Weed is a Four-Letter Word

by | Jun 19, 2019 | Maintenance | 0 comments

This week we celebrate Weed Your Garden Day. Just the other day I was outside in my garden and could see that I was way, way past time for me to celebrate this day while wearing garden jeans and doing some serious up close and personal work.

How about you? Got a few spots in your garden beds (or even your containers) that you’d rather not show to visitors? Well, to help inspire you, here’s a rouges gallery of some of the more common weeds and how best to keep them under control.

Dandelion

Dandelion is a familiar lawn weed with a bright yellow flower. Once the flower turns to a fluffy seed head they become nearly irresistible to small children, who love to blow on the seed head and watch the seeds float away. The problem with this plant is its deep taproot. Don’t just whack off the top. You have to dig deep to remove all of the carrot-like root that goes down 4-6 inches. Even a small segment of the root can regrow.

Pigweed

This one just looks like a weed, which may be why it was given the unattractive name of pigweed. It reproduces by seeds but has a long life because of the red taproot. Dig deep to remove the whole root then apply a thick layer of mulch to prevent the seeds from germinating.

Bindweed

Don’t let these pretty flowers fool you. Bindweed is an aggressive spreader which can regrow from small sections of roots or stems. Never ever use the tiller on this weed. It will only spread the roots faster and cause problems for years. Trust me, I did this once and it wasn’t pretty.

Lamb’s Quarters

Lamb’s quarters is ranked as the most commonn weed in the Continental U. S. It is a fast growing annual. Seeds are easily spread on the wind. The biggest problem with this weed is its ability to soak up any available moisture in the soil, leaving your plants starved for water.

Nutsedge

Nutsedge looks like a lawn grass but you can recognize it best by the V-shaped cluster of leaves around the seed heads. Nutsedge often grows where the soil is chronically waterlogged. This plant is hard to remove because it grows from tuberous roots that have a long life. Like dandelions and bindweed, you have to get all the root for eradication.

This is just a quick profile of the most common weeds. There are hundreds more, some limited to your region. Whatever the weed, keep these tips in mind.

  • Get them before they seed, especially the annuals. There’s an old proverb that says “One year’s seeding means seven year’s weeding. Part of the reason some plants are classified as weeds is their ability to spread seeds that can wait for years before germinating.
  • Mulch is the best thing for weed protection, hands down. A 3-4 inch of mulch will choke out weed seedlings and discourage perennial weeds.
  • Establish a barrier for garden beds. Many of us have garden plots next to lawns. These grasses are not welcome where you are growing herbs or edibles. Some form of physical barrier – rocks, timbers, plastic or metal edging – will protect your treasured plants from competition.
  • Dig for perennial roots. Many weeds can come back even if everything above ground is taken away.

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