Fertilizer with weed killer: Alternatives

Apply fertilizer and weed killer at the same time? We show why this is not a good idea and which alternatives are better for weed control.

Who doesn't know it: Spring lets its blue ribbon flutter through the air again - and instead of our garden plants, the weeds are already in the starting blocks. Wouldn't it be perfect to fertilize our desired plants while killing the weeds at the same time? In this article, we show why this sometimes works with a lawn fertilizer with weed killer - and unfortunately not at all in other cases.

Because many garden owners want a fertilizer that cares for their plants and destroys weeds, we are clearing up the rumors about the effects and disadvantages of such fertilizers in this article. We will then give you good alternatives to using weed killers in your garden.

Effect of fertilizer with weed killer

You may have noticed that only lawn fertilizers with an additive for weed killing are offered. What seems strange at first glance is due to the mechanism of action of the weed killer. Within the various active ingredients, there are agents that act selectively or “total herbicides”. The selective agents act either only against monocotyledonous plants (monocotyledons) or against dicotyledonous plants (dicotyledons). When applied to a planting, only the plants against which the agent is effective would be damaged. Of course, this is very useful when treating an area where only one type of plant grows - such as a lawn. It is a "monoculture" of monocots. A weed killer that acts selectively against dicots would only damage unwanted weeds. Of course, all monocot wild herbs were spared. The "total herbicides" damage all plants they reach. They are only used when the vegetation on an area is to be completely killed off.

Conclusion: Effectof fertilizer with weed killer

Our gardens contain a colorful mix of monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants. Because hardly any hobby gardener can be expected to know where each individual plant belongs to, the use of a fertilizer with weed killer would inevitably lead to damage to beloved garden plants. Only lawns are suitable for this due to their very uniform planting.

Expert Tip: Monocotyledons (monocots) are all plants that develop only a single cotyledon when germinating. In our gardens, for example, lawn grasses, lilies, crocuses, gladioli, ornamental grasses and irises are monocots. However, many garden plants are dicotyledons (two cotyledons), they usually produce two cotyledons when germinating. Examples are the magnolias, bay leaves, water lilies, roses, asters, dogwoods, witch hazel, brassicas (Brassicaceae) and cucurbits (Cucurbitaceae), hibiscus (Hibiscus), vines, all fruit trees and legumes (Fabaceae). ) - just to name a tiny excerpt. Incidentally, the situation is completely different with conifers, ferns and the ginkgo: they belong to the nudibranch and thus to a more distantly related group of plants.

Disadvantages of fertilizers with weed killers

Weed killers (herbicides) are pesticides that kill plants. However, this does not mean that they can only damage plants. The following disadvantages also come with fertilizers containing weed killers:

1. Pesticides can harm pets, wildlife and the user. Proper use is important to minimize risk.
2. The use of mixed plantings harbors the risk of unintentionally damaging desired plants. Uniform plantings have the problem that when using a selective agent, the wild herbs that belong to the undamaged group of plants are spared. For example, weeds in the lawn are spared from weed killers that act selectively against dicots.
3. The packaging of a fertilizer containing pesticides must be disposed of properly so that the environment is impacted as little as possible. Fertilizers containing pesticides should be stored under safety precautions: children and animals must not be allowed to access them. The use always means an effort and of course a residual risk.
4. Keeping your garden free of wild herbs reduces biodiversity. Beneficial insects cannot find native and bee-friendly forage plants orsuitable breeding grounds when controlling every little sprouting of wild nature in the garden.

Alternatives to fertilizers with weed killers

If you don't want to open the gates and doors to wild herbs without using fertilizers with weed killers, you have various other options to put them in their place. In the following, we will present you with preventive and control measures that do not require any pesticides at all.

Optimal crop management as an alternative to fertilizers with weed killers

Under unfavorable living conditions, your garden plants will develop worse than they actually could. This results in less competitiveness: Areas are overgrown less quickly and densely, emerging wild herbs take possession of the gaps and compete with our plants for water and nutrients. Optimal culture management includes gentle planting at the right time, the best possible care and the preparation of good soil conditions. It is particularly important that the soil is constantly covered: If planting is not possible over a large area, the soil should at least be preserved by regularly mulching the lawn.

