WEEDS

Much as we may hate them, weeds have an ecological role to play in reclaiming degraded soils and re-establishing damaged soil structure. Weeds are always present but only become a nuisance when conditions allow them to become invasive.

Suggested Organic Strategies:

• Try to avoid ever letting a weed go to seed. If you don’t have time to pull it, at least remove the flowering heads before seed is set.

• Try to do more mulching and less weeding. Always keep on hand a mulch supply.

• Weeds are a useful addition to compost heaps because of the diverse range of nutrients they contain but only add them before the seed is ripe.

• Green manures can be used to smother persistent weeds, such as couch grass. Good choices for weed suppression include lablab, cowpea, lucerne and buckwheat.

• When weeding or starting a new garden area always try to start from an existing weed-free edge such as a pathway and work out from there.

• Large areas can be dealt with effectively by 'sheet mulching'. This gets rid of grass and weeds without back strain. Start with a generous distribution of organic fertiliser. Then simply use wet newspaper (about 10 sheets thick) as your biodegradable weed mat. Soak the newspaper first; wetting it after placing it on the ground doesn’t work. Then top off with mulch, to cover the paper well. Over 8-12 weeks the grass will decompose and you will have a weed-free garden area ready to plant.

• Consider using poultry in a moveable cage on a small area to clear weeds, move onto fresh ground as soon as the surface is bare and mulch the cleared area.

   

  GOLDEN RULE: Avoid leaving the ground bare.

Growing a 'living mulch' will help control weeds!

Slasher is a non-selective, plant burn-out spray based on a food grade additive.

DISCLAIMER: No liability will be accepted by Green Harvest, its owners or employees as to the accuracy of any information. No responsibility will be taken for damage to property or persons due to information given about a product or technique. No responsibility will be taken for the loss of a crop or income due to information given about a product or technique.