How to use salt to get rid of weeds. Good weed killer

There is no garden where weeds do not grow. Dealing with them is quite difficult, and it is a labor-intensive and tedious process. Weeds are ubiquitous and adapt well to any conditions. If you don’t get rid of them in time, they will occupy the entire garden. It is believed that weeding is the most effective method weed control, but this is far from the case. Not only is this hard labour time-consuming, there is still no guarantee that you will get rid of them forever, especially for perennial weeds.

Nevertheless experienced gardeners successfully use unconventional methods to combat these annoying invaders, having long ago abandoned dangerous chemicals.

Vinegar as a herbicide

Vinegar against weeds is one of the effective means, and it is safe for humans, pets, cultivated plants and soil. It destroys almost anything. By the way, you can also get rid of ants with it. If you dilute 40% vinegar in half with water and spray the places where insects accumulate, the smell will quickly scare them away and they will disappear.

However, you should know that vinegar can destroy not only weeds, but also those that it gets on. Therefore, for a better effect, it is necessary to improve the methods of its use.

Methods of application

It is best to use a pump sprayer or bottle with an aerosol attachment for the vinegar solution. This method is especially good for destroying weeds that occupy a large area: on paths, areas or that part of the garden where vegetables and herbs grow sparsely.

Vinegar should be used against weeds on a calm, sunny day. The absence of wind will not allow the solution to get onto useful plants, and the sun further activates its action. If you need to selectively apply vinegar to the weeds, it is better to do this with a brush dipped in the solution.

You need to spray the solution generously so that the leaves and stems are soaked in it. A couple of days after this, the result will be visible. Sometimes particularly persistent weeds require re-treatment.

Please note that it is advisable to use vinegar against weeds before seeds begin to form. It's good to do it in early spring when they first appear. Perennial weeds are best treated in the fall. Since at this time, due to the natural cycle of plants, nutrients are absorbed through the leaves, vinegar, once on them, penetrates deep into the weed’s body, reaches the roots and completely destroys them.

Eco-friendly destruction: recipes with vinegar

Even those plants that are resistant to chemicals can be killed using vinegar against weeds. The recipe is as follows: a 40% solution is diluted in equal parts with water and the weeds are sprayed with the resulting product.

There are several more recipes that experienced summer residents have long adopted:

• 5 glasses of vinegar (6%) are diluted in 2 liters of water. This amount is usually enough to process 2 acres. Just try not to get caught cultivated plants, otherwise they too will be burned.
• Mix 3 parts table vinegar(9%) and 1 part lemon juice. The resulting mixture is poured into a spray bottle and the weeds are carefully sprayed with it.

When a more pungent mixture is needed, vinegar and salt are used against weeds.

Killer mixture

When table salt is added to the vinegar solution, the result is a truly explosive mixture that leaves the weeds no chance of survival. With its help, you can permanently get rid of weeds near fences, as well as clear all paths of weeds. Moreover it is very effective way combating perennials that are capable of constantly germinating.

How to use vinegar and salt against weeds? The proportions of the mixture are as follows: water (1 l), (5 tablespoons), salt (2 tablespoons). Bring the water to a boil, then add vinegar and salt, stir well and pour the hot solution onto the weeds. Just do this with extreme caution so that the liquid does not get on neighboring plants.

By the way, salt can be used without vinegar. If you sprinkle it on the garden bed, leaving a little space from the roots of the planted crops, it will not only destroy weeds, but also, after watering, seeping into the upper layers of the soil, it will not allow new ones to sprout.

Herbicidal soap

They need to spray the weeds, covering the beneficial plants with a screen of thick paper. Moreover, the mixture is more effective on a hot sunny day.

To prepare herbicidal soap, you will need vinegar and salt (they have proven themselves excellent against weeds) and, in fact,

The composition of the mixture is as follows: white vinegar (1 l), (150 g) and one syringe of liquid soap. Salt is poured into a bottle, filled with vinegar and soapy liquid is added. Then the solution is thoroughly shaken and poured onto the weeds, making sure that the composition does not flow under the cultivated plants.

A “killer” mixture is obtained if you use 15-20% vinegar.

Soda - summer resident's assistant

Any housewife knows how useful soda is in everyday life. But few people know that soda is also necessary in the garden. Vinegar has already proven its effectiveness against weeds. Let's talk about baking soda now.

