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Understanding Weeds And How To Control Them
Taking care of weed problems in your lawn.As a child, I loved picking Dandelions. The pretty yellow flowers were small, colorful, and looked nice tucked behind my ear! However, if one had popped up in my Dad's front lawn, my hair accessory would have been considered subversive!I often feel sorry for weeds. They are plants, too, trying to do their job. If you flipped through a botany field guide, you might be surprised at the plants that are classified as weeds! But really what is a weed? Simply defined, a weed is really just a plant out of place. Clover in one person's flowing lawn may be considered fashionable, whereas on another, not. Golf greens are often covered with bentgrass, but if it crept up in some yards, it would be considered a weed. There main crime is that, they take up space reserved for other plants. While perhaps pretty on their own, weeds stick out like a sore thumb in yards due to a different color, size or texture. This distracts from the beauty of the otherwise pristine green turf. Aside from aesthetic considerations, weeds drain nutrients from grass and other plants. This competition for resources can thin what should be lush; and drive out what is desired. And what's worse is that weeds are fighters. They can withstand conditions that your wanted greens cannot, too much rain or not enough, poor soil conditions, etc. In a way, weeds are almost inevitable!
Controlling weeds begins with correct identification. There are two classifications of weeds: Grassy and Broadleaf. This can be further broken down into groups based upon growing patterns like perennial, biennial, and winter and summer annuals. Grassy weeds are, as they sound, like grass. Unfortunately, they are unwanted grass, growing in a different type of lawn. Some grassy weed examples are annual bluegrass, barnyard grass, crabgrass, creeping bentgrass and foxtail. Broadleaf weeds may appear more to be what most people picture weed-like growth to be. The are individual plants with broad leaves that are more easily distinguished from desired plants. Typical broadleaf weeds include yarrow, knotweed, chickweed, clover, ground ivy, thistle and my favorite, the dandelion. Once you understand what is growing in your lawn and have decided that it is unwanted, you can treat it and/or control it. Weeds can actually be controlled by your lawn care maintenance. A healthy lawn will crowd out weeds. So if you maintain a dense and vigorously growing lawn, you are already combating the problem. Weeds can be a sign of underlying problems in the environment beneath your lawn. So by just killing or removing weeds, you are simply putting on a band-aid on a problem, but not solving it. For example, some weeds grow in situations of compacted soil, such as knotweed. In this situationm You can better control the growth of weeds by taking better care of the grass. Raise or lower the mowing height, change the frequency of mowing and changing the amount of time between irrigating. Also, you can increase or decrease application of fertilizer and aerify the soil. This will maintain better grass, thus keeping your lawn's growth dense and vigorous. By optimizing the growing conditions for your lawn, you have removed the imbalences that weeds take advantage of.
In addition to culture practices, sometimes the assistance of organic metheds are needed to control weed growth. There are two main types of organic methods used to control weeds. One is physical labor - pulling the weeds by hand or with hand tools. Introducing children to the world of horticulture through weed pulling is a time honored tradition in many families. Note that parental follow-up on weed control is often necessary. The other organic way of controlling weeds is through the use of an organic herbicides. Of course, organic herbicides are non-toxic to animals and humans and quickly break down in the environment. Being safe for people, pets, fish and wildlife is a great advantage over the poisonous chemical herbicides. Such obsolete chemical herbicides have no place in today's lawns or gardens. Preemergence organic herbicides will affect seeds that are germinating. Such herbicides are best used two to three weeks before the seeds start to grow. Preemergence organic herbicides work best to combat annual weeds or for those weeds whose germination cycle you know. Postmergence organic herbicides are used, as their prefix implies, after the weeds have sprouted. Since they must be absorbed through the leaves, this types of herbicide works best with a spray.
While postmergence organic herbicides can be used at any time, they are most effective when the weed is still young and growing. Postmergence organic herbicides are usually used to control annual, biennial and perennial broadleaf weeds. Note that these organic herbicides can kill non-targeted trees, shrubs and flowers as well, so be sure to apply only to plants that you want to get rid of. When using postmergence organic herbicides, do so, when there is no rain in the forecast for two days to follow, air temperature is 60-80 degrees and there are no winds. This will ensure the herbicide goes onto the plants you want to remove and is not washed off before it can take effect. So next time you see a Dandelion plant growing or other weed, look to see what it is telling you about the health of your lawn! Are all growing conditions that you can control, optimum? Weeds have their value, too, so learn from them. And when you have to remove them, do so organically. About the Author: Scott Harker is the publisher of several websites including: Sherlock Holmes Pastiches, Harvest The Sun | Renewable Energy, Bonsai for Beginners, Dieting Help | Move More - Eat Less, and Coin Collector's Dream.
News about Weeds
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