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Organic Weed Control What Are Weeds?
The aim of organic weed control is not to eradicate every weed but to keep them at an acceptable level appropriate to the situation. Some weeds can actually make a positive contribution to a garden. Weeds are aggressive colonizers and are the ‘invaders’ of the plant world. Knowing how weeds reproduce, spread, and survive adverse conditions can help you to develop an effective weed management strategy. Below are some of the invasive techniques of weeds. -Long Term Survival of Seed. – Some seeds can survive up to 100 years -Effective Seed Distribution – Some pods will fling seeds 3-4 ft or more when touched -Huge Quantities of Seed – Some species of weed will produce 70,000 seeds per plant -Quick Turnaround – Certain plants will produce seeds in as little as five weeks. -Regeneration of Roots - Roots as small as ½ inch of certain invasive plants can regenerate. -Rapid Vegetation Spread - Some weed species can spread up to 25ft /8.2M per year. -Reproduction in Adverse condition - Many species can survive poor soil condition, extreme temperatures, drought, excessive moisture and , lack of sunlight. Organic weed control entails planning, prevention, and methods such as ‘No Digging’, crop rotation, and the use of green manures and mulches. Vegetable crops tend to be associated with weeds that have a similar life cycle. Rotating different crops tends to reduce weeds. The ‘No Dig’ method is an effective organic weed control practice. Excessive digging encourages the germination of thousands of seeds from a ‘weed bank’ by exposing them to sunlight. Another simple organic weed control technique is how plants are watered. Use a soaker hose irrigation system or water into sunken pots. One of the most formidable weapons in organic weed control is mulching. A nice covering of mulch suppresses light from the soil which effectively stifles weed growth. Weeds rapidly colonize on bare ground. The New Organic Grower: A Master''s Manual of Tools & Techniques for Home & Market Gardener as a further reference.
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