Understanding Weeds

To tackle weeds, we need to understand weeds. That does not mean we need to learn botany now.  We just need to be able to use some common descriptions for weeds to understand them.  Weeds are plants which grow where they are not wanted, multiply miraculously, survive in really tough conditions and choke good plants.  Like cancer, they destroy good plants and over time, conquer the entire garden area.

Weeds are a sure example of Darwin’s theory on `Survival of the Fittest’.  Probably because their use to mankind is limited and their growth is often curbed and controlled, weeds are really armed to survive in the bleakest of conditions and thrive and grow.  They are also competent by nature, and they dominate the place they live in.

A few simple characteristics of weeds are:

1. They produce seeds abundantly.
2. They establish themselves really fast, and they grow and expand at amazing speed.
3. Their seeds are `survival’ encoded.
4. They compete and drive out other plants to establish their own selves more firmly.
5. Weeds are troublesome!  A lot of them can cause allergies like hay fever. 
6. They contaminate good crops, interfere with harvest and they act as hosts for insects.
7. They grow during all seasons.

Controlling weeds is sort of like controlling cancer.  The treatment should start in the initial stages in order to control the spread.  Some methods include regular mowing, pulling out weeds by their roots, and applying herbicide discretionarily.  To know more, read my eBook.

Recognize your weeds:

There are a lot more (ref my eBook) out there, but here are a few easily recognizable ones:

• Those little yellow flowers with tiny leaves are called Wood Sorrel
• Plantain has leaves which have hard shoots with plain colors
• Hawkweed resembles the dandelion
• And the dandelion itself which has yellow flowers.

Weed Management:

We actually start managing a weed problem only when we see it.  But then the weeds have started germinating long before they appear on the ground. Since they are season resistant, a lot of weeds begin germinating in winter itself.  A good weed management program requires that we use a pre emergent and a post emergent treatment. As the words indicate, pre emergent tackles weeds before they appear outside the soil, and post emergent is for those persistent weeds which have made an external appearance.

Weed Squashers:

Weeds are like viruses – there is no one miracle weed killer which kills all.  Only the right weed killer will work on the right weed, and that too has to be used at the right time.

My eBook explains the techniques and the products you need to use to manage your weed problem and to make your garden look healthy and nourished.  Once you have tackled the problem, the benefits far outweigh the effort – your lawn will now look smoother, mowing is easier and finally your lawn looks thick with green grass and not with creepy weeds.

Give your lawn its best chance of survival, by de-weeding!