A piece of land on which for a long time "no man's foot has set foot" is a rather dull sight. And to be honest, his appearance causes shock at first, and only then sadness. The fact is that most often the land without supervision is overgrown with all possible weeds, shrubs and trees. Moreover, even cultivated varieties of trees and plants turn into a "wildlife" - there is no longer any benefit from them, but you will not end up with trouble.
At the same time, if the territory at least had a fence, then there is a possibility that there is no garbage on it. But without fencing, land plots very quickly turn into unauthorized garbage dumps. If you have such an overgrown area and do not know where to start, check out this article.
A good plan is half the battle
Many people, starting to work with a “wild” site, clutch their heads and strive to do everything at once. It is not right. Many try to evade work - to hire a team of workers. Not a bad solution if you have an extra amount of money in reserve. The fact is that the cost of developing an overgrown area today is rather rather big. If you do not know how to develop an overgrown area , but still decided to act on their own, our advice - before you develop the virgin lands, draw up a work plan.
First, decide what is the purpose of the site that you will develop. The fact is that if it is needed only for building a house, then the work plan will be simplified a little, and if you decide to do agriculture, then you will noticeably increase your work.
Carefully study the territory that you will need to master. Is there household or construction debris on the site. How many trees and shrubs are there, what condition are they in and whether they are of any value, whether something can be left, or everything needs to be removed. Are there stumps on the site, what is their size and appearance. Perhaps there are some buildings on the territory: a house, a well, a toilet.
Make a plan - this will help to cope with panic and will serve as a good help. The sequence of work performed is approximately as follows.
- Clear the area.
- Remove grass and weeds.
- Remove shrubs and dead wood.
- Remove unwanted trees.
- Uproot stumps.
- Dig and loosen the soil.
- Bring black earth.
- Level the area.
- Apply fertilizer.
- To give the earth a rest - to put it "under steam".
This plan must be followed if you are going to farm on an overgrown plot. If you purchased it for development, then you can limit yourself to the first six points.
Clearing the territory
Since it is rather difficult for one person to process an overgrown area - practically beyond his strength, you need to create a small team: family members, relatives, friends and acquaintances are perfect for these purposes. Especially when performing the first stages of work.
- Clear the territory of the site from the debris that lies on the surface and there is no need to apply great physical force to remove it. It can be both household and construction debris, stones, sticks, etc.
- All collected garbage must be piled into one or two large piles closer to the part of the site to which there is a vehicle access.
- It is not worth garbage - even if it is small and insignificant - to be buried in the ground. This will only add to your work. Especially you should not do this under the trees - the garbage will interfere with the development of the root system of those trees that you decide to leave.
Removing grass and weeds
This stage of work is probably the most laborious. After all visible debris from the site is tidied up, it is necessary to deal with weeds and grass thickets. This work is best done manually, despite the fact that there will be a lot of trouble, but it is enough just to put the earth in order once, than to deal with the same problems every year. Some novice "farmers" prefer to work with a motor cultivator, but this has its drawbacks.
- Large weeds break out, then, with the help of a bayonet-shovel, the top layer of the earth is removed - the turf (approximately five centimeters). In this way, the roots of perennial weeds can be removed. Sod should not be thrown away - it can be laid in layers in a separate place (roots up) and covered with a dark film that does not let the sun's rays through. In a year, this land will become ordinary fertile soil - it can be used for its intended purpose.
- The motor cultivator cuts the sod along with the weeds and re-embeds it all into the soil. Thus, it is a waste of work, as the technique crushes weeds and sod, causing grass to grow further, as the roots remain in the ground. In addition, various pests remain in the ground - the cultivator does not get rid of them.
- An uncultivated overgrown piece of land is difficult to process without resorting to chemistry - herbicides, for example, Reglon, Hurricane, Roundup, can help here. Before using such toxic drugs, carefully read the instructions and follow all precautions. Basically, manufacturers advise processing in calm weather at the beginning of summer. The grass finally dies in two or three weeks - all that remains is to collect it with a rake and take it to the trash or burn it. It should be noted that planting cultivated plants on the territory treated with herbicides, it is possible after 1.5-2 months!
