**WEEDS** So what are weeds? Weeds are just plants in the wrong place: basically anything you’re not trying to grow. In our case, that means anything growing in your patch. Some weed seeds sprout rapidly, whizzing through their lifecycles to make more seeds and more weeds. Others can spread under, or above, the ground on long roots or stems. Either way, encourage the plants you want and try getting rid of the ones you don’t. Get rid of any brute that threatens to out-compete your plants or steal their resources. But try to avoid using weedkillers because they can harm insects and other plants. What will I find when preparing my site? All soil has weeds and weed seeds in it, so you’ll soon find out what’s in store. Deal with the following plants by digging out or pulling up the whole plant: dandelions chickweed creeping thistles hairy bittercress broad-leaved dock cleavers The real toughies include: bindweed horsetail couch grass brambles nettles To get rid of these, use a garden fork to remove as much of the plant as possible. But if you’re defeated by rampant weed growth. Learn more about these weeds below. Weedlings or seedlings? Nettles Nettles As plants emerge, most are small and green so telling which is which involves a bit of cunning. Define the edges: sow your seeds in arcs or patterns, so you can see where they come up. Anything outside the pattern is a weed. Know your enemy: look up common weeds on the web and remove them as soon as you spot them. Use the hive mind: a neighbour or relative might know about weeds. Ask for a crash course on plant identification. Have a weeding party: many hands make light work so invite friends, relatives and neighbours to help! Hints and tips Brambles Brambles Get to know your plants: sow a pinch of seed in a pot of compost. As the seedlings grow, check them against the ones emerging in the flowerbed and pull out the ones that don’t match. Mark where you’ve sown your seeds with a fine sprinkle of dry sand. Share the knowledge: create a rogues gallery: ‘Weeds least wanted!’ FAQs Got a burning question? Check out these FAQs in case we’ve already got it covered. If not, you can send it in to us from the Contact page. Q. While digging my patch I found lots of roots that look like fat white spaghetti. Which plant do they belong to? A. They belong to bindweed (Convolvulus) – a vigorous perennial weed. It has pretty flowers but will strangle anything it grows up. Thoroughly dig through the soil with a garden fork, removing every bit of root you find. A new plant can grow from even a tiny piece of root left behind. Weeding out any shoots that then appear will continue to weaken it, although it’s pretty hard to get rid of entirely. Q. Someone told me the wild flowers are weeds. Is that true? A. A weed is just a plant growing where it’s not wanted. You want your wild flowers so they’re not weeds. But wild flowers have gained a bad reputation from people. This is because they grow naturally among crops and bare soil – in other words, where farmers or gardeners don’t want them. But where they’re wanted, they’re beautiful. Q. I went away for a couple of weeks and now I have loads of weeds and plants all growing together – help! A. Don’t panic! Identify the weeds and trace the stems down to the ground to pull them out and remove them. Do it gently, don’t rush and don’t worry too much if you accidentally take out a few: plants growing close together benefit from thinning and the remaining ones will grow bigger and stronger because of it. You can always try replanting the displaced plants elsewhere and if you miss a few weeds it’s not the end of the world. Did you know? The dandelion has many properties. The leaves and fresh buds can be used in salads and the roots, when dried, can be drunk as a coffee substitute. The plant is also a powerful detoxifier and diuretic. The French call dandelions pis-en-lit or piss in bed because of this!
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 13:13:47 +0000
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