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One of the greatest
challenge in gardening and landscaping is weed control. The definition of
weeds are ‘the plants out of place’ or weeds are those plants, which we don’t want
growing where we don’t want them. Most weeds are native and they grow faster than
our desirable plants. They compete with desirable plants for water, light and
nutrients and take up space, attract bugs or insects of different diseases and get
tangled up with our plants’ roots.
According growing habit there are two kinds of weeds-
Annual and Perennial weed.
Annual Weed-
Annual weeds are those which complete their life cycle within one growing
season, or a year. The most familiar example of an annual weed is crabgrass,
which germinates from seed in the spring of the year. Crabgrass germinates when
the soil temperature reaches 10-15 degrees C. (in end of winter). Crabgrass completes its life-cycle
in the fall; the mature plant produces seeds and is killed-off by the hard frost
(Tusharo) of the fall. It is a summer annual weed. Winter annual weeds are very similar,
except they germinate in the fall and die in the early heat of summer. Annual
bluegrass is an example for winter annual weed.
Perennial Weed-
Perennials are those weeds which live on from year-to-year. They may appear
to die-off in the fall like an annual weed does, but their roots remain alive.
They stay in a semi-dormant stage through the winter months. Fresh foliage
reappears from end of winter to spring. Dandelion is an example for perennial
weed.
There are two types of weeds-
Broadleaf and Grassy Weeds.
Broadleaf weed
Broadleaf weeds have broad leaves and they cover wide area even they are young
or small in size. Plantain is an example for broadleaf weed. In technical terms,
broadleaf weeds are 'dicots' having two seed leaves, while grassy weeds are
'monocots' having one seed leaf.
Grassy weed
Grassy weeds have similar appearance with cultivated grasses. One of the most
bothersome grassy weed is annual bluegrass (a winter annual weed), which
kills desirable grasses or plants on lawn and garden (especially in lawn).
Yes, it is true, there is no weeds-free soil but we can control them.
There are basically two methods of removing or controlling weeds from the
garden or lawn. The first is hand-pulling or hand-digging to remove the
tuberous and deep root (which will produce another plant if it isn't fully removed),
and second, the application of herbicides (commonly known as "weed killers").
There are also some other ways of controlling weeds.
Mulching is one way to keep weeds out, which is a cover for the soil. We can use
wood bark, straw, hay, and all of which can be bought in the garden centers.
We also can use dry grass clipping (if no pests and weed killer has been used).
Spread the mulch equally over the soil Two to Three inches thick.
Even if we use mulch, a few weed will sneak into our garden. We need to get
rid of them. The best is to do a little weeding every week, even if the weeds
aren’t very big. We can use stand up tools, like hose, but it’s easier to get down
on our knees and use a hand tools. The best hand tools are-
pronged cultivator, orA magic weeder (three line of iron rods),
Cape Code weeder (kuto)
Be careful with this tools, they are sharp but easy to use. Just comb lightly
through the top of the soil around your plants. Don’t do close enough to hurt them. The
tool will break little weeds so they can’t grow very much and it also makes the soil
loose, which lets water and air get down to the roots. We may still have weeds that
grow pretty big. Getting rid from them have to pull them out with whole roots. Little
pieces of root left in the soil will grow new weeds. If the weed is very close to one
of our plant, hold the good plant in the ground with your fingers while pulling the
weed out.
Tips
How to recognize seedlings and weeds?
When our desirable plants are young or on seedling stage, it’s sometimes hard to
know which green things are desirable plants and which are weeds. Our desirable plants will
be in a row (if you put the seeds in a row while sowing seeds). They may look alike with
weeds. But
they’ll be about the same size and have same kind of leaves. Rest all things are
weeds. If you pull by mistake your desirable plants, try putting it back in the
ground, it may grow.
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