Cleaning shrubs and dead wood
Everything is very simple here - a “well” overgrown area necessarily has a considerable number of shrubs. To remove shrubs, it is necessary to remove most of the branches with a garden pruner, leaving the central ones, and then dig up the root and uproot it. It is best to do this together - one works with a shovel, and the second pulls a bush at an angle. You should not just cut down the bush - after a while, newer shoots will definitely appear.
As for the dead wood (these are trees and shrubs, as well as last year's hard grass - all together this is a sharp prickly jungle). All this can be easily cut down and uprooted.
By the way, now you can call a car or carriage for garbage removal for the first time - by this time it has already accumulated enough to load the car for at least one “walk” to the landfill. After that, you will immediately notice how much work you have already done.
Removing unnecessary trees
There is no need to remove all the trees that grow on the site. Some of them, of course, it is time to remove, but some may become worthy decoration territory. They can be left at least so that there is at least some kind of shadow where you can take a break from straight lines. sun rays.
Having decided on future fate trees on the site, you can start felling the "extra".
- Thin trees. You can get rid of them with a regular axe.
- Thick trees. You can get rid of them with a saw - both conventional and electric (the latter, of course, is preferable, as it saves time and effort).
- Tall trees. Here it is better to turn to professionals, as felling these trees on your own can be dangerous.
- Stump. To make it easier to uproot stumps, their height should be no more than one meter.
- Felled trees. If you are going to build a house or a cottage on the site of the site, then the trees can be used for firewood: for stoves, for a fireplace, for barbecue. In order not to pay once again for garbage collection, trees can be offered to people who have stove heating“They certainly won’t turn down such generous help.”
- Leaves from trees. It is not at all necessary to throw them away - they can be dried and burned, and then the earth is fertilized with this ashes.
Stump uprooting
On the territory of the site there may be old stumps or young ones that remained after you uprooted the trees. Young stumps will initially start up young shoots, then mold, moss, mushrooms, and various insects can settle there, so it’s still better to get rid of stumps right away.
You can get rid of stumps in several ways.
- Manually. It is not only the most cheap way, but also the safest for the environment. In order to uproot the stump, there is no need at all for some special equipment- the stump must first be dug in, and the roots must be taken out of the ground and chopped off. After that, swing the stump as best as possible and manually pull it out of the ground. If roots remain, they can also be manually pulled out. It is better if several people help swing the stump.
- With the help of a tractor. Most fast way getting rid of stumps. It is enough to dig a little stump, throw a winch on it, the second end of which is fixed on the tractor and “pull” it well. This method is expensive, but justified if you need to get rid of a large number stumps.
- With a crusher. This is the most safe method, since it will not cause damage to the landscape, near the growing the right trees and even standing buildings. The disadvantage of this method is shallow processing, which leaves part of the roots in the ground.
- With the help of chemistry. Pretty simple and inexpensive method. It is necessary to drill holes in the stump with an electric drill (as deep as possible) and pour wet saltpeter into them. A prerequisite is the isolation of the stump so that the saltpeter is not washed out by rains. After about a year, the saltpeter soaks the stump to the very roots. After that, the stump remains only to set on fire - it burns out all. Plants can be planted at this place no earlier than after 12 months. This method has one drawback - it is very long and not suitable for those who need to develop the site as quickly as possible.
- With the help of mushrooms. The most exotic way, suitable for those stumps that are located in the shade. Mushrooms, as you know, in the course of their life, are able to destroy wood. If you sow mushrooms on a stump, then soon the stump will collapse, but until this happens, for many years you will always have tasty and fresh mushrooms.
Digging the earth and loosening the soil
Now, after not a single blade of grass is left on the once overgrown area, it's time to dig up the ground and start loosening the soil.
- They dig up the earth with a shovel: turn the earth over, break up clods of earth, feed it with organic fertilizers.
- They loosen the ground with a pitchfork - in this way, all lumps are leveled, roots and debris are selected that were not noticed earlier.
- If the soil is good, then it can be dug only once to the depth of one bayonet of a shovel, and if not, you will have to work hard and make a two-tier dig.
