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Weeds
I live in Northwest Indiana and the weed problem this year is a nightmare.
We had an unusually mild winter and I have conclude (after a friend told
me their pansies never died and realizing that none of my flowers died
that were left in flower boxe) that the weeds did not die back and all
of those seeds are just having a wonderful time sprouting and growing
uncontrollably! And I am not one to use chemicals in my environment.
I usually use lots of newspapers on the soil covered by wood chips. This
always does a good job. However, with the mild winter there were no damaging
storms in this area and thus no clean up operations for downed trees which
makes wood chips readily available. And my yard is so big that to purchase
enough to cover it is out of the question.
So, what to do this year? Well, this dilemma sent me to my gardening
books. And, Jerry Baker in his book "Garden Secrets", has a
'secret' about mulch that I wish I had known years ago. (After this lengthy
quote I will list several other 'natural' remedies for weeds that his
book enlightened me about... and a couple of others that have been tested
with good results.)
MULCH AWAY WEEDS
"I find that it is seldom necessary for me to use week killers in
my garden as long as I have an adequate amount of mulch down to protect
the soil. Grass, leaves, shredded bark, peanut of cocoa shells, wood chips,
and straw all fit the bill. Than all I need to do is pull or dig out the
occasional weed.
This technique is known to gardening professionals as sheet composting-instead
of piling up refuse in a compost heap, waiting for it to decompose, then
hauling it back to the garden, I spread organic mulch over the garden,
and allow it to decompose there. (Oh to have had this information many
years ago!-Sharon)
If you want to give this technique a try, start by spreading a good,
thick layer of mulch in your garden. As it decomposes into humus, replenish
it with new materials to prevent weed seeds from sprouting in the rotted
mulch.
Supplement straw, manure, ( human or animal hair) and other basic mulching
materials with kitchen vegetable refuse and anything else you would normally
throw on a compost heap.
When you're ready to plant, just rake away the mulch from the row areas,
make a furrow, and drop in seeds or set in seedlings. Firm the soil around
newly planted seedlings, but don't rake the mulch back around them until
the plants are well established.
Cover the seeds with a light layer of soil, then strips of cardboard.
Rake the mulch back up to the edges of the row. As soon as your seedlings
sprout, remove the cardboard.
If you use this technique you should be able to keep your garden practically
weed-free year 'round."
CREATE A WEED-KILLER
"…the weeds in your yard will be singing the blues when you
hit 'em with this potent (elixer). Alcohol dehydrates almost any plant,
so take advantage of its drying power and mix up a batch of this elixer,
then watch those pesky weeds dry up right out of existence.
Simply put 2 tablespoons of rubbing alcohol into a handheld sprayer (or
spray bottle) and thoroughly drench any unwanted plants with this mixture.
A word of warning: …be sure not to get any of this mixture on surrounding
plants or grass."
I have found that between stepping stones or patio blocks an application
of undiluted vinegar does an excellent job of killing weeds in 2-3 days.
Two or three applications over the summer is all it has taken me to keep
the weeds away. A friend of mine uses boiling water to do the same thing.
Pouring salt on them will also do the job if you do it on a day without
rain. In a day or two the weeds will curl up and die and can be swept
away.
- Sharon
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