Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Tips On Controlling Weeds In An Organic Garden

By Orsen Taylor


The bane of any gardener are weeds but they're especially bothersome to organic gardeners. Weed killer is used by many gardeners but they can't be used in an organic garden. So what can you do?

Once you've identified your most troublesome weed, find the best way you can get rid of that particular type of weed. We're going to look at a few of the most common weeds, and how to get rid of those weeds.

Dandelion is known to be one of the worst offenders. Although some people choose to grow dandelions for their greens, most gardeners just want to get rid of them. You need to dig out the entire taproot if you want to get rid of dandelions.

Before they flower, you should always pull them up with a hoe. Then, you need to spread corn gluten over areas that you want to be dandelion free in the early spring. This will help keep a lot of the seedlings from growing.

A major pest in many yards and gardens is crabgrass. It is very tough to pull up, and it is especially hard to get rid of. What you need to do is pull up the entire plant as well as its roots. You can suppress further growth by spreading down corn gluten in the early spring. To prevent seeds from germinating, you can also try mulching.

Considered as a horrible plant is poison ivy. Even with very mild exposure, terrible rashes can be caused. You should always wear gloves when handling this plant, and don't ever let it touch any part of your skin.

You must cut the plant at the base, then let it dry out completely. You can either bury the vines or throw them away. Smoke from burning poison ivy can be fatal, so don't ever burn them. Do not compost poison ivy.

Lamb's quarters is an edible wild green. These are grown for food by some people, but most think of them as common weeds. Getting rid of them is difficult. When you see them, you can hoe or pull up the plants. To suppress the seedlings, you should mulch heavily.

Many people want to get rid of ragweed. Its pollen is a major cause of hay fever and it's a very common allergen. Dig up the seedlings and mow down full grown plants. What you can do is mulch to cover the areas where it grows. If it hasn't yet gone to seed, you can compost ragweed.

Purslane is an edible plant. Individual plants can be removed by hoeing. If you pull the plants, they can reroot themselves if you leave them lying on top of the soil. Don't compost them because the seeds of this plant can mature after it's been pulled. Mulch if you want to prevent these from growing.

Prickly lettuce is a little plants that's known to be annoying. Always wear gloves when you handle it because it causes itching and burning if it comes in contact with skin. You can pull or hoe plants, or cut the taproot below the soil.

It can attract beneficial insects so you may wish to leave it alone, but it can also carry lettuce diseases. Be sure it's kept away from your lettuce patches. Because cocklebur is poisonous to livestock, make sure you keep it away from your animals. Plants beneath the soil line can hoed or pulled. You can compost it if it hasn't yet gone to seed.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment