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Whether you’re a gardener, a landscaper, or a homeowner, weeds are likely something that you’re not fond of. Luckily, weeds can be eradicated with relative ease, as long as you know what to do and how to do it properly. To help you get rid of the weeds that plague you, here are 5 highly effective ways to kill weeds.

Using heat

If you’ve ever dealt with a seasonal drought that had your lawn and/or garden turning yellow and crusty, then you’re familiar with what heat can do to plants. This is what makes it such a great tool for battling weeds.

High heat packs enough punch to kill weeds and, though it won’t generally kill the root, it will kill the part that’s ruining the aesthetic of your garden. For this, you can purchase a special flame torch.

Or, to save a bit of money, you could opt to use the old boiling water method; all you have to do is boil some water and apply it to the weeds.

Digging

Perhaps the oldest trick in the book, digging and pulling is an especially effective way to banish weeds for good. Digging them up and pulling them out from the root works so well because, well, weeds can’t grow if they aren’t in the ground!

When digging and pulling, you have to be careful to remove the weed at the root. Failing to remove the entirety of the root will give the weed a way to regrow.

Cornmeal

d out from traditional chemical weed killers and even the salt method above. It is also a very effective crabgrass killer and great for fighting with dandelions and chickweeds. Just be sure to only apply it to an established garden, as it will choke out all seeds and not just weed seeds or you can try to find a weed killer that won’t kill flowers and your garden with plants will be safe.

Salt solution

Salt is one of the lesser-known natural weed killer, but is also, perhaps, one of the most effective agents. It can be used on driveways and pathways but should not be used on lawns or in gardens due to its potency and potential to kill every plant in the vicinity.

Newspaper

Mix one part salt to 6 parts boiling water and stir the mixture until the salt dissolves. Let it cool and pour it into a spray bottle for later use. When you do use it, spray it directly on the plant and try to avoid getting it on anything else.

You’d be surprised how effective newspaper is for killing weeds. If you’re starting a new flower bed or vegetable garden in an area that has weeds, place a layer of newspaper over the top of the weeds. Then, cover the newspaper with new dirt, plant your seeds, and enjoy the new, weed-free growth.

Newspaper works because it prevents the existing weeds from getting sunlight and, as a result, kills them. It also prevents new ones from growing for this same reason.

African Violet

African violet is a small house plant kept by gardeners for many years. African violet is a pretty popular house plant that is loved and cherished not only by professional gardeners but also by beginners. African violet is not a type of plant that is difficult to plant and take care of. This is why this plant is great for those who only start their journey in the gardening niche. 

Soil

Also, it is important to mention that African violet requires specialized soil. Usually, you can find this type of soil in gardening shops, but if you struggle to find it, you can make your own African violet soil. You will need three ingredients – peat moss, vermiculite, and perlite. And of course, you will need a best pots for african violets. That’s it!

Watering African Violet

As we mentioned before, African violet is not a plant that is difficult to keep. But African violet is not a type of plant that can be planted and forgotten. African violet is a plant that needs to be watered regularly, especially if you are living in areas where the weather temperature is high. African violets can not be dried. The soil of African violet needs to be damp all the time. But make sure that you do not over-water your African violet plant because it can cause rot.

Light

African violet is a plant that likes to be in the sun. Direct sunlight isn’t great for African violet, but a medium amount for sun helps African violet blossom and look great!

Pruning

Another really important thing that you need to know before owning African violet is that it needs to be pruned to stay healthy and beautiful. When people hear the word pruning, it usually associates with the pruning of trees or bushes. But with African violet, everything is slightly different. You do not need any specific tools. Your fingers are the best tool to prune African violet. Also, another great thing that you can use to cut African violet is scissors, but make sure that you sterilize and wash your scissors before you cut the leaves of African violet because unsterilized scissors can damage your plant ant transmit a disease. Basically, prune the bottom leaves of African violet to let new leaves grow and have all the necessary nutrients and water. The same is with blossoms. Cut old blossom, this way African violet will grow new ones that will be fully nourished and beautiful.

Propagation

Also, the African violet is a plant that is pretty easy to propagate. You only need to cut its leaves and place them in a moist African violet soil! African violet grows new roots rapidly. After that, you can have a new, beautiful plant that is identical to your old one!

Conclusion

African violet is a beautiful plant that has colorful blossoms and fuzzy leaves. Another reason why African violet is that this plant comes in many colors of blossom. Everyone is going to find a color of African violet that they like. These features make this plant different from others, this is why many people like African violet.

Advantages of Propagating Peperomia

Peperomia is probably the easiest plant to propagate. You absolutely do not need to be an experienced gardener to do propagation successfully and have a beautiful new plant. Peperomia is a sturdy plant that is quite easy to take care of for a beginner. Most types of Peperomia plants have thick leaves that store a lot of water and nutrients in it. This is why the leaves of Peperomia can be successful succulents! Why Peperomia leaves make great succulents?

As we mentioned before, the thick leaves of Peperomia stores a lot of water and nutrients that are a must for a plant. When you cut a succulent, it no longer has nutrients and water from the root, so it uses its own storage water and nutrients to grow new roots. But before propagating Peperomia, make sure that your plant is healthy and has no diseases. Only a healthy plant can be propagated and give great results!

Stem and Leaves Method

Probably one of the most popular methods to propagate Peperomia is to cut stem or leaves. This way is not difficult by itself. But you need to know a couple of things to do it successfully. First of all, for the propagation of Peperomia to be successful, you need to choose a certain time to do that. The best time to do it is when plants in a growing period of the year, usually it is summer or spring. During fall or winter Peperomia usually sleep and do not grow. They only are storing water and nutrients for their growing period. So make sure that the time that you chose to propagate Peperomia is right. When the time is right, make sure that you chose the right leaf or stem to cut. Leaf and stem needs to be fully grown and healthy without discoloration or visible diseases.

Process of Propagation

To propagate Peperomia, you will need a clean and sterilized knife or cutting scissors. Also, you will need airy soil and pot for cuttings to be planted. Also, you will need an empty plastic cup or a bag. First of all, prepare a pot with soil that is moist and watered a little bit. When sterilizing your knife or scissors, it is necessary because by cutting your Peperomia plant with unsterilized tools, you can transmit a disease to a healthy plant.

Stem Method

If you decided that you are going to try a stem method, choose the right stem. Choose a stem with three or four leaves and cut it right before the bottom leaf. Now, remove leaves that are in the bottom and leave the only couple of leaves at the top. New roots will grow from the places there bottom leaves where.

Leaves Method

For the leaves method, you also need to prepare a pot with moist soil and clean tools for cutting. Cut the leaf where it connects with a stem. With the leaves method, you need to be quick. Pot leaves in the moist soil. To keep a root growing process successful, we recommend you make a tiny greenhouse. Cut holes in a plastic bag or a bigger plastic cup and cover your planted leaves with it. This way leaves will be humid, warm and the root growing process will be shorter. You can remove the greenhouse when roots are fully grown.

Water Propagation

Another great method for Peperomia propagation is a water method. Basically, cut the stem the same way as we mentioned above, but in this method, you do not need soil. Just fill a glass with water and place it in the water. But makes sure that not the whole plant is placed in water. Only those places there leaves where removed needs to be in the water.