As much as plants are enjoyable in your garden, it might be time to stop plants from growing back. Planting might be easy, but killing a plant can be a problem, especially if you have invasive plants.
Sometimes, you want to prevent a part of the plant from growing or spreading, or you want to shape your plant. All these are reasons that would make you prevent plants from growing more.
So, how do you stop plants from growing back? To prevent plants from growing, you can kill the plant either naturally or chemically. Naturally involves using organic and safe methods, while chemically involves using chemicals to kill the plant. You must note that the method you choose to stop your plant from growing can affect the garden and kill wanted plants. So, you have to be careful.
Different methods to stop plants from growing back
Natural methods
Natural methods work best if you have an organic garden and don’t want to deal with chemicals. It’s an easier way to stop plants from growing back. It also works if you want part of the plant to stop growing.
However, when you want part of a plant to stop growing, you must apply the procedure to only that part. And if you make a mistake, you can kill the whole plant.
So, what are these methods?
Overwatering and Underwatering
Water is a good requirement in the growth of the plant. But, if you give the plant excess or little water, it will start to die slowly. This process takes time before it kills the plant. And it works best if you have the plant in a pot. Outdoor plants can only work through overwatering because of the rain.
When the soil receives excess water, the water becomes stagnant, closing the air spaces in the soil. This will lead to root rot, and the plant will die. Unless the plant is water tolerant, this method will work.
On the other hand, neglecting plants, especially indoor plants, can result in the plant dying from dehydration. A few plants, such as cacti and other succulents, can survive from a lack of water.
How To Revive A Zebra Plant That’s Dying.
Girdling
Girdling is the process of removing the bark around the tree. The bark is used to move food from the leaves to the roots. Once you remove the bark, the roots won’t receive food; eventually, they will die, killing the plant.
This is a good way to stop plants from growing, but it takes some time before the plant dies.
Pruning
This is an old method of removing parts of a plant. If you have an overgrown plant, pruning works fine, but if you want to prevent it from growing back in the future, you can apply salt to the cut part to kill the cells.
Salt dehydrates the part of the plant. But, ensure you don’t apply too much salt because that can affect other parts of the plant. Mix salt with water to reduce the concentration.
Vinegar mixture.
Vinegar works the same way as salt. It is a great way to prevent plants from growing back. When you apply it to the plant, keep it close to the plant you want to stop growing.
If you apply too much salt, it can make the ground hard to grow any other plant, while for a vinegar mixture, it doesn’t affect the ground, but it can kill plants near the one you want to kill.
If you want to kill the plant, ensure the plant is away from others, such as in a container, or place a barrier around the plant, such as a cut bottle, then spray directly into the area covered.
Boiling water
Boiling water works best on young plants that haven’t developed that much. It can also work for a small indoor plant.
So, just boil water until it is hot and pour it on the plant. That will kill and prevent plants from growing back.
Mulching
Mulching is good when it is applied in the right amount. You just need 3 to 4 inches of mulch around your plant for it to retain moisture. However, if you place thick mulch about 8 to 10 inches around the plant, it will suffocate due to a lack of air to breathe.
At the same time, you are giving the roots too much moisture, which can result in the growth of fungi that will kill the roots with time. Mulching can cover the plant and prevent them from receiving sunlight. Photosynthesis can’t occur without sunlight, and the plant will stop growing.
Chemical methods
When you use these methods to stop plants from growing back, you risk killing other plants while affecting the soil. However, it is easier and faster. So, ensure you choose the best chemical that doesn’t have side effects.
Here are the chemical methods.
Spray with bleach water
Bleach is a chemical that can kill plants if you apply it to them. The best way to apply it is to spray directly on the plant. You have to avoid dumping it onto the plant.
Mix a solution containing a cup of bleach with two to three cups of water. Then spray it directly on the plant. This will kill it and prevent it from growing again.
Use chemicals
Other chemicals include Borax and WD-40. Apply these chemicals the same as bleach water, salt, and vinegar. Make sure it doesn’t affect the surrounding plants. Once you are done applying, uproot the plants and dispose of off to stop plants from growing.
Here are the solutions you can purchase from Amazon.
Conclusion
Different reasons can make you stop plants from growing back, but that is a problem that needs solving. So, we have offered you simple solutions to prevent plants from growing back. Ensure that you have the right idea of what you are doing before you start killing them.
As you have seen from this guide, some solutions are harmful and others harmless. Ensure that you choose a simple solution that will work for your garden.
