This week: Weeding 101
Hello!
Weeds: the bane of every gardener’s existence. While pulling weeds can be a zen-like activity with a great sense of accomplishment when completed, it is sometimes sneezy, sweaty, and dirty, without even getting into the potential for sore muscles.
If you’re a native gardener striving for a grass-free property, don’t think you’ll get out of yard work—it’s just a different kind of work. You will need to pull weeds frequently, perhaps as often as you’d get out the lawnmower. Here’s how to make it easier.
Weeding Tips
Know friends or foes. Use a plant identification app like Seek, the iPhone’s built-in visual lookup, or Google Lens if you are uncertain if a plant is a weed before you remove it. It also helps to label your native plants until you know them (and their growing stages) well. It’s a terrible feeling when you pull out your emerging Cardinal Flower (don’t ask me how I know).
Pull weeds all the time. The airport and train station motto, “If you see something, say something,” is true for weeds too—if you see it, pull it. Don’t wait. I have a large flowerpot near my garden so I can conveniently dispose of small amounts of weeds with zero fuss.
Make it a regular practice. Every week or two, spend 15 minutes pulling weeds. Occasionally, a big weeding session will have to happen, but don’t let the work pile up so that it becomes an unpleasant chore.
When Is the Best Time to Weed?
Pull weeds before they go to seed. Often, this means you should weed before the plant flowers or just as it is beginning to flower (you might need to wait for the flower to identify it). Weeds are also easier to remove after it has rained or when the soil is moist.
But I Heard You Shouldn’t Pull Weeds.
Some say that pulling weeds creates new opportunities for more weeds to grow because you’ve disturbed the soil or you’ve broken the plant's roots. True, but this is probably unavoidable. Some say a way to avoid disturbing the soil is to snip the weeds down to ground level. This will eventually starve the weed of sunlight and kill it off. While this sounds lovely, it takes many rounds of snipping, and, depending on the plant, it may never work (I’m looking at you, Rose of Sharon).
So, we are left with pulling. If your garden has a lot of weed pressure (say, a lot of weedy vines), or if you’ve disturbed a good bit of the soil (maybe you had to break out the shovel), cover the spot with mulch like pine needles, dead leaves, or wood chips. This will slow things down.
What If My Garden Is Mostly Weeds?
Perhaps you’ve taken over a garden that has been neglected, and you find that you have perennials and shrubs you want to keep mixed with a lot of weeds. Identify an area that you can finish in one session, and thoroughly weed around the plants you’re keeping. Immediately lay newspaper or paper bags around the perennials and over the soil. Cover it with two inches of mulch and water the area to hold it all in place. Repeat the process over time until the garden is restored.
Are you doing a complete renovation? Consider sheet mulching instead.
What Should I Do With My Big Pile of Weeds?
Bag all weeds and put them in the trash. Home compost heaps may not get hot enough to neutralize their seeds, and if any are invasive (like Knotweed and Japanese Honeysuckle) you’ll want to stop the risk of spread.
Elsewhere:
With wildfires in the news, you might wonder about forest fires here. Penn State Extension says spring is peak fire season in Pennsylvania. Find out what you can do to prevent fires.
And finally, thank you to everyone who left a Google review and followed me on Instagram! It’s a big help.
Have a good week,
Julie