Ragweed plant close-up photo which is presented below, is known as a weed, as well as a species that causes allergies some people. On their plots, gardeners and gardeners strive to immediately cut down the dense growth of this weed.
Many perceive this species as a source of harm that needs to be eliminated as early as possible. Decisions on its widespread destruction are made by the administrations of many towns and cities.
However, it should be remembered that this plant is actively used in folk medicine, homeopathy, since its composition is rich in useful substances and elements.
Our article provides detailed information and description ambrosia, as well as its useful properties and harm.
What does ambrosia weed look like?
Ambrosia is a tall herbaceous plant, 20-180 cm tall. It is characterized by a powerful tap root system reaching 4 m in length and a dense aboveground green mass. The weed has strong straight stems 3-4 cm thick. Leaves are green, opposite from below, alternate above, dissected, with oblong-lanceolate toothed lobes, located on short hairy petioles. The flowers are small, greenish-yellow, unisexual. Male, staminate 5-toothed flowers are collected in hemispherical or bell-shaped inflorescences-baskets, form racemose inflorescences in the upper part of the stem. The female, pistillate flowers are arranged one at a time in the axils of the leaves or at the base of the male flowers. The ragweed fruit is an oval achene with a ribbed surface, greenish-brown or black-brown in color. The plant has needle-like outgrowths: one large at the top and 5-8 small ones around the circumference. The weed emerges in May-June, blooms from July to October, the fruits ripen in August.
Harmful effect on the human body
During the flowering period of ragweed, people often have an allergy to this plant. This causes hay fever.
Due to the aggressive allergic action, pollen is released into the environment during the flowering period. The following are the main symptoms of an allergy:
- with a headache;
- with a runny nose;
- with tears;
- Cough.
Proper treatment of ragweed allergy significantly improves health.
It is useful to know that ragweed immunity can develop faster in people in areas with a high proportion of weeds than in other areas.
An effective folk remedy with anti-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory action in the fight against weed allergens are herbs - curtains and currants.
Where does ambrosia grow
Ambrosia is widespread in the world, found in North, Central and South America, Eastern and Western Europe, Iran, China, Japan, Australia, Africa, Central Asia. In Russia, the weed grows in the Volga region, in the Far East, in the Middle Belt, Central Black Earth Region, Western Siberia, in Altai. Local foci of growth of weeds are located in the Kursk, Belgorod, Voronezh, Astrakhan, Saratov regions, in Bashkortostan, Komi, Murmansk region.
Ambrosia is a heat-loving, drought-resistant weed, its distribution in the southern regions, Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, Crimea, and the North Caucasus is becoming large-scale and becomes a serious problem for agriculture and ecology. But the plant also tolerates cold winters well, therefore it easily conquers new regions with harsh climates.
Ragweed grows everywhere - on wastelands, along railways and highways, in vegetable gardens, fields, around industries. Prefers sandy and gravelly, well-drained soils.One plant reproduces 1000-25000 seeds per growing season, in favorable conditions their number can reach 100000. They are carried by animals, people, transport, melt water. Ambrosia weed seeds, ripe by the time of harvesting cereals, are attached to harvesting equipment, work equipment and tools, with which they travel long distances. They are also carried along with hay and grain waste. Ambrosia seeds are very tenacious, they can lie in the soil, waiting for conditions favorable for germination, for 25 years.
History of appearance
Few people know that the pest herb is shrouded in myths and beautiful legends. In the days of Ancient Hellas, a drink was made from grass, which supposedly bestowed immortality. The ancient Greeks believed that one cup of such a drink would bring healing from all diseases and give immortality.
Only the gods were allowed to drink the divine drink. The Greek god Tantalus wanted to steal a recipe for a potion that gives immortality and share it with ordinary mortals. But Tantalus was caught and punished severely. Amazing medicinal and miraculous properties were attributed to the drink.
North America is considered the homeland of ragweed. But the seeds of invasive grass came to the territory of Europe in 1873 along with the supply of red clover. The annual herbaceous culture became widespread after the end of the Great Patriotic War. Weed seeds were carried by the wheels of military cargo vehicles.
