Talking about weeds isn’t the most engrossing topic of gardening conversation, but oh so necessary. For a pesticide-free yard, it’s pretty straightforward: smother and knock out the germinating seeds when they first nestle into your lawn in the fall, or yank them up from the roots when they emerge in the spring. Occasionally, a vinegar-based herbicide is needed for stubborn weeds. Prevent both the seed and plant from thriving by maintaining a thick tight thatch of the grass you’re actually cultivating.
Buy a large bag of corn gluten meal in the fall and sprinkle over the whole yard, especially concentrate on the bald patches where exposed dirt is an open invitation to random wind-blown seeds, like dandelions. Repeat this process in early spring.
March is a great time to be decisively pro-active about weeds in your lawn. They are easily seen as bright green patches on your still brown winter thatch. Spray vinegar directly on each emergent weed, wait a day, then pull them up from the roots. I have two nifty tools that I use. One looks like a pogo stick with a corkscrew attached to the end. I jam the corkscrew part into the weed, give it a twist, and pry the weed out of the lawn. My other tool looks like a screwdriver on steroids! When my back is giving me extra trouble, I chunk the pogo stick for the screwdriver contraption. I crawl around on my hands and knees, stick the sharp end into the weed, dig with a circular motion, and pry the weed out. After a few hours of extricating weeds, my lawn looks like gophers have had a picnic with small potholes everywhere, but the exercise is worth it. If I’m diligent for two weeks out of the year, in early fall and spring, I’m rewarded with an almost maintenance free lawn, and definitely a chemical free one!
It’s a whole lot easier to extricate weeds when they’re just a few and quite obvious than waiting till they’re mature and mow them down. Mowing the adult weeds flings the ripe seed pods far and wide ensuring an even greater weed crop for the next year. A little diligence early on makes for a healthier less infested yard for the long run.
It’s pretty easy to see the life lesson represented by weed pulling! Pluck out the offensive thoughts and behaviors when they’re insignificant and easy to see before they multiply and choke out the healthy growth trying to flourish in your life.
How are you dealing with unwanted weeds in your garden/life?
…the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’