Gardening is one of the favorite activities of the French. In addition to being pleasant, gardening allows you to move and keep your spirits up. However, the different tasks to accomplish to have a beautiful garden are not always easy, especially when you have back pain. This is the case with weeding. How to treat weeds without breaking your back? Here are all our tips.
Dealing with weeds is not our favorite gardening task. Especially when it generates back pain. But is it essential? The answer may disappoint you… Yes and no. Here's why.
You can remove weeds from beds, flowerbeds, the vegetable patch, but not those around.
Back pain is often called the evil of the century. Although it affects all generations, it is more common in people over 50. Back pain can have several origins. Most often it is caused by low back pain. This is characterized by dull and sometimes intense pain. This pain can be limited to part of the back or radiate to other parts of the body such as the legs or arms. This is particularly the case when one suffers from sciatica or cruralgia. The muscles of the back are most often contracted.
Back pain can also be linked to:
In case of back pain, it is recommended to make an appointment with your doctor. The latter will be able to determine the cause of the back pain and above all advise you on the attitude to have. Depending on the pathologies, it may be asked to remain active or on the contrary to rest.
Even if you don't suffer from back pain, it's a good idea to save your back when gardening, especially if you're weeding. Here are some tips to avoid breaking your back.
To avoid back pain related to gardening, it is necessary to choose the right tools. These are the ones that allow you to limit your efforts and above all to work as much as possible in a position that preserves your back.
When buying tools, always give preference to those with long handles. This instruction applies to the spade, the hoe or even the weeder, spade, hoe. The digging fork, sometimes called the grelinette, is a very practical tool for preparing the ground. Thanks to it, you have less effort to make to prepare your plantations. This fork is wide with beveled teeth. It aerates the soil and facilitates weeding. Still for weeding, you can opt for the weed claws which in a jiffy trap all the weeds, including their roots.
Weedkillers are, in theory, a very effective solution to get rid of weeds effortlessly. The only concern is that they are extremely harmful to the environment. Always opt for natural weed killers. You can also bet on homemade weed killers such as white vinegar, salt water or baking soda.
It is also possible to eliminate weeds thanks to the ground cover. The method is simple, just cover the ground with a tarp or cardboard so that the weeds do not have the necessary light to grow. If you prefer a natural ground cover, plant plants with heavy foliage that will deprive the ground of light.
Mulching is also a natural weed killer. It must be 5 to 10 cm thick depending on the chosen mulch. It can be straw, grass clippings, coconut husks, compost or even wood chips.
If you choose to weed by hand, vigilance is required. Make sure you have all the necessary comfort such as knee protection and a weed container available. To weed, you have to bend down by bending your legs. Above all, do not bend over! Choose your spot wisely to weed a large area. Weeding should be done in stages. Don't do the whole garden on the same day. Make a bed then, a few days later, make the vegetable garden. It's also best to treat weeds regularly to avoid having too much work at once.
With age and especially back pain, it is possible to give up gardening. That's a very bad idea ! To continue to enjoy the plants, all you need to do is make a few adjustments. You can purify your garden and limit the number of beds. These can benefit from natural weedkillers such as mulching or ground cover. You can also place planters and raised vegetable plots.
Of course, to continue gardening without pain, you must also take care of yourself. You have to garden a little bit every day and always adopt the right postures. In addition, after a weeding session, it is interesting to stretch and walk a little. The goal is to relax but also and above all to relax your muscles.
There are many solutions to limit back pain such as having and maintaining a healthy weight, staying active, having a comfortable bed... If you really have chronic pain, wearing a support belt can help!
