Weeding

Now that our gardens are mostly planted, this is the time to focus our attention on weeding and mulching. Now that it is warm, weeds are growing fast.

The best time to get weeds is when they are small. Then all it takes to eliminate them is a quick swipe with a sharp hoe. The idea of hoeing is to sever the weed shoot from the root by cutting it off at ground level, disturbing the soil as little as possible. The reason for not disturbing the soil is that many buried weed seeds are actually stimulated to germinate by a little disturbance. More precicely, many small-seeded weed cannot germinate without light: disturbing the soil excavates them and exposes them to light. That is why you may find a lush carpet of young weed seedlings a week or so after you’ve done a thorough hoeing. But hoeing without disturbing the soil is easier said than done, especially if the hoe is blunt or if the weeds are getting a little big and tough. All is not lost. Just do the best you can and be prepared to repeat the job soon. Eventually the weed “seed bank” is depleted and the weeds stop coming so fast.

If the weeds do get away from you it is okay to pull them. Try to do this on a hot sunny day, when the sun will dry out their roots quickly. There is no need to remove the weeds from the garden unless they are a type that re-roots easily, such as creeping Charlie, quackgrass, or purslane, though even those will dry out and die if it is hot and dry enough. The rest of the weeds can be laid on the soil surface to act as a mulch. When they decay their nutrients are returned to the soil where they belong.

However you should remove from the garden weeds that have gone to seed, unless you are prepared to deal with their offspring next year. Better yet, don’t let them go to seed in the first place. And keep in mind that some kinds of weed flowers, such as dandelions, can finish maturing seeds even after you’ve pulled them! Vigilance is in order, especially against Galinsoga, a weed that goes from seed to seed in just 17 days. See http://www.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/galci.htm for photos.

If weed control sounds like a never-ending battle, the solution is mulch. I’ll write more about mulch in my next installment.
Lois