Viewing post #593506 by ckatNM

You are viewing a single post made by ckatNM in the thread called Weed Control.
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Apr 19, 2014 12:14 PM CST
Name: cheshirekat
New Mexico, USA Zone 8 (Zone 8a)
Bee Lover Dog Lover Herbs Garden Procrastinator Vegetable Grower
Many weeds are able to propagate and spread underground, at the roots. Some weeds can easily be encouraged to grow when they feel threatened or injured because they automatically release chemicals (like hormones) that tell them to put significant energy into growing. Even when they are just small pieces. Weeds survive because their will to survive is often greater than any injuries it suffers, and that is what often has them classified as weeds. They grow easy, can't be killed easily, and spread easily. It is in their programming. For weeds that have extensive root systems, I doubt chopping off the tops will do anything but increase what is happening underground.

On the other hand, chopping off the top of a weed is much easier to do if you just don't want VISIBLE weeds. Even better if it is nowhere near where your food is growing and getting strangled by all the roots growing underneath.

If you want to use a community garden, sometimes it helps to do a bit of research and find ways to educate the masters without getting them defensive when they can be proven wrong. Horseradish can be very pervasive and the roots continue to grow when all that is above ground is cut off. It is not the only plant capable of doing this, and weeds aren't excluded from this feature. Annual weeds have roots that are shallow, so why not pull them out? Perennial weeds have extensive roots, so they just continue to grow after their tops are lopped off.

Try to provide resources/links so that the leader of your community garden is informed about weeds and how they propagate, just as others using the gardens will be. Also, don't toss weeds in the compost. I've known gardeners that think that composting is the worse thing ever because "it caused me to have more weeds than ever" and all because they pulled weeds and put them in the compost with all the other stuff. This is a no. Unless you have access to a commercial grade composter that can provide the super-intense heat needed to kill weeds and disease, don't put problems like diseased plants/leaves/weeds in the compost. It will just spread the problems throughout the garden.
"A garden is a friend you can visit any time." - Anonymous

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