Weeds are the unwanted plants in your garden that compete with your main crop for space, water, sunlight and nutrients. Weeds are also carrier of plant diseases and can spread easily if they are not dealt with. The definition of weeds can sometimes by confusing to the beginning gardener. A corn is a productive plant and is considered as an important crop by many countries. However, a single or several corn plants that are growing within a field of sunflowers is/are considered as a weed because they are not the main crop and therefore they are competing with the sunflowers for nutrients.
The most demanding task is weeding a garden for avid or neophyte gardeners. Because weeds are resilient and persistent all gardens develop weeds from time to time. Gardeners often put off weeding until the weeds are already out of control and because it is an unpleasant task. Making your garden weed free is possible as long as you follow these tips:
Prevention. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is a proverb that been said in olden days. The best defence that your garden has on weeds probably is to avoid them from growing. At a significant rate it can produce many seeds that can spread once a weed is left to grow in a garden. A single weed can multiply quickly until the garden is already overrun by weeds as avoiding even just a single weed is a mistake. For your crops to grow and develop to its optimum productive height preventing weeds to germinate can be enabled. The following are the steps you need to follow for that:
Mulching. Mulching is a gardening technique which involves the covering of the soil around the main plant or crop with organic materials such as dried rice straws or grasses in order to protect it from the germination of weeds. Mulching is also used to prevent erosion, to enrich the soil and to retain the moisture content.
Because it prevents sunlight to shine directly on the weed seeds that lay dormant in the ground mulching prevents the germination of weeds. While mulching always better to make sure that your crops are tall enough in such a way that their leaves are higher than the mulching materials. It also make sure that the crops get adequate sunlight which they need. When using the mulch another reminder is that to use dry straws or grass stalks without the pinnacles where grass seeds are located.
Use of Covering Materials. Occurrence of weeds because it uses the same principles of that of mulching can also be prevented by covering the soil surrounding your plants with dark materials such as black plastic sheeting, black garbage bags or weed mats. Unlike in mulching with organic materials covering materials do not enrich the soil with nutrients.
Close Spacing. Placing crops or plants as close together as possible without letting them compete with space is the another way of preventing weed from germinating. When plants grow close each other a canopy is formed from the leaves in which they block sunlight from reaching the soil and germinating the weed seeds that are lying about.
Weed Removal. If you were not able to prevent the germination of the weeds, then the next best thing to do is to remove the weeds that have already grown. It may be an unpleasant task but the only way to protect your garden is to remove the weeds upon sight.
To remove weeds is by hand weeding is the most common way. The most effective method is this while the weeds are still small and their roots have not had the chance to root too deeply. Better always to make sure that the soil is moist for it easier to loosen the weeds roots when you plan to weed manually.
Roots having deep root simply pull them out by hand is another option while the weeds are a little larger. Use weeding tools like hand trowels and forked weeders to remove these slightly larger and deeper weeds. Always make sure you remove the entire weed including the roots. Since the roots may still spread and grow new weeds merely cutting the top is not enough.
Article by Craig Desmier of OutdoorSofa.com, a website with the largest selections of resin outdoor wicker sofas and wicker outdoor sectional for your household needs.
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