of ragweed to the countries of Europe and Central Asia. Over time, it began to be found on other continents, for example, in Africa and Australia. The seeds most likely could have ended up in such remote corners of the planet along with the grains of wheat or red clover, which are often exported to other countries. There are a fairly large number of varieties of this plant. Artemisia ragweed is the most resistant to unfavorable climate conditions.
The height of the plant can be from 20 cm to 2 meters, the length of the leaves does not exceed 15 cm. The leaf blade is distinguished by double staining. Above, its surface is dark green, and below it is a shade of gray. The flowers are small, of various colors. In the territories located in the south, early flowering is observed, the beginning of which begins in late July and continues until mid-autumn.
Ragweed reproduces only with the help of seeds, however, their number can reach about one and a half hundred thousand. They mature for a long time before sprouting. This period sometimes reaches up to six months. At the same time, a high degree of seed germination is maintained. Both fully ripe seeds and those that remained on a plant cut and thrown in place can emerge. To protect against such a unique property of vitality of this weed and its self-seeding, you just need to prevent it from blooming.
The ragweed root system is quite strong. The main root can often reach a length of about 4 meters, so even the most terrible drought will not be able to harm the plant.
Negative effects of weed
Artemisia ragweed got its name from the Artemisia family, which is translated from Latin as "wormwood" and in many respects in its external similarity resembles a common medicinal plant. Even true botanists have a hard time distinguishing between them.
Behind the beautiful name is an ordinary weed, which causes a lot of inconvenience to summer residents and owners of private houses. It can provoke severe allergies. The bloom is accompanied by a large accumulation of pollen, which irritates the respiratory tract. As a result, shortness of breath appears.
The number of people suffering from this type of allergy is increasing every year. In connection with the problem of the extermination of ragweed, it was included in the list of quarantine objects.
Its shoots also cause great harm to garden and vegetable garden crops.Many fruit trees and bushes are attacked by this voracious neighbor. A massive root system is able to suck out all the water around itself, which is why cultivated plant species begin to gradually wither, and then, if no measures are taken, they simply die due to lack of moisture.
Ambrosia has rich foliage that can create impenetrable shade for nearby plants. Photophilous vegetable crops growing near a weed can significantly reduce their yield because of this.
When the seeds fall on a meadow or field, after a couple of seasons the plant easily displaces any cereals or other forage grasses. When seeds get into hay, its flavoring properties deteriorate. Cattle, using such hay for food, can produce low-quality milk.
Methods for dealing with ragweed
Along with many other harmful weeds, ragweed is a stranger to our region. For this reason, natural opponents that can affect its distribution cannot be found. It is enough for only a few seeds to get to the site, as its reproduction can no longer be stopped. Year after year, the weed will fill new territory, so you need to get rid of such an unnecessary neighbor as soon as possible. Any methods will come to the rescue: mechanical, biological and chemical.
Greater reliability, of course, is caused by the mechanical method, i.e. removal of the plant along with the root system. However, such a weeding is extremely problematic, given the hard and troublesome manual labor. As a rule, such weeds are simply cut at the root. For a small plot of land, these measures may be enough, since ragweed is an annual plant, then next year you can not be afraid that the root will grow again. Weed mowing should be done regularly.
The essence of the biological method is to use a certain type of insect to eat a plant. Over time, the weed begins to wither and die.
In the fight against ragweed, rational crop rotation also plays an important role. When sowing, it is required to alternate row crops with grasses and cereals. Today, the method of artificial tinning is popular. It is based on the cultivation of crops of perennial cereals and legumes in pastures and lands that are close to human habitation. Some useful herbs include wheatgrass, wheatgrass, fescue, or alfalfa. The spread of these crops has been observed in just a few years. During this time, they are able to completely and completely eradicate ragweed.
If the area inhabited by the weed is too large, then it will have to be treated with chemicals: Caliber, Roundup, Glysol, Prima, Glyphos, Tornado, Clinics related to pesticides. The exception is recreation areas, pastures, settlements. The use of pesticides is not permitted here.