To get rid of small weeds that grow between the tiles of the paths, just water them with a strong soda solution.

But sodium bicarbonate is effective for more than just killing weeds. Every summer resident is familiar with such a plant disease as powdery mildew. Those who have tried various chemical treatments will be pleased to know that soda copes well with this scourge. Here are two tried and tested recipes:

• Take 5 liters of water, dilute 2 tbsp. spoons of soda and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of liquid soap. The resulting solution should be sprayed on the plants before flowering, and after it, observing a weekly interval, treat 3 more times.
• Pour the following mixture into the sprayer: water (1 l) and 1 tbsp. spoon soda, vegetable oil and liquid soap. After shaking well, spray the plants with this mixture once a week, trying to do this in dry, cloudy weather.

Mechanical removal of weeds in the garden is very labor-intensive work and, moreover, often not very effective. After some time, plants appear in the beds again, depriving garden crops of the nutrients they need so much. The thing is that even with the most thorough weeding, small roots of weeds still remain in the ground, producing shoots. There is only one way out of this situation - to use a special chemical preparation designed to completely destroy unwanted plants in the garden or yard. This weed killer is called a herbicide and is sold in any specialty store. There is also a less effective, but also less harmful to the soil and cultivated plants, “folk” analogue of such preparations - ordinary vinegar with salt.

Classification

Currently, only two types of herbicides are used to control garden weeds:

• Selective. Such products act selectively on one or another type of weed.
• Non-selective. Herbicides of this variety, when applied to the ground, destroy all vegetation without exception.

Herbicides also differ according to their principle of action. A weed killer (instructions for using herbicides will be discussed below) can penetrate plant tissue:

• through the leaves to the root;
• through leaves and soil into all parts of the plant, including seeds;
• only through the soil.

IN Lately Preparations have also been developed that destroy moss and saturate the soil with useful micro- and macroelements.

In addition, herbicides can be contact or systemic. The first type of preparations has a detrimental effect on weeds only in direct contact with their parts. Systemic herbicides, after contact with the leaves, penetrate into the tissues and spread throughout them, destroying all parts of the weed, including roots and stems.

The “folk” remedy, vinegar with salt, also classified as a herbicide, can be classified as a systemic one with general action.

Selective drugs

There is simply great amount herbicides of this type, which cope well with weeds. Very often, summer residents use, for example, “Zenkor”, “Foxtrot”, “Eraser”, “Puma Super”, “Lazurit” to clean beds.

When using any weed killer on your site, you must follow the dosage specified in the instructions for use. At too high concentrations, these drugs may have Negative influence both on the soil and on cultivated plants.

Operating principle and use

Selective herbicides contain special substances that inhibit the development of plant tissues and cause their death. These could be, for example, ACC inhibitors. These substances prevent the formation of fat in plant tissues, as a result of which their cells stop growing. Also, selective herbicides may contain various types of elements that imitate plant hormones.

Any weed killer should, of course, be used correctly. Most often, areas are treated with herbicides by spraying. The solution can be poured, for example, into a spray bottle. It is advisable to treat weeds in calm weather, trying not to get on cultivated plants. The spraying time should be chosen so that there is no rain for 24 days after it.

Selective herbicide "2,4-D"

This drug is considered the most effective selective agent. It has been used to control weeds since 1940. To date, more than 22 herbicides have been created based on “2,4-D”, successfully used in agriculture. The main active ingredient of this drug is 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. She represents white crystalline substance. The herbicide “2,4-D” is moderately toxic and belongs to the second hazard class.

The growth of weeds after treatment with this drug stops within a few hours. The herbicide “2.4-D” is produced in the form of 50 and 61 percent solutions, as well as 70 and 72 percent concentrate. It is used mainly to control annual dicotyledonous weeds in wheat and corn crops.

The best herbicides for the garden

To treat beds with tomatoes, peas and potato plots, a preparation such as “Agritox” is very often used. This herbicide has a detrimental effect on weeds such as grass, nettle, shepherd's purse, cornflower, dandelion, wild radish, arrowhead, etc.

Cucumbers and other cucurbits can be sprayed with Halosulfuron or Bensulide. Linuron is perfect for carrots. Herbicide "Lazurit" is used for all types of vegetable crops.

