Prickly war on weeds
Will Rogers observed that
”
in this world nothing can be said to be certain but death and
taxes.
”
But he missed another certainty: Weeds.
Prickly war on weeds
Will Rogers observed that “in this world nothing can be said to be certain but death and taxes.” But he missed another certainty: Weeds.
Weeds seem to be more prevalent than ever this year, and that’s saying something. They are big, prickly, sticky, invasive, obnoxious … fill in your own word here.
I got up close with weeds this weekend, and it was truly ugly. What set me off on this massive weed project was the pending arrival of Jake. Jake is my grandson’s golden retriever, and he was coming to spend the week at my house while his family travels to Europe.
At the far end of my property, there is a swatch of dirt that is home to a whole lot of prickly weeds that would poke Jake’s paws and catch in his golden coat. There is also an escaped blackberry bush, wild morning glory and prickly lettuce, just to mention a few of the ugly creatures.
As I dug and chopped out the disgusting mess, I wondered, “Why is this stuff here? And what can I do to ensure it doesn’t come back?”
This quest took me to the Sunset Western Garden Problem Solver book, which includes an entire section on Weeds of the West. How many? The book describes 90 weeds, some that I recognize from my own yard, and some I pray never show up at this house.
So, what did I remove in 90-degree heat using a hand hoe? And how many of these can you spot in your own yard?
Field bindweed has been a consistent problem for a long time. Unfortunately, I’ve more or less ignored it. So, it has more or less spread recklessly. Field bindweed is also called wild morning glory, creeping Charlie or creeping Jenny. It’s described as a “persistent perennial plant” which spreads from underground roots. So, when you grab a handful and pull it up, all you’ve done is remove the top. Those nasty roots are still there, ready to spread further. It’s in my vegetable garden, wrapping around my pumpkin vines, working its way up the fence, and now further still into the back part of the yard. I spent a lot of time this weekend digging up the bindweed. The permanent cure is glyphosate, which is the main ingredient in Roundup. But – and this is important – you can’t use a nonselective control like Roundup when bindweed is wrapped around desirable plants such as my pumpkin vines.
The solution: Stay alert to where bindweed appears, and then zap it with Roundup when the desirable plant has finished its thing. The herbicide works best when bindweed has a few white flowers. The flowers look like tiny morning glories.
Stinging nettles are a real problem, and I can’t seem to beat this one down. Wearing gloves and heavy shirt, I dug up the roots of numerous stinging nettle. The name comes from the stinging hairs on the leaves that cause painful welts. I had 10 plants – I actually counted them – but people with pastures and fields have many, many more. And, they can grow 9 feet tall. Yikes.
The solution: Dig up the plants, roots and all. Use a selective herbicide for broad-leaf plants. Wear protective clothing. This can be a painful gardening chore.
Yellow star thistle is the worse of the half-dozen or so thistles that grow in our region. Star thistle invades pastures and fields. It’s toxic to horses, which makes it very bad news in our area. I dug out two plants and felt sorry for the ranchers that have this gruesom pest appearing in their pastures.
The solution: Dig it out as soon as you see it, before it sets seed. Otherwise you will have more next year. A selective herbicide will kill the plant. But the plant itself will have to be removed, either dead or alive.
Prickly lettuce is actually a relative of the lettuce family, but there is nothing nice about this broadleaf annual. Prickly lettuce grows 1 to 5 feet tall from a deep taproot, which makes digging it out a chore. The leaves and stem on the bottom are quite prickly so you can’t just grab it and pull it out. Mine was growing along the edge of the back fence and it was difficult to get to the very deep tap root. I prevailed.
The solution: Dig it up before it sets seed. A selective herbicide for broadleaf plants will work.
Chickweed comes and goes with the seasons, and mine seems to last forever. Chickweed is a low-growing annual succulent that eventually sets seed and dies in early summer. It’s annoying to see it growing among desirable plants. I once had a gardening neighbor who collected young chickweed and used it as “lettuce” in sandwiches. He said it tasted good. I never had the urge to try it. Mine this weekend went into the trash, not a sandwich.
The solution: Chickweed is easy to pull when young. Get rid of it at once before it sets seed.
A word of caution about using herbicides to remove weeds. A non-selective herbicide kills everything it touches. Spray in the morning before the wind comes up. Be very cautious to avoid “drift” to desirable plants. Selective herbicides kill broadleaf plants, but the same thing applies. It will also kill other desirable broadleaf plants. Read the label on any of these products, and follow the directions exactly as stated.
Using a herbicide does not necessarily solve the weed problem. These loathsome weeds spread by underground roots or rhizomes, and by seed. Which means it may take two or three years of constant vigil to actually get rid of them.
And, of course, weeds that die by spraying still need to be dug out. A dead star thistle in the pasture is just as dangerous as a live one. A long-handle hoe, a hand hoe, or pick axe are the tools needed to finally remove these pests.
I know. That’s how I spent my weekend.
Plant a Row for the Hungry: Fruit trees are producing nice crops, and that is good news for Community Pantry. Plant a Row for the Hungry gardeners this past week shared 205 pounds of cherries and 216 pounds of strawberries. That brings the total so far this year to 421 pounds of fresh produce to share with those in the community who need it most.
“The fruit is wonderful,” says Mary Anne Hughes, Pantry manager. “We are still waiting to see the first ripe garden tomato. But that will happen very soon now that the weather is warmer.”
If you have garden produce to share, especially that magical first ripe tomato, the Pantry is located at 30 Airport Ave., Hollister. For more information call (831) 637-0340.
