Parthenium control

Feb 19, 2011

Anil Kapur http://www.anilkapur.org/

Weeds like parthenium near other plants should not be uprooted but cut at the stem before they flower so that they are present but dont spread too much. The reason is that parthenium is good food for pests so generally the other plants near them go unharmed in their presence. After they are cut a few times, they will die and then their roots in the soil are very good nitrogen and the area around the dried up twig serves as a good passage for water. 

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Jan 8, 2012

Atul Kulkarni <atulkulkarni123@gmail.com> 

Parthenium and the best solution to stop weeds growth

1. Parthenium is the best source for organic manure.

2. Parthenium is the best source for liquid pesticide since its pungent smell has great repelling effect and keep away the pests.

3. Parthenium flowers , when burnt and the ash obtained is mixed in water and when this solution is sprayed on Parthenium or any other weeds will kill the Parthenium and arrest it growth completely.

Best solution for stopping the weeds growth 

1. Mulching- In this technique - Cut the Parthenium weeds and thrown them on the soil from where it was cut and not on some other land( as done now) This forms the Bio-mass 

This Bio-mass cuts out the sunlight and this further stops the growth of Parthenium and sunlight will not be available to it. 

Some Parthenium may grow from sides and this  growth will eventually stop in 2-3 months

This Mulching process of using the weeds as Bio-mass will help to soil to rebuild the nutrients and thus create good top soil. I addition coconut leaves can also be used for covering the weeds and thus stops their growth completely and also builds up the top soil.

Now since the soil is rich in nutrients, we can grow any flowers, shrubs, plants etc

This also stops soil erosion and one can make bunds from this bio-mass of weeds at the edge of lake so that soil does not enter the lake.

Second Solution for Parthenium

1. Use a rota meter, Garden Weed Cutter etc and this shall be attached to a Power Tiller and one can remove all the weeds

How this works?

The rota meter, removes the Parthenium and all other weeds with the roots and it loosens the soil and mixes this weeds dead material with soil and thus builds the soil with rich nutrients 

Thus all the growth of weeds stop. 

Now since the soil is rich in nutrients, we can grow any flowers, shrubs, plants etc

Cost involved is bit high and one can get this on rent ( i guess , but not sure)

Third Option

1. Aerobic composting the cut Parthenium weeds. The system is already in place, but we need to restart it again.

We can add cow dung, jaggery or effective microbes so that temperature comes to around more than 65 c and thus this will kill all the seeds of Parthenium and we can get good manure. 

Also we need to add a place a coconut tree leaves or sheet of plastic so that temperature is maintained. 

I suggest we can go with first option which is best and also cost effective. This is a continuos process and each time the soil gets better and soil erosion is also stopped in raining season and we can plant anything we want and growth of weeds also stops completely.

All these are techniques of organic farming

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http://apfisn.net/sites/default/files/parthenium.pdf suggests growing competitive plants. 

Competitive replacement of Parthenium can be achieved by planting species like Cassia sericea, Croton bonplandianus and C. sparsiflorus Amaranthus spinosus, Sida acuta, Tephrosia purpurea, Stylosanthes scabra and Cassia auriculata, which will compete with the weed and reduce its population. Similarly, planting Cassia tora will help to cover and suppress the growth of Parthenium. In certain parts of India, crop rotation using marigold (Tagetes spp.) during rainy season, instead of the usual crop, is found effective in reducing parthenium infestation in cultivated areas.

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Oct-Nov 2012 

On Facebook

Arathi Manay

Need some advice regarding parthenium. We've been composting it at the lake but probably because it has not been done properly, the seeds have been sprouting. The gardeners are very keen on burning the weeds. (1) How do we ensure that the seeds get killed off and dont sprout? (2) Is burning an advisable solution? Thanks!

October 24 at 11:47am