On this page
Entry
Hi all. This is Sheralyn Carroll, your friendly Web meister. Since I seem to be on a weed crusade, I thought I'd contribute this journal entry. Please note these are my thoughts and this article doesn't necessarily reflect the opinion of CCHS. (Yes, this is a disclaimer, just like the ones on TV talk shows.) CCHS has a diverse membership and I suspect there are as many opinions and approaches to weeding as there are members.
Beware the Weeds of July!
By Sheralyn Carroll. (SheralynCarroll@mn.rr.com)
Summer is well under way. I can't believe how many weeds are springing up. A friend of mine said "I think the weeds are getting ready to wage war. I can feel them gathering their armies and just waiting for me not to look." But, my neighbor thinks weeding is therapeutic. She must really be getting a lot of good therapy right about now. Me, I'm a lazy...er... I mean...efficient gardener, so I'm in the first camp. Which got me to thinking about ways to minimize weed work. So, here are some tips on how to win the war of the weeds.
- Take Heed, Take Action
- Divide and Conquer
- Pace Yourself and Celebrate Your Successes
- Protect Your Reclaimed Sections
- Get 'Em Before They Get Started.
- Apply Corn Gluten (where appropriate). I use an environmentally safe, people-safe pre-emergent weed-control from Renaissance fertilizers called Renaissance 10-0-0 to stop the root development of germinating seeds in my lawn. It’ll stop all kinds of seeds, not just weed seeds, so only use this around established plants. The cool thing about this product is that it gains steam over time. With each application, it increases in efficacy.
- Use Weed Barriers I use a variety of barrier methods to decrease the number of weeds, such as newspaper five-layers deep, corrugated cardboard, landscape fabric, steel hubcaps, plate armor, etc. Whatever works. I then cover these initial barriers with a handsome shredded-wood mulch 3-4 inches deep. Note: you still have to weed the mulch, but there will be significantly fewer to pull.
- Avoid Roto-Tilling The seeds that germinate are typically in the topmost 3-4 inches of the soil. Over time, weeding decreases the number of seeds in the topmost layer of soil. Less germinating seeds = less weed work. Rototilling churns the soil and brings up lots of weed into the topmost layer of the soil. You now have the same number of seeds to contend with as you did last year.
- Use Properly "Cooked" Manures and Composts. Adding animal manures and compost to your soil can add weed seeds. If the manure or compost has been composted at a high-enough temperature, most weed seeds are killed. For example, the three-year aged cow manure I apply often brings me lovely sunflowers, which I don’t mind, and only the occaisonal weed, so I stick with this source.
Beware the Ides of March! Caesar was warned but did he take heed? We all know how that story ended. If only he’d taken timely action, things could have turned out different. Every month has its' Ides (the 15th) and July is no exception. It seems from about the 15th of July onwards, a new cycle of weed seed germination gets ready to wage war on our beautiful gardens. This is the time to take heed and to take action.
As one weed-weary gardener to another, I say, “Beware the Weeds of July! They wage war upon us and lay the seeds of unwelcome toil."
This seems to be the time of year when many gardeners surrender sections of their garden to the invading hordes of germinating weed seeds. With each section surrendered, the intruding plants gain prime real estate and start propagating a gazillion weed seeds. Start small, tackling the weeds one section at a time rather than trying to take it all on at once. I find it best to reclaim the sections nearest the house first, making them weed-free for the psychological boost and to keep the neighbors happy.
Determine how much time you’re willing to allocate to weeding. There are only so many hours in a day, and your family may want some of them. Focus your weeding time on the reclaimed sections. Ignore the rest. Celebrate the weed-free zones. It's too easy to get distracted by weedy sections. You’ll get them next year.
Re-weed and re-work the reclaimed sections. Don’t start any new ones unless you get a second wind. This strategy guarantees a decrease in next year’s weed work. Tackle the other sections next year. Remember, there are only so many hours in the day.
Here are four pre-emergent strategies to help prevent weeds.
Mulch delivers double benefits--not only does it inhibit weed growth, it also conditions the soil. A note of caution. Some mulch sources may include treated wood products which contain arsenic and potentially other unwelcome chemicals. Ask your supplier. If this matters to you (walking paths, maybe not; vegetable garden, yes!) Green Gardens Nursery over at 101 and 212 (952-224-4777) carries mulches without these lovely additives at a good price.
If you do your own composting, don't add any plant materials that have gone to seed. Your composting process probably isn't hot enough to kill all the weed seeds.
In the next garden-journal entry, I'll share some cool tools that can help with weeding.
[top of page]
On May 23, 2004, CCHS booked a private tour at Venero Gardens in Shorewood, Minnesota. What a truly beautiful place to visit! It's what my garden aspires to be. Here's a note from Annette about our road trip.
We just got back from the Venero Gardens tour, and I wanted to give you all a report. But first, I must apologize to any of our members who tried to get there on my directions, and never made it because you got lost. I got the directions from Mapquest. Jay Venero said that recently there have been some road closures, and these have not been reported to places such as Mapquest. So ... unless you already knew your way around Shorewood, you wouldn't have found it from my directions. That may explain why the turnout was about half of what we expected. The other reason might be the rain. It was a VERY wet tour.
But despite the rain, it was a sight to behold! What a treasure, nestled in their albeit large Shorewood lot! The display gardens went on, and on, and on. And actually, the rain showed off the plantings extremely well. I think nearly everyone left with a purchase or two ... or three.
For those of you who couldn't make it -- and even those of you who did, but got wet and cold -- we're going to try to reschedule this tour for another date later in the season, give more accurate directions, and hope for better weather. I'll check the calendar, and maybe we can do it again some time in June. I would strongly recommend everyone who has the time to come and see this gorgeous place!
-- Annette
Our Garden Slide Show
How does your garden grow?
I love to see other people's gardens. I learn so much and gain many ideas and tips to try out in my garden. Here's a virtual tour of what's growing in our members' gardens.
I invite you to submit digital photographs of your garden to inspire and teach us all. Ideally, I'd like to do monthly updates to our virtual garden. Please e-mail Sheralyn Carroll at sheralyncarroll@mn.rr.com or phone at 952.361.3080.fast.
