Weeds are opportunists, taking advantage of any gap in our defenses and popping up from underground stems, floating in on airborne seeds, even attaching their seedheads to our clothes and hitching a ride. They are experts in the art of invasion.
They look sloppy. They steal water and nutrients. They can smother precious plants, and they’re a nuisance. However, once you’ve dealt with the most invasive types, and the garden is fully planted. You’ll find that the time spent weeding is reduced to a few seconds it takes to pull out the occasional interloper.
Control methods
Hand weeding: Pulling weeds by hand or prying them out with a trowel is a good way of getting rid of shallow-rooted weeds and is easiest when the ground is moist.
Hoeing: This is by far the quickest way of eliminating weed seedlings. Draw hoes have curved necks and downward-facing blades that are good for chopping weeds. Dutch scuffle or push-hoes has a forward facing blade that is pushed just under the weeds at the root level. If the soil is dry, the seedlings can be left to shrivel up – but don’t leave them if it’s wet, in case they re-root.
Digging: Established weeds can be dug out with a garden fork, but it’s sometimes difficult to remove those with vigorous root systems. Try using a Cape Cod weeder or fishtail weeder for single plants.
Weed killers: Weed killers are highly effective, but you should only use those that do not persist in the soil. Look for nonselective weed killers containing glyphosate, which is relatively harmless to humans and animals once it has dried on the plant and leaves a little residue in the soil. It is relatively fast acting and works extremely well.
Most weeds succumb to the first dose, although really vigorous types may need several applications.
Because glyphosate is nonselective. However, it will kill any plant that it somehow in contact with – weeds and ornamentals alike. This is not a problem in large areas, such as a neglected bed overrun with weeds; here you can spray the whole patch, wait for the weeds to die back completely, then prepare the soil and plant. If a tenacious weed is in the middle of the garden. However, you will need to spot treat carefully on a windless day, so that the spray will not drift onto desirable plants.
Loose mulches: Mulching with compost, well-rotted manure, shredded bark, or wood chips keep down annual weeds and smothers perennials – a 3 in/7.5cm layer should be sufficient.
Sheet mulches: Impervious mulches such as black or clear plastic are invaluable for clearing large areas. Most perennial weeds will be completely smothered in one growing season, though more persistent types may need two. Black plastic can also be used in weed-infested borders and covered with a thin layer of soil or one of the loose mulches. A thick layer of newspaper can be used in the same way and will eventually rot into the soil. Alternatively, lay down permeable landscaping fabric when planting borders – it allows air and water to pass through but suppresses weeds.
Plants: It takes a thief to catch a thief-garden plant and are the best and the most decorative weed control of all, so plant as densely as you can, using a good proportion of ground covers. Once these plants are growing well, weeds are deprived of light and will be forced to give up the unequal struggle.
Image: by roblisameehan
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