Ragweed species
There are about 50 species of ragweed registered in the world. Three of them are common on the territory of the former Soviet Union.
Artemisia ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia)
The most common species of the genus Ambrosia, a herbaceous annual up to 2 m tall. The stems of the ragweed weed are straight, pubescent with bristly hairs, paniculate-branched at the top. The leaves of the weed are pinnately dissected or twice pinnately dissected, outwardly very similar to wormwood - hence the name.
Flower baskets with staminate flowers are located on drooping legs. The seeds of the weed are in a dense, wrinkled, matte greenish-brown sheath with 4-6 short thorns. The ragweed weed propagates only by seeds.
Ragweed (Ambrosia trifida)
Spring annual weed. On a straight, slightly branched, furrowed stem, opposite 3-5-separate leaves with lanceolate toothed lobes are located. In the upper part of the stem of the weed, racemose inflorescences are formed. Fruits are achenes in a strong wrapper.
One plant forms up to 5000 seeds. Unlike other species of Ambrosia, freshly ripe seeds of ragweed weed do not germinate, they are in a state of biological dormancy for 4-6 years. The plant is widespread in lowlands, gullies, ravines, on river banks.
Attention! The weed prefers soddy-podzolic soils, light loams, sandy loam and chernozems.
Ragweed, naked or barefoot (Ambrosia psilostachyia)
A perennial plant with a well-developed root system, consisting of a main taproot and numerous processes. Along the entire length of the creeping root, the weed lays vegetative buds, giving rise to new shoots.
The stem is straight, branched, furrowed, up to 1.5 m high. The leaves of the weed are deeply divided or pinnately dissected, 5-12 cm long, with a solid edge, located on short petioles. The whole plant is densely covered with short, hard villi, giving it a greenish-gray tint. Flower baskets of the weed are collected in dense spike-shaped inflorescences 7-15 cm long. Ragweed fruit is a greenish-brown or dark gray achene in a wrapper. The wrapper is woody, with weakly pronounced thorns.The weed propagates by seeds and root shoots, which easily take root, grow quickly and form dense dense thickets.
Distribution and habitats
Ragweed is a native of the steppes of North America, where its reproduction is inhibited by natural causes: insect pests, some herbivorous ungulates and the harsh climate of Canada and Mexico.
In the era of the development of America, the fragrant herb was introduced to Europe and immediately spread widely. Fortunately, this is a rather thermophilic species, and one should not expect its naturalization north of 50 degrees latitude, especially in Siberia. Ambrosia firmly occupied the Mediterranean, Central Europe, southern Ukraine, the Volga region and Transcarpathia, penetrated into Africa, Argentina, Australia and China. Throughout its range, it prefers cultivated fertile lands of open steppe spaces, it is found along roads and railway embankments.
Artemisia ragweed
Why ambrosia is dangerous
Ambrosia is a dangerous quarantine weed that easily takes root in a new place and is aggressive towards other plants. Infests field crops, especially vegetables and row crops.
The impact of ragweed on cultivated plants is extremely negative:
- The dense foliage creates a dense shade that blocks the light from the crop plants.
- Displaces cereal and leguminous grasses, reduces their fodder qualities.
- Its powerful root system draws all moisture and nutrients from the soil, dries and depletes it.
A warning! Dense thickets of weeds can make the site completely unsuitable for growing agricultural plants in 2 years. The proximity of the latter with ambrosia entails their wilting and death.
During harvesting, the stalks of ragweed weed clog the cutting mechanisms of agricultural machinery, which reduces the productivity and quality of raw materials that need additional cleaning.
Attention! The weed is able to influence the production of meat and dairy products. Its presence depletes the soil, as a result of which the amount of nutrients in the feed decreases.
Livestock badly and reluctantly eats feed, if ragweed is present in them, subsequently gives meat and milk with a characteristic bitter aftertaste and pungent odor.