Chernozem delivery
In the event that the soil turned out to be very “unimportant” - clayey, saline or poor in nutrients (its analysis can be ordered today without any problems in special geo-laboratories), and you planned to engage in farming, then it would be best to bring a quality chernozem.
Lot leveling
The dug-up area or the area to which black soil was brought must be leveled. It is best to do this with a rake, so you can finally “smooth” the ground by removing stones and roots from it that were previously not noticeable. In addition, with the help of this maneuver, you can make sure that the ground level on the site is the same everywhere.
If you brought black soil, you need to make sure that it does not mix with the bottom layer of soil.
Remember that the fertile soil layer must be at least twenty centimeters.
Fertilizer application
After the plot of land has leveled, it must be fertilized - for this, using a lawn roller (in the absence of such a tool, you can simply trample the ground a little with your feet), sprinkle fertilizer in granules on top and again “mix the soil with a rake.
Fallow"
If you did everything right, then your site resembles dough prepared for baking. However, the earth, like the dough, must be allowed to rest before planting. "Under steam" the land should stand for at least two months. Ideally, a year.
During this time, that you will not touch the ground, insects will perform their function - they will enrich the soil, and small animals and birds - their own - will rid the earth of the most harmful insects.
So that the site does not fall into disrepair, it is necessary to weed it from time to time from weeds - they can be pulled out manually or with a chopper. Do not forget after that to collect all the weeds and loosen the ground!
This completes the development of the overgrown area. We hope that everything worked out for you!
This problem can be solved relatively simply - to invite specialists. For 8 hours of their work (and equipment) on uprooting and leveling the territory, they will have to pay from 15,000 to 20,000 rubles. And if you do not spend money and clear the overgrown area yourself? How and with what, as well as what to take into account - we will deal with all this in the article offered to the reader.
This is where any business starts.
- Drawing up a site plan. And the most detailed, taking into account all the curvatures, recesses and so on. If this is a wasteland, then you should immediately clarify the boundaries of your allotment so as not to work "idle", cultivating someone else's territory.
- Inspection of the area and determination of the range of tasks to be solved. Much depends on how overgrown the site is and for what purposes it is planned to clear it.
For example, you need it all, for laying out beds and shrubs. In some cases, the owner of a newly acquired allotment is primarily interested in only a part of the territory - in order to start building a house. At this stage of preparation, it is advisable to examine the soil in order to determine its characteristics. If it is planned to equip a well, then specialists will request about 19,000 rubles for drilling a pair of test pits and analyzing the soil.
- Listing necessary work according to their order and complexity. Basically, it's a schedule of events. Situations are different, and therefore clearing can be complete, over the entire area or in a separate segment. And the rest of the territory can be left for the next time, or work can be carried out in parallel with construction. For example, if a bucket is involved in the arrangement of the pit, then at the same time it will be able to eliminate a couple of stumps.
Approximate procedure for clearing the site
- Grass removal.
- Shrub cutting.
- Cutting down trees.
- Uprooting stumps, burning out the remains of the root system.
- Loosening and leveling the soil.
- Delivery and laying of soil (chernozem).
- Application of fertilizers.
Often needs to be calculated necessary inventory and the number of assistants (if required). It makes no sense to explain that it will not be possible to perform all technological operations with the same tool. Yes, and assistants are constantly also unlikely to be needed. Perhaps they will have to be involved only at certain stages.
There is always something on the farm, but some types of site clearing work will require equipment that is rarely used in everyday life. It is worth considering what should be bought, and what, for example, should be rented from a specialized organization or from friends for a while. Most likely, you will also need transport for waste disposal - what kind, where to get it, how much it will cost approximately - these points also need to be thought out in advance.
What may be needed
In addition to household equipment - axes, saws, shovels, secateurs.
- Motokosa.
- A brush cutter (if the trimmer is low-powered and will not cope with this task). This may also be
- scissors (with long handles, for pruning branches).
- Cultivator.
- Chainsaw.
Procedure and features of work
"Cosmetic" cleaning. At this stage, everything that does not require the use of a tool should be removed from the territory - broken branches, construction (household) debris. Such work does not require a bunch of assistants. In fact, this is preparation for the implementation of the plan. Everything that is collected is stored in that segment of the territory, from where it will be easier to take it out by transport (or it is more convenient to burn it).