The best weed killer for your lawn

The most popular product intended for treating lawns is the selective herbicide Lontrel-300D. This product is very effective in controlling both annual and perennial weeds. Using it, you can clear the lawn of such types of grass as sow thistle, Tatar molokan, knotweed, cornflower, coltsfoot, legumes, chamomile and, most importantly, the persistent dandelion. At the same time, it causes absolutely no harm to lawn grasses.

General drugs

Herbicides of this variety are usually used not for spraying beds, but to kill weeds in the yard, along the edges of the lawn, along paths, etc. You can also treat the soil with these preparations in early spring before planting crops. They are completely removed from the soil within about a month. The main active ingredient in general herbicides is most often ferrous sulfate.

Treatment with non-selective preparations is also usually carried out by spraying. Some herbicides, both selective and general, are available in dry form. They are either diluted with water or scattered around the area (on damp soil).

Herbicide "Roundal"

This is the most popular all-round weed killer today. It spreads through plant tissues within 5-10 days. Around the same time, the first signs of damage appear on their leaves. Weeds die about a month after spraying. It is best to treat plants with Roundal in sunny, warm weather. There is no need to mow the grass. The greater the vegetative activity of the weed, the faster Roundall will spread throughout its parts, and the faster it will die.

To cultivate the land before planting garden crops (vegetables, potatoes, melons, oilseeds, etc.), as well as to completely destroy grass along paths, hedges or in the yard, the drug "Roundal" is diluted in a proportion of 80-120 ml per liter of water. Spraying or watering is carried out at the rate of 5 liters per 100 m2.

Herbicide "Tornado"

This is another popular drug, also often used by summer residents. This herbicide is usually sold in bottles. The manufacturer recommends spraying with a product diluted in three liters of water. However, experienced summer residents advise using the Tornado herbicide a little differently. To avoid touching other plants, the drug should be diluted in a bucket. The treatment is carried out using a broom, carefully “lubricating” the weeds with the solution.

Best remedy: vinegar with salt

Of course, purchased herbicides are effective and easy to use. However, such funds are usually quite expensive. In addition, most summer residents prefer to use any chemicals in the garden as rarely as possible.

Therefore, many owners suburban areas They are trying to replace purchased herbicides with “folk” remedies. Acetic acid is usually used as the simplest and safest. For spraying beds, a 5% solution is most often used.

To treat your yard, you can also use a more effective “folk” weed killer - vinegar and salt. Prepare such a herbicide as follows:

• 3.8 liters of vinegar 9% is poured into the bucket;
• half a glass of salt is poured there;
• add a little liquid soap;
• everything is thoroughly mixed.

Use vinegar weed killer in the same way as chemicals. Spraying should be carried out as carefully as possible. Drops from the spray bottle should not be allowed to fall on crop plants. Best time for processing - early morning.

Typically, white vinegar is used to kill weeds. You can also take apple one. Summer residents who decide to use this “folk” herbicide should be aware that large quantities he is able to wash out of the ground nutrients.

“Folk” weed killer: reviews

Many summer residents use vinegar to remove unwanted plants in their yards and beds. However, reviews about it online are quite contradictory. What do they say about this weed killer? Vinegar and salt in no way affect the chemical composition of the soil. harmful effects, since it very quickly decomposes into carbon dioxide and water, some say. According to others, the splitting process takes a long time, and the use of vinegar can negatively affect plant productivity. But in any case, maximum care should be taken during processing. Don't pour vinegar on the ground. Processing is carried out strictly on the leaves.

Of course, vinegar causes some harm to the soil in any case. However, the same “Tornado” and “Rwandal” can hardly be considered harmless. They cost much more, but the effect of their use is almost the same.

What is the best weed killer is, of course, up to the owners themselves to decide. summer cottage. Some people prefer store-bought chemicals, while others may prefer “folk” vinegar. In any case, the use of herbicides helps save time on mechanical weeding. However, of course, such compositions should be used “wisely”. Otherwise, along with weeds, you can “free” the garden from cultivated plants.

Yes, weeds can be controlled without chemicals. It’s more difficult, often not cheaper at all (though sometimes it’s completely free), but it’s possible. We have collected the most effective methods.

Spot control of weeds.

