Raining Weeds

June 22nd, 2008

Rain, rain, go away…..After the last couple of summers with next to no rain, I can’t believe I’m wishing the rain would stop! Let’s see, this must be day ten in a row that it’s rained. And, rain is expected for the next three days. Glad we own a canoe!

Seriously, the rain is a good thing for our trees and plants. All the watering we do is nowhere near as effective as a good rain! The down side of all this rain, is the weeds are loving it as much as the plants. And, because it’s raining so often, we don’t have as much time to spend in the garden getting rid of those weeds! During the few hours of sunshine we had today I looked at the plants and smiled. I look at the weeds and groaned! Never have they been so plentiful, not to mention lush and vigorous! I very briefly wished I believed in using chemicals rather than hand pulling to rid the gardens and yard of weeds. Matter of fact, I went so far as to vocalize that wish as I was taking the scuffler out of the shed.

There are eco safe alternatives to chemical weed control besides hand pulling for large areas or in between cracks in sidewalks and driveways. I have tried many of them, with varying degrees of success. Here are two of the simplest.

Boiling water: pour boiling water on the weeds and they instantly shrivel up, and the foliage dies. This method does not always kill the roots so it will have to be repeated several times. Not my favourite method.

Vinegar: A more successful approach is to mix three parts vinegar with one part water and add a few drops of liquid dish soap (to help the solution stick to the leaves). Spray on the weeds being careful not to spray on anything you want to keep. The weeds die quickly, but again, not always the roots, so several applications may be required to eliminate all weeds, especially perennial weeds.

For someone who is not comfortable using a sprayer for fear of taking out desirable plants, there are tools that make the task of weeding easier.

Scufflers and Hoes: This is my preferred method for weeding large areas, but obviously impractical for eliminating weeds growing between cracks. These tools basically take off the tops of the weeds. Occasionally you’ll get lucky and the roots will come up too. How can this be possibly effective? At least one new member of my crew will ask that question every year. Simple; Plants need chlorophyll to live. Without leaves, they have no chlorophyll. The roots will sprout new leaves, which are again, lopped off. Eventually, the roots become so weakened from constantly putting all their energy into sprouting new leaves, they die. No more weed.

Cultivators: I’m not a big fan of cultivators. I find them awkward to use and less precise than a scuffler or hoe. Cultivators often take out the entire weed, roots and all, so they are very effective.

Of course there is always the alternative of hand pulling the weeds. Hand weeding is the most effective method without a doubt. And, yanking those weeds out of the ground, roots and all, is the greatest stress reliever! It is my favourite method of dealing with weeds but no longer possible since arthritis of the hands and knees have become my life partner. Otherwise, I would not be using tools and home made sprays. Instead I’d be on the ground pulling to my heart’s delight, getting my knees black and enough dirt under my nails to pot up a small plant, and thinking at the end of the day, I’d managed to stay fairly clean. Considering.

Posted in Chemical Free, Garden Maintenance, HOW TO GARDEN, Pests and Diseases | Comments (0)

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