How to Weed your Garden
March 8, 2010 by admin
Filed under Gardening Tips
Weeds are a fact of life that every gardener must deal with. In fields, weeds may often be lovely, providing beautiful blooms and rich color. Many wild flowers are considered weeds when they are growing where they are unwanted. In the garden we want our chosen blossoms to thrive unhindered, so controlling the weeds is a necessity. Since plants designated weeds often grow more rapidly and multiply more quickly, without oversight they can invade the garden and threaten the health of existing plants. In addition, plant-destroying bugs are often drawn first to the garden by flowering weeds, another reason to eliminate them quickly.
The first step in having a weed-free garden is to mark all of your perennials in the autumn, before you cut them back or they die back naturally. The reason for this is simple – when things start to grow in the spring, sometimes while still covered with the protective layer of leaves we apply, or even covered with snow, it can be difficult to determine which plants are weeds and which are our perennials. Waiting until the plants are large enough to be identified by leaf or bloom may mean the weeds go to seed and multiply their presence. If the plants you want are clearly marked, then in the spring you may simply pull up everything else.
Secondly, as new weeds pop up, remove them as soon as you notice them. Again, some weeds are capable of producing seeds very quickly, and allowing this to happen will make things harder for you in the future. Weeds that send out creeping vines that root can also be very invasive, perhaps spreading in and among your perennials. Uprooting them at that time creates the danger of also uprooting your flowers. So, several times a week, give your garden a “once over” looking just for weeds. That way you won’t be distracted by pretty new blooms or a shrub branch the needs pruning, or any of the other little details that can grab out attention.
Thirdly, when weeds have gotten a foothold near plants we want to keep, use extra caution in removing them. Always keep a small hand cultivator with you, and use it to carefully loosen the soil around the weed. Dig, loosen the soil, and gently pull. If it doesn’t come out, dig a bit deeper, loosen and pull. You’ll soon have it in hand. If weed roots are intertwined with your perennial roots, it is better to remove some of the flower’s root system to eradicate the weed. Otherwise, in time, you’ll probably lose the entire perennial to the weed.
Finally, use natural mulch around your plants as a way of keeping down the weeds. The mulch will smother any starter weeds you can’t see, and will keep others from springing up.
Weeds that have been removed from your garden should be disposed of by burning, if allowable, or by bagging them carefully and adding to the waste that is carried off your property. Never add weeds to your compost pile, to avoid inadvertently spreading them into your garden when you use the compost. Follow these steps and your garden plants won’t be competing for sun and nutrients with invasive weeds, and will thank you for your weeding efforts by looking their best the whole growing season!
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