The following funds can, of course, be used en masse if you have enough funds and desire for this. It seems to us that their targeted use is most appropriate, when weeds sprout in some places of the lawn, among the pebbles that you may have covered paths or boundaries with, in the cracks between the masonry paving slabs on the same paths or patios, etc.

1. Soda.
In an article about the use of soda in the garden (you can read it), we already talked about the fact that this homemade alkali can also be used quite effectively against weeds.

2. Salt.
Another home helper for combating unwanted plants is salt. Sprinkle a small amount of salt evenly onto the bed around the planted crops, moving some distance away from them. Salt will not only kill weeds, but when dissolved in the upper layers of the soil after watering, it will prevent new ones from growing for some time.

3. Vinegar
Homemade acid simply burns the plants. Pour the required amount into a spray bottle and spray the weeds. Be careful if vinegar gets on cultivated plants, it will have the same effect on them as on weeds.

4. Herbicidal soap
Remembering vinegar and salt separately, one cannot help but mention this effective remedy based on them. To make your own “weed killer,” mix equal parts of salt, vinegar and grated laundry soap. Spray the mixture onto the weeds.

5. Blowtorch
But a blowtorch will help burn out weeds in the truest sense of the word. Personally, we doubt whether this method has any right to exist. Fantasy somehow immediately imagines an unrealistic action with an angry (weeds brought...) summer resident in leading role, burning out everything in its path….

Speaking of the right to exist, I would like to note that we tested homemade alkali and acid in our own experience, and they turned out to be quite effective in the fight against spot “sprouting”.

The foreign press offers two more ways. We have not experienced them, so if anyone has already dealt with them, we will be glad to see your comments.

6. Feed grain
For those who don’t know what it is, let’s mention that feed grain is essentially ground grain waste (mostly non-standard and unripe grain). This product is used all over the world to produce valuable feed for our domesticated friends, big and small. But, as it turns out, it can also be used in the garden. Foreign publications write mainly about feed corn; in our country oats and wheat are more often used. I think it is better to use corn, on which the research was carried out.

And these studies revealed that such a product prevents the development of a plant from a seed. A certain type of gluten in its composition works as a kind of contraceptive against germination. Therefore, it is most advisable to use the product somewhere in the middle of summer, after the nth weeding, when the cultivated plants have already reached some heights and such a blocker will not be dangerous for them.

7. Alcohol
Oh, and I don’t even know which Russian summer resident would use alcohol to fight weeds... but still, we’ll write about this method, often mentioned by Western sources. Its essence lies in the preliminary “disinfection” of the soil, about a month before planting cultivated plants. The alcohol is diluted with water 1:10, and the soil is treated with the solution (11 liters of this solution is enough for about 2-2.5 acres of land). Researchers from the USA write that weeds will no longer grow on such land, at least in the coming season.

Massive weed control.

8. Of course, miracles do not happen, and I hasten to disappoint many who are sure that now in this article we will find a panacea for all the troubles gardeners have associated with the massive infestation of the garden with weeds. No. However, you shouldn’t immediately run to the store and buy Hurricanes and
other. For mass weed control, the well-known folk way- mulching with organic or non-organic materials.
Well, we didn’t discover America. However, a huge number of summer residents who know everything perfectly positive points mulching, for some reason it is not so and they are in a hurry to use it to combat weeds....

What mulch is most effective against weeds?

Well, with inorganic, i.e. film, everything is basically clear. In stores today there is a huge selection of spunbonds and other effective covering materials that breathe, but do not allow anything unnecessary to develop.

But when it comes to organic matter, we give our preference to sawdust and paper (newspaper, cardboard). We consider them the most convenient and effective as protection against weeds.

If you know others effective means, be sure to write about them in the comments to the article. We will be very grateful for the valuable information for us and our readers!

Weeds are a serious problem in any garden. They are unpretentious, very resilient, quickly growing, wild plants. They not only cause inconvenience to gardeners, but also harm various crops grown on personal plot, drowning out their plantings, and thereby reducing their productivity, reducing weight, spoiling appearance and worsening taste. In addition, many weeds, for example, wormwood, quinoa, dandelion, ragweed, burdock, coltsfoot and many others, can provoke severe allergic reactions.

