Weeds are without a doubt, the least fun thing about gardening. They seem to be everywhere and always demanding your attention. I’m going to confess that I’m a bit obsessed with weeds and find that I have a hard time seeing past them. Needless to say, I’ve taken a lot of time thinking about and researching ways to handle them without spending every waking moment pulling them out!
To start with, an overview of weed biology is helpful. Our garden soils are chock-full of weed seeds that have spread from tools, birds, previous years’ weeds, or blown in from the wind. The weed seeds are lying in wait for the right conditions to grow. Don’t make it easy for them. What they need, just like all plants are warmth, light, nutrients and water.
Your number one line of defense against excessive weed growth is to deprive them of what they need to grow as much as possible. The most important is not pulling new weed seeds up to the soil surface. The biggest problem with using flat-edge hoes is that they dig and turn over soil each time you use them. Whereas a stirrup hoe will slice under the soil, cutting off the weed roots, and leaving the soil surface intact. Also, when watering your garden, try to only water your garden plants and not the entire garden surface. Drip irrigation, drip hoses and hand-watering using hoses or watering cans can direct the water a bit more specifically. Sprinklers can be convenient, but will definitely make your weeds happy, too. Light penetrating the surface of the soil where the weed seeds are lying dormant is also an essential ingredient for their growth. Using a variety of living and spread mulches deprives them of this light and inhibits their growth.
It’s also very important not to add new weed seeds to your garden. Clean the soil off your tools after you’re done working to keep from spreading seeds into new areas. If weeds get ahead of you and start to flower, be sure to tackle them as soon as you can before their flowers turn to seeds. A single dandelion plant left in the garden, for example, can produce 2000 seeds! One goal of a successful weed management strategy is to keep reducing your weed seed load each year and thus reduce the amount of weeding you need to do.
Keeping in mind these facts, there is no silver bullet when it comes to organic weed management. You will need a variety of tricks up your sleeve to be successful. Over the coming weeks I will be going into more detail about many different techniques, tools, and all natural herbicides that can be used to make your garden cleaner, more attractive and healthier for your plants. Follow me on Facebook (Gardening to Fit Your Life) or Twitter @nofussgardening to find my latest tips and tricks.