Ambrosia is also dangerous for humans: the plant emits a large amount of pollen, which has the highest allergenicity index. Upon contact with it, people develop various diseases of allergic etiology:
- rhinitis, manifested by nasal congestion, sneezing, swelling and itching of the nasopharynx, shortness of breath;
- conjunctivitis, in which there is lacrimation, itching, redness and swelling of the mucous membranes, their irritation and inflammation;
- bronchitis and its possible complication - bronchial asthma;
- with direct contact with pollen, dermatitis may occur, accompanied by rashes and itching;
- intoxication - manifested by headache, increased fatigue, weakness, and sometimes sleep disturbances;
- anaphylactic shock.
Ragweed pollen is a very aggressive allergen. After a long period of inhalation of air saturated with it, even an absolutely healthy person can become allergic.
influencing factors
The strong root system and aerial part of ragweed inhibit the development of cultivated plants.
It will take several years for the soil to turn into a mixture that is no longer suitable for growing vegetables. Ambrosia seeds are ready to be sown at such an early stage of flowering.
There are several factors indicating the negative impact of weeds in their growing areas:
- which limit soil fertility;
- dehydration of the humus layer;
- darkening the room with thick leaves;
- crop displacement;
- difficulties in harvesting plants;
- Loss of earnings.
Due to its ability to actively influence cultivated grasses, suppressing them, Ambrosia has a uniquely high allelopathy. When the seeds are ripe by mid-August, they may end up in a pile of late crops - alfalfa, millet, and Sudanese grass.
Stimulates the germination of ragweed seeds and the introduction of a number of mineral fertilizers. Consumption of ragweed, which contains unwanted essential oils in its leaves, affects milk quality and degrades key indicators.
Quarantine ragweed weed control
Due to the high danger and aggressiveness of the plant, its destruction becomes a matter of state. Budget funds are allocated to combat the weed; in some regions, a fine is provided for allowing its mass growth in private territories. Lime ragweed is very difficult due to the fact that its shoots appear throughout the growing season. It is necessary to constantly inspect the territory for the appearance of a harmful plant and immediately take measures to destroy it. It is important not to let the weed bloom and form fruit. Even unripe ragweed seeds are capable of germination.
There are three main ways to control weeds.
Mechanical
Includes mowing or weeding with manual removal of roots from the soil. Mowing before flowering is a very laborious method, the weed grows back after each time, subsequently blooms and gives seeds. Therefore, ragweed has to be cut down over and over again, not allowing it to grow stronger and bloom. The systematic application of this method over several years leads to depletion of the roots and the death of the weed.
Hand weeding will help get rid of ragweed in a small area, but not suitable for large farmlands. The roots of the weed must be selected with great care. This is especially true for perennial ragweed, in which even a small root left in the ground will take root again and sprout.
Agrotechnical
Among the methods of combating ragweed, they use tinning of empty plots, crop rotations. Artificially tinning means displacing an undesirable weed with other, useful crops. Ambrosia is a light-loving plant; dense grass stands of perennials and winter cereals, which are ahead of it in growth, can drown it out and lead to death.
The weed can be suppressed by thickets of alfalfa, wheatgrass, rootless wheatgrass, awnless rump, sainfoin, fescue, foxtail, Sarepta mustard. This method is best for farms, pastures, hayfields. In case of severe weediness, the fields are left under fallow or sown with cereals for three years in a row, increasing the seeding rate by 15% in order to compact the soil cover. Row crops are sown after 2 cultivations to a depth of 10-12 cm. Agrotechnical methods are quite effective and safe for the environment.
Chemical
For the destruction of ragweed in large areas, it is effective to use herbicides from the glysophate group. Only drugs allowed in Russia should be used: Roundup, Caliber, Prima, Tornado, Glyphos, Granstar, Glisol, RAP, Lauren and others. The list of chemical agents is wide enough, constantly supplemented with new compositions. Plants are treated in the phase of 2-4 true leaves, when they are still sensitive to chemicals. The main disadvantage of the method is that herbicides cannot be applied near settlements, recreation areas, water bodies, on farms, pastures.