Autumn and spring digging of soil often does not give long-term positive results, since the roots and seeds of most of these plants are very frost-resistant and tenacious. Therefore, they continue to germinate, and mechanical procedures (weeding, mowing) to destroy them have to be carried out regularly throughout the entire summer season. Since manual weeding takes a lot of time and has little effect, and chemicals for a long time persist in the soil, which can harm plantings; gardeners have to look for alternative ways to destroy weeds. In order to destroy weeds on garden plot, you can use natural herbicides - vinegar and salt. They are less safe to use, and when correct use do not cause significant harm to cultural plantings.

Vinegar solution

How to use vinegar natural remedy in weed control, is based on the action of acetic acid, which literally burns any vegetation. It is used both as a separate component and in combination with other substances that enhance its effect. In addition to the fact that vinegar-based mixtures allow you to destroy weeds, they also make it possible to get rid of ants that often settle in garden areas. In order to prepare effective formulations with vinegar, you can use the following recipes:

• Add ten milliliters of liquid soap or dishwashing detergent to one liter of vinegar. Mix the mixture thoroughly. Compositions with this consistency are more convenient to use than simple vinegar;
• In a container with one liter of vinegar, dilute one tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Citric acid will enhance the effect of acetic acid and make the recipe more effective;
• Add three tablespoons of lemon juice to half a liter of vinegar. Combine the liquid with two teaspoons of liquid soap and three tablespoons of alcohol. If the weeds are small, then the resulting composition must be diluted by half with water before use;
• Dilute two glasses of vinegar with one glass of water. Add to the resulting mixture one teaspoon of citric acid, two tablespoons of alcohol and two teaspoons of dishwashing detergent;
• Pour a tablespoon of orange or clove vinegar into a bottle with one liter of vinegar. essential oil and beat the mixture thoroughly.

To prepare these compositions, you should use eighteen percent or even stronger vinegar. A solution of lower concentration will be less effective, and the treatment will have to be carried out several times.

Method of using mixtures and precautions when working with them

Vinegar does not have a selective effect and destroys all vegetation it comes into contact with. Therefore, in order to remove weeds from the garden plot and not cause harm to the plantings of cultivated plants, a number of rules and recommendations should be followed:

1. 1. If weeds are in the beds, then to spray them you need to use a sprayer that is set to jet mode and not spraying. You can also use a brush or brush. This is necessary to ensure that the compositions fall only on weeds, without touching cultivated plants;
2. 2. When processing lawns, roadsides, garden paths and other places where only weeds grow, you can use spraying of the prepared compounds or lightly spraying the area with a watering can;
3. 3. Vinegar-based mixtures should be used to treat trunks, leaves and flowers. They should not be allowed to come into contact with large quantity on the ground, because they destroy not only the plants themselves, but also bacteria and other microorganisms found in the substrate, which are necessary for the full development of cultivated plants. For the same reason, liquid antibacterial soap cannot be added to the formulations;
4. 4. When destroying very large plants with hollow trunks, it is recommended to cut off part of them and pour liquid into the cavity. This will activate and accelerate the process of weed death;
5. 5. Dishwashing detergent is often used to prepare the mixture; it helps the compositions stick to the foliage. But you need to take only those that do not contain phenols, phosphates, sodium hypochlorite and various bleaches. All of them are toxic substances and cause great harm to the environment, including the soil, in which they remain for a long time and can negatively affect its composition and the quality of plantings;
6. 6. If a household herbicide contains liquid soap, then it is best to use a household one, which contains a minimum amount of additives;
7. 7. Before you start killing weeds in your garden, you need to know the weather forecast for several days in advance. To process the grass, calm and sunny weather is needed so that the wind does not spread the mixture to crops growing nearby. Since it takes several hot days for the weeds to completely die, there should be no rain for two or three days after treatment. Under these weather conditions Sun rays will activate the effect of vinegar, which, in the absence of precipitation, will remain on the plant. Otherwise, it will not be possible to obtain the required effect;
8. 8. Treatment of weeds must be carried out before their seeds ripen, which, once in the soil, begin to germinate and form new thickets of unnecessary grass;
9. 9. After the weeds treated with vinegar are completely dry, you need to collect them and remove them from the site. If young growth appears, the treatment will need to be repeated;
10. 10. When using vinegar for weeds, you should use household gloves to avoid irritation or even burn your skin. It is also recommended to wear safety glasses to protect your eyes from fumes.

