The Do's and Don'ts of Weeds

From: Gardeners Supply - Friday Jul 23,2021 01:10 pm

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Weed Woes, managing these garden invaders

Weeds. Like taxes, you can count on them showing up, year after year. Although they’re a part of garden maintenance, there are steps you can take to minimize your weeding chores. Think of "managing" weeds, rather than eliminating them. As the old adage says, weeds are simply plants growing in the “wrong” place. Some common weeds, such as lambs-quarters and purslane, have a long history as edibles or medicinals. You’ll still want to pluck them from your perennial beds, but at least you can give them a nod for their usefulness! Why weed? Besides being unsightly, weeds compete with your plants for water and nutrients. Left to grow, they can shade and crowd out your prized plants.

Do: Weed early, weed often. Pull or hoe small weeds frequently, and you’ll avoid tackling a jungle later on. After weeding, apply mulch. Shredded bark, pine straw, and bark nuggets are good choices for perennial beds. Straw is ideal for vegetable gardens. A 2-3” layer is sufficient. Keep mulch a few inches away from plant stems to allow air circulation and discourage stem rot. Place large, tenacious weeds, such as thistles and dandelions, in a separate compost pile, apart from your food scraps and small weed seedlings. These larger weeds will take longer to decompose, and you don’t want to inadvertently replant them when you spread compost. Use weed mat and/or a thicker layer of mulch on paths. Pull weeds before they flower or go to seed; you'll save the effort of pulling the next generation!

Don’t: Pile on the mulch. A too-thick layer prevents water from reaching soil and can smother roots. If you want to apply a fresh mulch layer to dress up the beds, rake off some of the existing mulch, if necessary, so the mulch layer is no more than 3” deep. Wait too long after weeding to apply mulch. Nature will, naturally, cover her bare soil with plants (weeds) to protect it from driving rains and hot sun. Create mulch volcanoes around trees. Piling mulch against the bark invites disease and pest infestation.

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