Prevention of the appearance of ragweed in new areas is a careful control over the quality of the seed, as well as the organization of work to identify the primary isolated foci of growth of ragweed. In areas of significant distribution of weeds, quarantine phytosanitary zones are created, measures are taken to destroy the harmful plant.The exported regulated products must undergo a phytosanitary examination and be accompanied by appropriate permissive documents.
Healing properties
Although the plant is very poisonous and is considered a simple weed, the chemical composition of its pollen determines a number of its medicinal properties, including:
- bactericidal - perfectly fights against pathogens of various infections;
- antigonadotropic - used in the treatment of various types of tumor formations of the genital area;
- cytotoxic - suppression of the activity of cancer cells.
Medicines based on this weed have an excellent astringent and antipyretic effect. The plant is also used as a contraceptive. Due to the fact that the herb contains santonin compounds, ragweed is considered a very effective herbal remedy for worms. Flowers are beneficial in the form of infusions.
However, not everyone can use drugs based on this plant, since most people have a severe allergic reaction.
When ragweed blooms in different regions of Russia and the flowering calendar for allergy sufferers
The first thing to know when going on vacation when ragweed blooms in the Krasnodar Territory. It is better to look at the period by city:
- ambrosia in Anapa, Yeisk blooms in July-August;
- Jemet - August and September;
- Gelendzhik from July to frost;
- Annunciation - from August to September;
- ragweed also blooms in Sochi - at the very end of July, the apogee of the appearance of pollen;
- in Rostov-on-Don, the weed blooms from mid-July and interferes with life until mid-September;
- in the Volga region in August and before frosts;
- in the central regions from early August to mid-September.
Primorye suffers most from the plant - here ragweed begins to bloom in July and ends only in August. In the Khabarovsk Territory, the first bushes appear in the middle of summer, and the peak occurs in early August.
Where ambrosia blooms in Crimea - almost everywhere. Last year, phytosanitary quarantine was announced in Simferopol, Evpatoria, Feodosia, Dzhankoy, Kerch, Sudak. The weed blooms in mid-July, seeds are thrown out by the end of the month, and the suffocating time begins for all allergy sufferers and healthy people. To know when ragweed blooms in the Rostov region and other southern regions, see the table.
When to sow cucumbers for seedlings according to the lunar calendar, depending on the variety and region of Russia
Autumn pruning of perennials
After the first autumn frosts, perennial flowers and shrubs are cut down. Until then, the root system continues to feed from the aerial part of the plants.
The rainless period from late October to mid-November is considered favorable for pruning shrubs.
Cutting herbaceous plants for the winter:
- Prevents rhizome rotting;
- Helps to remove the surface part infected with viruses and fungal microorganisms;
- Facilitates soil mulching;
- Destroys the larvae of multiviral pests;
- Provides the preservation of kidney growth;
- Ensures reliable isolation of the root system.
Perennial cold-resistant species such as phlox, stylus, brunette, aquilegia, pyrethrum, peonies are cut up to 5 cm above the ground. The soil around it is covered with mulch, sprinkled with a mixture of soil and peat or dry sawdust.
The leaves of the diaphragm are cut 10 cm. Dolphin trunks leave a height of 25 cm, as they can absorb water and damage the roots. Reduce clematite sprouts that have appeared in the current season to 20 cm.
Pruning of perennial shrubs also begins with the first frost. The branches of roses are cut to 30 cm, which completely removes young shoots that cannot withstand severe frosts. The shrub is carefully thinned out and leaves up to five well-developed branches.
Large, leafy hydrangeas have blooming buds at the end of last year's shoots, so they are only cut to dilute the bush.
After the leaf has fallen out of the bushes, the tower is pruned at the root by 25% of the branches. Removing discolored shoots stimulates the uniform development of the bush in the next season. The young shrub remains intact. Jasmine is cut, dry, bent and diseased branches are pruned before cold start.
Gardener's recommendation: The growth of the tree should be trimmed at an acute angle to prevent moisture build-up and wood decay.