Sprinkling with salt

The use of ordinary salt gives good results when controlling weeds. But at the same time, you need to know that in the future, no cultivated plants can be grown in areas treated with its use for several years. Therefore, it is best to use salt in the yard, in places where only weeds grow.

There are several ways to kill weeds using salt:

• Dissolve one hundred and fifty grams of salt in two liters of slightly warmed water. Both kitchen and stone ones are suitable for this. After this, pour the liquid into a spray bottle or fill a watering can with it and treat the area with weeds;
• You can use dry salt. To do this, you need to water the weed well, and while it is wet, sprinkle it generously with salt. After a few hours, repeat watering. This method of treatment will not only kill existing weeds, but the salt flowing into the upper layers of the soil will not allow new ones to germinate. You can additionally add salt to the soil under large weeds.

DESTROY WEEDS

And that's how it goes all summer!!! We remove weeds! Oh God!!! And my back!!! No, I don’t want it that way, I’ll try it differently. Is this a familiar picture?

And if it's graybOf course, your backbreaking work for the beauty of your garden can be greatly simplified.

HerbitsAndyeah? No. We can do without them, at least in some areas.

Chemicals are toxic to environment, they pose a great danger to bees and other beneficial insects. For your pets and childrenkiwalking in the garden. And there are only chemicals! It's scary to imagine.

So, a garden without chemicals

1.Salt and vinegar solution

Prepare a solution: 3.8 liters of vinegar, 1/2 cup of salt, a few drops of any liquid detergent(so that drops of the solution stick to the weeds). Mix well.

This mixture works best on a hot, sunny day when no rain is expected for at least 24 hours.

Spray the weeds in the morning, and in the evening you will be pleased with the results.

IMPORTANT: This mixture will kill all plants that come into contact with it, so use with caution. It also leaches nutrients from the soil, so it is preferable to use it in areas such as driveways, patios, paths, etc., where there are no cultivated plantings.

Use 15-20% vinegar to treat weeds. If you take 5%, re-treatment may be required

2.Natural weed spray.

You need to take 2 glasses of white vinegar, 2-3 tablespoons of concentrated lemon juice, add 30 ml of alcohol, and another 2 teaspoons of detergent.

Dilute everything with water in a ratio of 50 to 90%. And spray through a spray bottle.

So, vinegar contains acetic acid, it kills weeds very effectively, lemon juice- This is citric acid, it is also very strong, like vinegar. Soap attacks the outer layer of the plant, making it more vulnerable. And alcohol... no one likes it, plants also die from it.

This solution can be used anywhere, even among plantings, just set the sprayer to a stream and not to spray and be careful. (Sometimes we use a brush, just spread this solution on the leaves of the weed).

Remember that the product will have the same effect on all plants, so be careful with your flowers, don’t get it on their leaves.

3.Salt in weed control.

This method can be used in an area where you don't plan to plant anything for several years - around paving stones, in the cracks of paths, or near any other covering... The salt soaks into the ground and prevents anything from growing!

You can dissolve 0.5 cups of salt in warm or hot water. And pour it into a spray bottle. Absolutely any salt will do.

You can use dry salt. That is, do not dissolve salt in water, but first thoroughly wet the weeds with water so that they are wet, and then sprinkle them generously with salt and wet them again.

You can also take old table salt and place a pinch at the base of each weed. This will kill the weed, but we must remember that salt has an adverse effect on the soil. Therefore, do not use on the lawn or near cultivated plants.

4. Corn flour.

You might be surprised, but corn flour There is a lot of gluten, and it prevents the germination of any seeds. You can sprinkle flour on the area where your plants have already sprouted. And the weeds won't grow for a long time

5. Boiling water for weed control.

Pour a full kettle of boiling water onto the tops of the weeds, but be careful not to get it on good plants. This method does not always work the first time, so it must be repeated 2-3 times over several days.

Also try pouring the water in which the eggs were boiled on the weeds, only hot. The effect intensifies.

These are some simple methods of environmentally friendly weed control.

Much better than chemicals that kill bees and ladybugs ground beetles also disappear... And you are not very pleased when the garden after treatment smells far from roses. And standing with cancer less is, perhaps, the most important thing. And you will have more time to admire the beauty created with your own hands.

And further interesting articles Online. Click on the pictures.