By the way, ashes (ash) are still useful as organic fertilizer, so you need to think about how to save it so that it is not blown out by the wind or washed out by rainwater (if the site is on a slope).
Shrub removal and tall grass. How to work depends on how overgrown the site. But it is undesirable to be limited only to a trimmer or a cultivator. "Clean" should be walked with a shovel. This work will take time and effort, but it's worth it. Why? Means of mechanization will not rid the soil of roots and spores. The trimmer will only cut the stems, and the cultivator will shovel the soil. As a result, after a while, young shoots will reappear, and you will have to do everything “in a circle” again.
On a note! In some cases, chemicals can be used, although this should not be abused. Before use, you need to study the manufacturer's instructions and ask about the weather forecast (especially wind speed and direction).
What to consider when applying "chemistry"
Firstly, the result will be no earlier than in a couple of weeks. Will have to wait.
Secondly, if the site is being prepared for planting crops, then after cultivating the land with herbicides, it can only be started after about 2.5 months (depending on the type of preparation).
cutting down trees
Should I delete absolutely everything? This needs to be decided at the stage of marking the territory for arrangement. In places where it is planned to organize a gazebo or something else, trees can be left - to shade a segment of the territory. By the way, some horticultural crops also do not like direct sunlight.
- You should not fell tall trees alone, especially if adjacent, already inhabited areas are located nearby.
- All wood can be rationally used, even sawdust (for mulching). Therefore, it is hardly advisable to remove trunks and branches from the territory. This is firewood, and rem / accessories (for example, for a fence), and ash for fertilizing the territory.
- Uprooting stumps. The easiest way is with an excavator, but it will not always be acceptable. It is often possible to drive equipment into the territory (especially if it is equipped), and it is quite difficult to put the site in order after it. But don't worry, there are a few effective ways getting rid of stumps with your own hands.
How to uproot stumps without equipment?
Method 1
Dig around the circumference, then chop off (cut off with a chainsaw) the roots. It remains only to swing the stump and remove it.
Method 2
Several deep holes are drilled on the cut, into which a solution of nitrate is poured. Next summer, the stump can be burned. In a year, the "chemistry" will saturate the entire structure of the wood so much that the material is easily ignited. Waiting is the best option if you can.
Method 3
It is more for exotic lovers. You can plant mushrooms on the cut - mushrooms - and harvest. Their colony will gradually, over several years, deplete the wood, and the stump will turn into dust, which will be easy to remove.
After uprooting the stumps, the hole should be processed, otherwise it is not a fact that the roots remaining in the soil will not give new shoots.
- There are quite a few folk ways - pour gasoline and burn it, pour lime and a number of others. When choosing this or that technology, it is necessary to foresee how this “patch” will be used further.
- If it is decided to leave the stump to decorate the territory, as a garden "high chair", then it must be processed - remove the dust from the core and soak (coat) with special equipment, and then cover it, for example, with varnish. Otherwise, it will turn into a habitat for insects, moss, mold, mushrooms and so on will appear in it (and nearby).
Everything else - loosening, fertilizing, laying the fertile layer - is at the discretion of the owner, so you should not dwell on this in detail. Moreover, the main task has been completed - the site has been cleared.
It is far from always that the owners get the plots in excellent condition with dug up beds and trimmed. Basically, the new owner simply receives a plot overgrown with weeds and weeds with fruit trees and bushes, which have gone wild and have begun to bear completely different from those large and juicy fruits that they used to bring in a well-groomed condition. However, sometimes the plot is inherited from grandparents, or they simply forget about it for a while, during which it manages to overgrow with weeds and thickets of grass as tall as a man. Of course, it is impossible to plant anything on such a site without first clearing it. The first task that faces the owner of the site is to clear the territory and prepare it for the next season.
In general, smart and diligent gardeners have long come up with many ways that allow you to quickly and efficiently develop virgin lands in order to use the land for your needs. After all, the land that has rested for several years and is overgrown with weeds is excellent for any planting, since it has accumulated all the necessary nutrients. It remains only to bring it into proper condition and proceed with its plan. But it sounds just like words. In fact, this is a huge work that requires a lot of time and effort. But the result is worth it.
