Weed Killing Organically

[Guest guest]

Dear Herbalists.

This is for those who grow their own - wish I had heard of

Solarization before I started my second Herb Garden, but it may help you

set up your gardens in New Mexico, Ian. It is such a brilliantly simple

idea and would be sooo efective in the Florida Sun..Thank you Shadoe

Rose for sending it to me.................Best wishes Penny

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Gardening organically does present its challenges. One of the greatest

chores is

weeding. If someone tells you they like weeding they must have the kind

of

dirt

where the weed gives way with a bit of a yank. With some planning you

can

have this

kind of soil too.

 

Grass and creeping weeds can be tough to control in an organic

environment,

but it

can be done and it really doesn't have to be a life long commitment.

But,

you do

need to be prepared to take some very specific steps.

 

The best case scenario is you have a space in which you want to get rid

of

everything planted on it. Preparing the garden the right way to begin

with

is a big

step toward fewer backaches in the future. In this situation, soil

solarization is a

must. Solarizing your soil will get rid of left over plants, weed seeds,

 

pests and

disease. Oddly, the good bacteria in your soil survive this scorching

process.

 

There are three basic steps to solarization. They are scrape, cover and

 

wait. You

don't have to scrape the old weeds or grass off the ground, but the

process

will

work faster and there is less chance a stray creeping offender will find

 

its way out

from its death chamber. Plus, you will not want to till or reshape the

ground much

after you solarize because you may drag weed seeds up from the depths of

 

the earth

where solarization did not reach. Before you cover the area with clear

plastic,

water thoroughly. This helps the heat to penetrate. Make sure the edges

of

the

plastic are secure with a nice rim of dirt all the way around the edge.

Wait about

two weeks in the summer and voila no more weeds. The time you need to

wait

varies

with your temperature. But two weeks in summer is a good estimate. Here

is

a very

informative link for more specifics on soil solarization.

http://willow.ncfes.umn.edu/fnn_4-92/eco492.htm

 

The second really important way to control weeds is with mulch. This

does

require a

certain amount of vigilance to keep the mulch deep enough. I like a

small

chipped

bark mulch layered at least three inches. And, while I have heard others

 

say not to

mulch right up to the stem of the plant, I have never had any problems

mulching

right up to the base of the plant. One rule of thumb is that the larger

the

particles of the mulch you are using, the deeper the mulch needs to be.

 

So put away the herbicides and enjoy the bounty of your garden, safe

and

weed free

(well, almost, there are those gifts the birds bring).

 

 

bb, ShadoeRose