In his lecture titled “Fortune of the Republic”, delivered in 1878, Ralph Waldo Emerson’s asked and answered; “What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered,…”
More
time is spent obsessing on weeds in the garden than anything else. We
stress over them, pull at them, dig them out, curse them, and still
they come back. What is it about weeds in the landscape that makes us
all so insane? There are
several types of weeds like clover, dandelion, and plantain to name a
few. So how do you help to keep them to a minimum?
Step 1: Weed the Bed
The plants designated as weeds are prolific seeders and have all the time in the world to grow, while we are all stretched for any spare time. So what are we to do? Never weed with your hands. Have a tool like a cultivator, trowel, or hoe with you. I see clients bend over and tear at weeds as they show me how diligently they have been weeding their garden. Truth is you are doing nothing more than pruning and hurting your lower back when you just tear the tops off weeds. Weeding is done on the hands and knees, digging at the weed to remove the entire plant – roots and all. If getting down to the ground is not an option, you may also use something like an action hoe to disrupt the shoots or patches of grassy weeds roots and all.
The plants designated as weeds are prolific seeders and have all the time in the world to grow, while we are all stretched for any spare time. So what are we to do? Never weed with your hands. Have a tool like a cultivator, trowel, or hoe with you. I see clients bend over and tear at weeds as they show me how diligently they have been weeding their garden. Truth is you are doing nothing more than pruning and hurting your lower back when you just tear the tops off weeds. Weeding is done on the hands and knees, digging at the weed to remove the entire plant – roots and all. If getting down to the ground is not an option, you may also use something like an action hoe to disrupt the shoots or patches of grassy weeds roots and all.
Step 2 Plant More Plants
Plant more plants. Fill all the soil and garden niches with plants. Ground covers go a long way in squeezing out the weeds. Just weeding and mulching isn't enough. Given a blank plot of land weeds will thrive. Ground cover perennials eliminate the need to weed and mulch in the areas they fill.
Plant more plants. Fill all the soil and garden niches with plants. Ground covers go a long way in squeezing out the weeds. Just weeding and mulching isn't enough. Given a blank plot of land weeds will thrive. Ground cover perennials eliminate the need to weed and mulch in the areas they fill.
Step 3: Mulch the Beds
More is NOT better in the case of mulch. Mulch alone won’t stop weeds, and more mulch causes harm to the soil ecology and to the plants you love. The main importance of mulch has to do with regulating moisture for soil, by protecting the top layer from drying out in the summer heat or protecting your plants in the winter cold . The bonus is that it will also slow the germination of weeds and make the garden look "neat".
And remember if the weeds have gotten to be too much, maybe it is time to come up with a better management strategy. we are just a phone call away to help you with anything you may need to manage your gardens.
More is NOT better in the case of mulch. Mulch alone won’t stop weeds, and more mulch causes harm to the soil ecology and to the plants you love. The main importance of mulch has to do with regulating moisture for soil, by protecting the top layer from drying out in the summer heat or protecting your plants in the winter cold . The bonus is that it will also slow the germination of weeds and make the garden look "neat".
And remember if the weeds have gotten to be too much, maybe it is time to come up with a better management strategy. we are just a phone call away to help you with anything you may need to manage your gardens.
No comments:
Post a Comment