Weeding

An organic philosophy encourages us to move beyond a narrowly hostile attitude toward plant species identified as weeds. In the first instance it is a vague category that tends to shift according to location, seasonal influence, established farming and other cultural practices. With a shift in any of these, one persons weed will become food or medicine for another. Interestingly, many common garden weeds are neither noxious nor dangerous. Some such as lemon verbena or dandelion can just as easily be defined as herbs. Most of them, however, are plants offering little in the way of food or obvious beauty so are quickly dismissed and considered a drain on precious garden resources.

Controlling weeds

It is true that an abundance of weeds will compete with garden plants for soil nutrients, light and water. If left to themselves, some weed varieties will smother less vigorous garden plants or act as host material for animal pests or disease. To balance these negatives it should be remembered that other species of weed may have a positive action such as fixing nitrogen and stabilising the soil. They sometimes supply protective barriers against wind and erosion that will kill emerging seedlings and they can also attract beneficial insect predators and pollinators. It is also possible that weeds may be the last remnant of the gardens indigenous flora so will help to sustain some aspects of the original ecosystem. In short, a few harmless varieties of weed will only support the healthy diversity that is required for a truly organic garden.

The key to controlling many species of weed is to appreciate their behaviour as plants of cultivation. This means they accelerate in numbers and particularly thrive whenever the ground is broken or disturbed through digging, raking or tilling of the soil. Many gardeners have found themselves locked in a vicious circle of so called weed management that is actually encouraging their continued growth and proliferation. The real solution in this instance is to adopt the strategy of minimal cultivation and encourage a natural ground cover that will eventually out-compete the weeds. The preferred ground cover might be a native grass, carpet fern, a spreading herb or shrub.

When problem weeds must be physically removed, it is always good practice to minimise the breakage of soil. One approach is to chop stemming weeds above their roots using a hoe. This is effective for clearing out the rows between cultivated plants. If the task is performed with a sharp hoe on a sunny day, most of the attacked weeds will die. Some will survive by reshooting from their roots however this is outweighed by the benefit of preserving the structural integrity and moisture content of the soil.

Occasionally, as in the preparation of a new seedling plot, it may be necessary to completely eradicate weeds from a section of garden. In this situation smaller weeds and large annuals can be pulled by hand, using a fork to release the roots. It is a good idea to wear gloves and carry a bucket to collect each weed as it is pulled. They can be recycled safely on an active compost heap since they will be completely destroyed by heat and bacterial processes. Once the bed is cleared of weeds, allow at least a week or two before planting seedlings. During this time many opportunistic weeds will sprout to replace the pulled ones. The best way to remove these is using a flame weeder which kills the juvenile weeds without further disruption to the soil.

Once weeds are under control, the best cure is, as always, prevention. In addition to improving water conservation and soil fertility, mulching with coarse organic material such as bark or straw will prevent most weeds from germinating. Those that do can be left to compete against rival plants on an equal footing.

As a final word, caution should be exercised when weeding after a long winter. Many young plants are easily confused with weeds. Rather than pulling at unknown or suspicious plants reflexively, it is perhaps better to wait for some additional growth. This delay will usually assist a more accurate identification.