Tips for effective weed control
Here are six methods for controlling weeds in your garden
If you were to track every hour spent in your garden, you would
probably find that you do an inordinate amount of weeding. And while the
first few weeks of tearing up these intruders can prove mildly
satisfying, the chore soon wears thin. Even more maddening - you are
just six simple strategies away from your garden not needing weeds any
more.
What's that? A garden needs weeds? Weeds are nature's healing remedy
for sites that are in a wounded, plant-less state, but weeds and
gardeners have different ideas of what makes for a good recovery. Armed
with a better understanding of weeds and the strategies outlined here,
you can win every future skirmish, giving you more time to enjoy your
well-groomed garden.
1. Let sleeping weeds lie
Every square inch of your garden contains weed seeds, but only those
in the top inch or two of soil get enough light to trigger germination.
Digging and cultivating brings hidden weed seeds to the surface, so
assume weed seeds are there ready to erupt, like ants from an upset
anthill, every time you open a patch of ground. Dig only when you need
to and immediately salve the disturbed spot with plants or mulch. In
lawns, minimise soil disturbance by using a sharp knife with a narrow
blade to slice through the roots of dandelions and other lawn weeds to
sever their feed source rather than digging them out. Keep in mind that
weed seeds can remain dormant for a long, long time.
2. Mulch, mulch, mulch
Mulch benefits plants by keeping the soil cool and moist and
depriving weeds of light. Organic mulches, in particular, can actually
host crickets and carabid beetles, which seek out and devour thousands
of weed seeds.
Some light passes through chunky mulches, and often you will discover
- too late - that the mulch you used was laced with weed seeds. It's
important to replenish the mulch as needed to keep it about two inches
deep (more than three inches deep can deprive soil of oxygen). In any
case, you can set weeds way back by covering the soil's surface with a
light-blocking sheet of cardboard, newspaper, or biodegradable fabric
and then spreading prettier mulch over it.
If you choose to use this method on seldom-dug areas, such as the
root zones of shrubs and trees, opt for tough landscape fabric for the
light-blocking bottom sheet. There is a catch, however: As soon as
enough organic matter accumulates on the landscape fabric, weed seeds
dropped by birds or carried in on the wind will start to grow. For the
bottom layer of fabric to be effective, these must be pulled before they
sink their roots through and into the ground.
3. Weed when the weeding's good
The old saying "Pull when wet; hoe when dry" is wise advice when
facing down weeds. After a drenching rain, stage a rewarding weeding
session by equipping yourself with gloves, a sitting pad, and a trug or
tarp for collecting the corpses. As you head out the door, slip an old
table fork into your back pocket because there's nothing better for
twisting out tendrils of henbit or chickweed. When going after bigger
thugs, use a fishtail weeder to pry up taprooted weeds, such as
dandelion or dock.
Under dry conditions, weeds sliced off just below the soil line
promptly shrivel up and die, especially if your hoe has a sharp edge. In
mulched beds, use an old steak knife to sever weeds from their roots,
then patch any open spaces left in the mulch.
4. Lop off their heads
When you can't remove weeds, the next best thing is to chop off their
heads.
With annual weeds, deadheading buys you a few weeks of time before
the weed "seed rain" begins. Cutting back the tops of perennial weeds,
such as bindweed, reduces reseeding and forces them use up food reserves
and exhaust their supply of root buds, thus limiting their spread.
You will need pruning loppers to take down towers of ragweed or poke,
or you can step up to a string trimmer equipped with a blade attachment
to cut prickly thistles or brambles down to nubs.
No matter which method you choose, chopping down weeds before they go
to seed will help keep them from spreading.
5. Mind the gaps between plants
Close plant spacing chokes out emerging weeds by shading the soil
between plants. You can prevent weed-friendly gaps from the get-go by
designing with mass plantings or in drifts of closely spaced plants
rather than with polka dots of widely scattered ones. You can usually
shave off about 25 percent from the recommended spacing. Most spacing
recommendations, however, are based on the assumption that adjoining
plants will barely touch when they reach mature size, so stick with the
guidelines when working with plants that are prone to foliar diseases
6. Water the plants you want, not the weeds you've got
Put drought on your side by depriving weeds of water. Placing drip or
soaker hoses beneath mulch efficiently irrigates plants while leaving
nearby weeds thirsty. In most climates, depriving weeds of water reduces
weed-seed germination by 50 to 70 percent.
Watch out, though, for the appearance of deeply rooted perennial
weeds, such as bindweed and nuts edge, in areas that are kept moist.
They can take off in a flash when given the benefits of drip
irrigation.
Beyond these strategies, enriching your soil with organic matter at
every chance you get can move your garden along down the weed-free path.
Soil scientists aren't sure how it works, but fewer weed seeds germinate
in soil that contains fresh infusions of good compost or organic matter.
One theory makes elegantly simple sense: When soil is healthy and
well fed, weed seeds sense that they are out of a job and are less
likely to appear.
- Fine Gardening |