In vegetable beds, proper crop rotation is essential to produce he althy plants. Because the repeated cultivation of the same plant in one location causes "soil fatigue", i.e. decreasing yields and poorer growth. The reasons for this are one-sided nutrient withdrawal and the accumulation of specialized pests and inhibitors in the soil. This article gives you detailed information about crop rotation.

Selection of plants/variety as an alternative to fertilizers with weed killers

You can make the fight against wild herbs easier or more difficult for yourself even before planting or sowing: Choose plant types and varieties that are less sensitive instead of slightly ailing or cold-sensitive variants.
Be careful when Purchasing for quality: Perennials and shrubs directly from the producing nurseries are usually more expensive, but of higher quality than those from hardware stores or even supermarkets. Native plants are always better adapted to local conditions than exotic plants. And especially for new lawns: It is worth choosing a regular seed mixture (RSM) that is adapted to the location and contains the lawn grasses that suit your needs.

Tip: To effectively suppress weeds, you should plant extensively: After a few years at the latest, the entire area should really be overgrown. This means that ground cover must be used or clumpy plants must be planted sufficiently densely. During the start-up phase, it is worth covering the intermediate areas with mulch material such as bark mulch to minimize the emergence of weeds and to keep the soil moist.

Selection of location as an alternative to fertilizers with weed killers

At the beginning of every planting there should be a consideration of the site conditions. These include the following points:

• The local weather: Is there a risk of late frosts in spring or early frosts in winter? Does it tend to rain a lot or little in the region? Is it often windy?
• The microclimate: What does the planting location look like? What about exposure, humidity, possible proximity to groundwater?
• What are the soil conditions at the planting site? A soil analysis provides you with the best answers to this question. For example, you can have a soil analysis carried out by the Raiffeisen laboratory service.

Planting should be site-specific in order to obtain he althy and competitive plants. Here you will find, for example, a selection of shade perennials, here are some suitable perennials for partial shade.

Seed and planting time as an alternative to fertilizers with weed killers

There are optimal planting or sowing times for every plant. If these are observed, the respective plant has the best possible start in life. Non-compliance can result in the sensitive youth phase coinciding with cold, heat or the appearance of large populations of pests, which ends or at least limits growth and gives the better adapted wild herbs a head start in growth.

Nutrition as an alternative to fertilizers with weed killers

By optimizing the nutrient supply for your ornamental plants, they have an advantage over the more undemanding wild herbs. When fertilizing the plants, you should also take care of the soil into account: Organic fertilizers maintain or improve the soil quality and thus promote the growth of more demanding garden plants. Due to the natural loosening of the soil, any wild herbs that may appear can be removed more easily and completely. Our Plantura organic fertilizers - such as the Plantura organicUniversal fertilizers - offer exactly the nutrient supply required for optimal growth for different plant groups.

Physical measures as alternatives to fertilizers with weed killers

Despite all precautions, the emergence of wild herbs can never be completely avoided. Instead of resorting to weed killers, you can use the following methods:

• Decrease the input of weed seeds. Dense hedges planted towards the source of weed seeds are particularly effective. Such sources can be meadows, flower strips and natural areas. In addition, weed control in your garden should of course always be carried out before seed formation to reduce the spread.
• Mechanical measures such as hoeing, weeding and milling - carried out regularly - keep areas free of weeds.
• If you don't want to plant or mulch areas - for example between vegetable crops - you can use mulch films, which keep the soil in the shade and reduce the emergence of weeds.
• If you want to use heat, flaming is also possible. Of course, this only applies to paved areas - with the exception of unplanted areas.

Tip: Laymen often use thermal weed control incorrectly. The flaming should not leave a pile of ash behind, but only destroy plant proteins. A superficially completely burned root weed can often sprout again from the root. It is the restoration of protein functionality that is designed to deplete the root until it collapses. For this reason, the flame is only briefly passed over the weeds. You'll know that an effect has occurred by a subtle change in the shade of green.

If you are particularly interested in lawn fertilizers with weed killers, you can find out more in this special article.