Newsletter - August 2009

Hi,

Don't you love the garden in August? The tomatoes are coming in, the pumpkins are setting fruit, and I am harvesting arugula and radish salad daily and beans and squash twice a week. Next year, I'll plant more variety. In the flower beds, the Dahlias and Daisies are glorious, the Crape Myrtles and Chitalpas across town add striking over-head color, and the fragrance from Gardenia, Magnolia, Honeysuckle and Night-blooming Jessamine remind us of the lazy summer days of childhood. I really feel sorry for people who are without a garden right now.

One problem that often stops people from embracing a garden is the thought of pulling weeds. I was talking to a person with a new garden installation just last week and she said she'd never had so many weeds before. I told her that once this new crop of weeds (that developed from disturbing the soil and germinating old weed seeds) is un-der control, she won't have this much of a problem again. There are several ways to treat weeds, either organically, or chemically, but they all involve determining weed type. You can always ask at a nursery, or call a Master Gardener.

Believe it or not, annual and biennial weeds are very easy to control organically. All you have to do is mow them to prevent flowering. If they can't flower, they can't form seed. An annual that dies without forming seed is eliminated from the garden. If the weeds are in a location that prevents mowing, take some scissors and cut off the stems. Oat grass, barley, foxtail, cheeseweed, bristley oxtongue, yellow star thistle, wild radish, English plantain and many more varieties are best controlled this way. If the weeds are very tiny, just turn them under while aerating the garden beds.

The difficult to control weeds are perennials. They include dandelions, white morning glory, or bindweed, nut sedge, oxalis, and Bermuda grass. These weeds will spread not only by seed, but by pieces of broken roots, or stems. Also, the roots of morning glory will grow four feet deep into the soil. If you want to control these weeds organically, persistent attention to stem removal is the only way. If you have a small problem, that's not too bad, but if the garden is infested, you may want to use a chemical application.

Chemical herbicides are labeled as either "specific control", to kill grass, or broadleaf weeds, or as "non-specific" that will kill every plant it touches. First remember that chemicals can't tell the difference between weeds and ornamental plants. Also, timing is important. Chemicals work best, if the weed is in an active growth stage with lots of green leafy foliage. If you wait until the weed forms a flower, the chemical will take a much longer time to work.

Generally, a non-specific control such as "Round-up" (glysophate), or "Spectracide" (diquat) are used in large areas of infestation, or with a small direct spray to a specific plant. If this is the case, be certain to never spray on a windy day to avoid chemical drift. Use a "specific herbicide in the lawn to kill broadleaf weeds, or in a broadleaf ground cover to kill grass weeds. If you have a newly planted landscape, a pre-emergent herbicide may be used to prevent weed seed germination, but won't hurt plants with a developed root system. Don't try to germinate any other seeds though while this chemical is still active, as it will stop their growth too. I actually prefer this method to putting down weed cloth under mulch. I like to plant bulbs and annuals. Weed cloth is better for people who want to plant shrubs and forget about the garden. But the new weed cloths are vastly improved with the ability to let water and nutrients penetrate the soil. So much better that the old black plastic used by our parents.

If you do decide to use a chemical, choose one that will be effective while doing the least damage to the environment. (See the July newsletter). Remember that you are handling poison, so protect yourself. Where long sleeves, full-length pants, shoes and gloves. Don't eat, drink, or smoke while applying a chemical and wash clothing and body thoroughly after application. A pre-mixed chemical is easiest for the homeowner, but if you want to save money by using a concentrate, only mix enough for the current project, and never keep left-over mixed chemicals. Use it all. Keep the chemical in a locked cabinet and discard the chemical if it's more than three years old. (Take it to the County agriculture Department, or wait for a bio-hazard collection day). Also keep a bag of kitty-litter to absorb liquid spills.

Enjoy your summer garden and stay safe caring for it.