To weed, or not to weed, that is the question?

First things first, what is a weed? Ask anyone what they think is a weed and you will get many different answers. The most simple answer is a plant out of place. Grass in a rose garden, wheat in a cornfield, dandelions in a lawn are all examples of what people think of when we talk about weeds.

If you think about plants and mother nature though, they tell you what is wrong or missing in those areas. A dandelion in a lawn can indicate you have compacted soils. A row of wheat in the middle of a cornfield would indicate a volunteer, a plant that grew on its own or without the growers knowledge. Grass in a rose bed comes as the grass spreads to areas without mulch and lots of water.

What do we do about weeds though? Lets look at what they are first and then look at how to solve the problem. A flower bed may need some organic materials such as mulch. With lawns, a tap root weed means we need to aerate the soil. Clover or oxalis indicate a nutrient deficiency. A volunteer may mean an area was missed when we tilled or that we had an animal friend trying to hide their food.

Should we get rid of them? That is going to depend on if we want a specific aesthetic or if we want to solve the problem that they tell us. We have many ways we can solve these issues with the main options being mechanical, cultural, or chemical. Mechanical measure would be your weed pullers, hula hoes, or barriers. Chemical controls can be selective (attacks a particular plant type or species) or non-selective herbicides (attacks all plants). Cultural control can be as simple as increasing a mow height, proper timing of fertilization, watering based on requirements, or the right plant in the right place.

Whatever path we choose, we make sure it is right for the plant. I use the UC IPM website for many issues when I am unsure on the latest treatments or issues. But I like to utilize plant and garden books, specifically the Sunset Western Garden Book #ad. If you have issues and are unsure of how to handle them, send us a message.