In general, all methods of developing virgin lands can be divided into those that allow planting some plants in the first season after processing and those that do not allow this.
Radical changes
This method is considered quite simple in design and time-consuming in execution. In the process of freeing the site from thickets, it is required to remove the top layer of earth, called turf, in which numerous roots are intertwined. Cut layers are placed in the allotted place with the roots up and covered with a material that does not transmit light. Periodically, this pile must be treated with urea so that after a few years it turns into excellent compost.
As for the earth itself, a new layer of soil is poured over the cleared earth, which is ordered on several machines. The main thing is to know the origin of the soil and its quality. Otherwise, you risk losing money for nothing and getting a new layer of land rich in weeds and pathogens and even pests.
The simpler the better
Relatively easier than the first method, since here it is proposed to dig the site manually without removing the roots of the weeds. Another thing is that with this method you will not be able to sow a lot of things on the site for a long time. Cabbage and potatoes will come to the rescue. Cabbage is planted with seedlings, but as it grows, it will bring a powerful shadow from its leaves, as well as. This shade will cover the ground and begin to suppress the growth of weeds. In addition, periodically you will need to hill the beds, which will also help to destroy weeds.
For greater effect, mulching between rows can be done with grass clippings, manure or compost. 
Useful waste paper
This very original way It will work if you follow the directions carefully. To translate it into reality, you will need rotted manure (you can chicken manure, compost or humus). This composition must be evenly distributed over the entire area of the area being developed and covered with black and white newspaper 5-7 layers thick. If you think this is complicated, you can replace the newspaper with thick cardboard. Compost mixed with manure is poured on top of the paper layer.
The advantage of this method is that in newspapers you can make holes in which you can plant any crops grown through seedlings. This is perfect for those who do not want to wait a long time, content only with potatoes and cabbage. At the end of the season except excellent harvest cultivated crops, you will also receive a clean area, with soil enriched with vitamins and microelements. 
black veil
Black film is a fairly well-known way to get rid of weeds. You can cover the entire area with it, so that under the hot summer sun a real hell will be created under it for all living plants. Not a single weed can survive the absence of sunlight and this steam room, so by the end of the season the film can be removed, and the earth dug up and feel like a winner. Alas, with this method, there is no talk of any landings in the current season.
Siderates come to the rescue (video - site planning)
Many pleasant words have been said about green manure plants, from which there are a lot of benefits. Including during the development of the site. Among all the cultures of this series, three can be distinguished that are better than others to cope with the task.
Winter rye is the first of these three helper crops that will rid the site of weeds. By itself, rye perfectly suppresses the growth of other plants, and winter rye is used for a reason. Rye seeds are planted in spring instead of autumn. Thus, the gardener is cheating a plant that will not be able to bloom during the season and does not form an ear.
You can enhance the effect if you cut the wheat several times a season without damaging the growth part of the plant. In the spring of the next season, the rye will go into the ground, and potatoes or other crops can be planted in its place, depending on how heavily overgrown your site is.
Sunflower is a much easier job for a summer resident, but at the same time no less ruthless in relation to weeds. In early May, its seeds are planted in the ground after digging as thick as possible. When seedlings appear from the ground, other plants simply will not have a chance to survive under such pressure.
At the beginning of autumn, sunflowers can be mowed and chopped into pieces of twenty centimeters, and then thrown into the soil. During the fall, these parts will decompose and fertilize the land well, preparing it for planting new crops in the next season.
Bush beans are not only effective, but also tasty. Only it must be sown thicker than it is usually prescribed for it. A distance of 5-10 cm is maintained between plants, and 20-30 cm between rows. During the first month, you still have to weed between the plants, and then the beans will cover the entire bed with their leaves, and it is unlikely that anything can grow in this shade. When the season comes to an end, the bean leaves will go into the compost, and the site should be walked with a hoe to remove the most tenacious weeds.
As you can see, the methods are very different in nature. You can choose any of them, depending on whether you are in a hurry to plant something on your site or are ready to wait for time and the sun to do their job. In any case, if you take up this business and bring it to the end, you can then enjoy the delights of working on your site, free from weeds.