Even nongardeners must face the fact that weeds are everywhere, and despite some of their individual beauty and tastiness, most weeds are just a pure nuisance that detract from the garden, lawn and landscape. More than that, weeds sop up important nutrients, keeping them from flowers and vegetables. They cast shadows on valuable sunlight and block air circulation, keeping garden plants wet, which could lead to dreadful diseases. The only effective tactic in keeping weeds under control is to go after them on a regular basis by using a variety of methods.
Trying to regain control after the planting beds have been left to their own for several weeks brings on a much more serious and laborious situation to remove them.
Although I try to combat weeds with every possible method - including pre-emergent chemicals, plastic film mulches, deep layers of cedar or straw mulch and consistent hoeing - there is still one technique I can never escape: getting down on my sometimes achy knees and pulling weeds by hand, one at a time. It's obvious why the weeds have to go here's how to do it:
Grab them wet and
Consistency important. Every Saturday morning is my time to scour the yard with a five-gallon pail in hand searching for culprits that might have sprouted during the week. It's amazing what crops out of the ground in a week's time, but it's depressing what happens if left unattended for even one week.
The five- gallon pail is important- you don't want to just pull weeds out and leave them on top of the soil. For one, it's unsightly and an unsanitary garden practice, but also weeds are tough, and can gain a second life with a passing shower or watering to help them reroot themselves. If weeding is attacked on a weekly basis, the job is a breeze taking less than 15 minutes.
Add/replenish mulch. I use my soil temperature gauge to let me know when the soil has warmed up to at least 68 degrees before I add mulch in the vegetable garden, especially with warm-soil loving crops like peppers, eggplant and tomatoes.
By midsummer I will evaluate how thick and effective the mulch is and if needed, will reapply additional layers to preserve moisture and keep new weeds from sprouting. Salt hay that is used in the vegetable garden starts to decay and become thin, allowing weeds to germinate, while the wood mulches in the flower gardens do the same thing. Replenishing both not only helps keep the weeds in check, but spruces up the appearance of the gardens, as well.
Don't give up. No matter what, you cannot allow weeds to form seed heads and spread their seed further. Lop off the heads and bury them in a hot compost pile. In a real emergency, just cutting the weeds at ground level with a pair of shears will set them back enough to allow most garden plants to sneak ahead of the weeds. There is no substitute however,, for a good hoe for weed control. As for what kind of hoe, everyone has a favorite; mine is a wellsharpened scuffle hoe.
If you think all this weeding is not worth it, or if you tend to give up in late August on weeding, consider this: Keeping weeds under control just one month longer instead of throwing in the towel in late summer, will make a significant difference in crop yields. Even more critical is the fact that most weeds tend to set seed in late summer, early fall.
Let one seed head into the wind and you could be having thousands of new weed plants sprouting in next year's garden.
FROM THE MAILBAG
Q: My rhubarb plants started off well this year, but the leaves have become wilted. There also appear to be brownish, water spots on them, although I do not detect any insects. Please tell me what to do as I'd hate to lose them. - C. Morrison, Easton
A: You are correct, this is not insect damage, but a disease known as crown rot (or root rot, from one of the Phytophthora species). This is a fungal problem that thrives in wet, heavy, waterlogged soils, causing the stems and roots to rot. This problem is typical this time of year, and the only remedy is to remove and discard (not in the compost) the sickly plants.
You should then drench the soil with a fungicide such as copper sulfate. Be sure to purchase disease-free plants from a reputable company and to plant them in soil that is well-drained.
Q: What can I do to prevent the annual onslaught of the squash bug on my zucchini plants? They just seem to do a bang-up job in slowly killing my plants every year and I'd sure like to avoid the same scenario this year. - N. Gillivan, Weston
A: The adult squash bug (or stink bug because of its odorous smell when crushed) is usually black or brownish in color and about five-eighths of an inch long, with fine dark hairs around their abdomens. It is the pale green larvae ( nymphs) that actually create all the trouble and end up boring through your squash plant at its base.
These bugs are elusive and difficult to control. When the bugs first appear (usually right about now), treat the plants with an insecticide containing carbaryl (SEVIN), insecticidal soap, or pyrethrins.
Repeat the treatment every seven days until the bugs are controlled. As a backup plan, I always plant a second crop of zucchini in early July to replace any plants that might have been attacked or have just withered out from exhaustion.
Have questions? Send them to Bing J. Carbone, 46 Winthrop Woods Road, Huntington CT 06484, or e-mail them to bjcgardens@aol.com.
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