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Lawn Weeds And Their Elimination
Filed under UncategorizedJan 7The torment of weeds and weeding for gardeners cannot be overstated. They come up everywhere regardless of the discouragement and poisonous tactics you employ. Black plastic sheeting, pre-emergent treatments, spray poisons—nothing can permanently defeat them. It’s like a constant warfare, beating back wave upon wave of barbarians intent on killing your precious cultivars.
In some ways, the true test of a serious gardener is how dedicated and effective he or she is in weed control. Many strong gardening hearts simply throw in the towel round about mid-July, exhausted by the never-ending strain of weed control. By that time it’s as hot as a firecracker, and sweat pours from the gardener’s brow just at the thought of going outside to pull the first weed. Strangely, this is the time weeds feel their best. They are at their most robust and send down deep determined roots that require a jackhammer to dislodge. Darwin probably had an explanation for this phenomenon, but so far, even with a man on the moon, mankind has not come up with a way to eradicate weeds simply and effectively.
To be fair, some weeds are better than others. Some like the dandelion are harbingers of spring. When the dandelions appear, you know it’s safe to plant onions and potatos. Some are actually herbs and only designated as weeds when they become overgrown and invasive, such as ragweed or St. John’s Wort. Some weeds are actually attractive, and for the gardener who has come to terms with weeds on an existential level, such might be left alone to grow as wild and as far and as high as they please. “Look at the pretty little yellow flowers,” the gardener might murmur to himself or herself, in a twisted sick rationalization.
You know a gardener has crossed a thin red line, however, when he or she begins to express admiration for the “hardiness” and “resourcefulness” of weeds. When that happens, it’s only a matter of months before the front yard is taken over by them, and a few more months before you cannot see the roof of the house anymore.
Even so, my greatest ire is reserved for weeds that invade my vegetable garden. Veggies require rather strenuous regular cultivation in comparison to ornamental plants. What’s more, they’re food! When I see pusley with its stinking little thorns or snake vines inching up on my bean sprouts, I’ve been known to throw myself at the onslaught with manic compulsivity and stay in the garden long after sunset feeling my way in the dark for the death-dealing invaders. Finally, I have but one thing to say to weeds (if they have ears, and I hope they do): Get out of my garden!