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Re: Preen and other weed controls

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

Richard:

It sometimes seems to me that the weeds can grow better than my garden plants, unless I control the garden environment. Here are a few things to focus on while you decide the best strategy for your weed control.

The main idea here is to ask yourself a few questions that will guide your tactical elimination of unwanted plants we call weeds.
 
1. What makes plants grow? Sun, water, space, time, and other nutrients (fertilizers) 

2. How can we deny at least one of these three main items for any unwanted plants(weeds)? The easiest one to deny the weeds is sunlight. Plants must absorb energy from sunlight to complete the process of photosynthesis. 

3. What methods can we implement in the garden or yard to deny the weeds sunlight(or other basic need)? To deny the weeds sunlight, use mulch. It is the most common tool used to prevent photsynthesis from occuring. Artificial cover like newspaper or black plastic is another. Because black plastic absorbs heat energy, it should be avoided in mid-summer, unless we cover it with straw or something to absorb the heat. 

Try some of these ideas. Mulch the areas around your plants and your garden walkways with straw or some other semi-inert substance, and your garden plants will get more moisture, sunlight, and nutrients. They won't have to compete with those pesky weeds.

One of your other concerns seems to be the areas where you are not gardening...those are the spaces where annual row crops can be planted (refer to earlier posts on rye grass, etc) or you can cover those areas with black plastic, newspapers, or heavy mulch. 

It is always fun to hear how ideas turned out...no matter who suggested them. Let us know how you dealt with those monster weeds!

Happy gardening,
Sheryl
         
---
"Nature uses only the longest threads to weave her
patterns, so that each small piece of her fabric
reveals the organization of the entire tapestry."
-Richard Feynman


On Wed, 21 Apr 1999 10:42:24   Betz, Richard wrote:

>Hi all, 
<SNIP> What do all you SQFTer's use to keep weeds
>down to a minimum? <SNIP>I am tired of not
>being able to plant any vegetables for a fall harvest. Please, any help
>would be greatly appreciated.
>
>Thanks,
>Rich(zone 6)
>Brooklyn, NY
>
>
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