garden:cultivate:tasks:weed:why
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garden:cultivate:tasks:weed:why [2014/08/06 21:51] – davidbac | garden:cultivate:tasks:weed:why [2014/10/02 11:18] (current) – [Weeds are wiley] davidbac | ||
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+ | ===== Why bother with weeds? ===== | ||
+ | ==== Weeds are very well adapted ==== | ||
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+ | {{ : | ||
+ | * They compete with veggies for limited moisture, nutrients, and eventually sunlight, | ||
+ | * AND they are quite capable of perpetuating themselves. | ||
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+ | Locally adapted weeds are perfectly adapted to these two goals - they grow rapidly and they propagate profusely. | ||
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+ | ==== Weeds are wiley ==== | ||
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+ | A lot of weeds propagate by going to seed and spreading those seeds on the nearby ground. | ||
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+ | But it isn't minor issue that many weeds also propagate via rhizomes, stolons, and root segments that remain in the soil even when most of the weed is extracted. For more see [[garden: | ||
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+ | I have a choice to allow weeds to grow and diminish harvests or attack them from the time they sprout. When I see a sprouting weed I go into attack mode. | ||
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+ | ==== Does it make a difference? ==== | ||
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+ | I answer this question with a resounding, " | ||
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+ | Not only have I drawn down the seed bank, I have apprehended the villains before they have a chance to multiply. And in the long run, (say five to seven years) I will have very little action from the [[garden: | ||
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+ | I have seen this most dramatically in a small raised bed. Regular weeding has kept the number of weed sprouts to a handful in a month. At this point it is very easy to keep the bed completely clear of weeds. |