Weeds, weeds, weeds

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Weeds, weeds, weeds

I'm up to my eyeballs in weeds! The long, cool, damp spell of weather that we have been having is great for weed growth. Adhering to the tenets of IPM (integrated pest management – "do the least first"), I seldom use weed sprays.

My first choice is to dig the weeds out and toss them in the chicken pen for my hens to pick over, shredding the leftovers into composting bits. In chicken free zones, those weeds would have to go directly to the compost bin or yard waste container.

Mulching with several layers of dampened newspaper weighted down with grass clippings, compost, bark, or chips works well to get rid of a small area of small weeds.

If you feel the need to spray herbicide and just get the job over with, try white vinegar for weeds in walkways or driveways. There are, also a number of brands of "herbicidal soaps" on the market that are approved as "organic".

Last, if you must, Roundup used sparingly and according to all directions, will cure most weed problems and is on the low end of toxic.

Of course, the first rule of IPM is to determine if there is a problem and if it needs treatment. So, maybe that moss between the walkway pavers is "ornamental, rustic, classic PNW". And those dandelions in the lawn only bloom for a few weeks (sorry Mickey) and maybe could just be mowed more often to prevent seed heads. Small varieties of clover (such as Dutch white) will stay short, green and lush when those water restrictions brown up the grass in the lawn.

To prevent weeds, try one of the pre-emergent treatments that are a by-product of the corn industry. Processors figured this one out when they realized that the fields where they spread the "waste" part of the corn remained free of new plants! It prevents seeds from sprouting and gradually breaks down to feed nitrogen to your lawn.

Well, there are a few eco-friendly things to try. Pardon me, but I must get back on my knees with my favorite weeder.

Posted by at May 8, 2008 12:41 p.m.

Comments

#126958

Posted by springpondbver at 5/9/08 6:31 a.m.

How to kill pests without killing yourself or the earth......

There are about 50 to 60 million insect species on earth - we have named only about 1 million and there are only about 1 thousand pest species - already over 50% of these thousand pests are already resistant to our volatile, dangerous, synthetic pesticide POISONS. We accidentally lose about 25,000 to 100,000 species of insects, plants and animals every year due to "man's footprint". But, after poisoning the entire world and contaminating every living thing for over 60 years with these dangerous and ineffective pesticide POISONS we have not even controlled much less eliminated even one pest species and every year we use/misuse more and more pesticide POISONS to try to "keep up"! Even with all of this expensive and unnecessary pollution - we lose more and more crops and lives to these thousand pests every year.

We are losing the war against these thousand pests mainly because we insist on using only synthetic pesticide POISONS and fertilizers There has been a severe "knowledge drought" - a worldwide decline in agricultural R&D, especially in production research and safe, more effective pest control since the advent of synthetic pesticide POISONS and fertilizers. Today we are like lemmings running to the sea insisting that is the "right way". The greatest challenge facing humanity this century is the necessity for us to double our global food production with less land, less water, less nutrients, less science, frequent droughts, more and more contamination and ever-increasing pest damage.

National Poison Prevention Week, March 18-24,2007 was created to highlight the dangers of poisoning and how to prevent it. One study shows that about 70,000 children in the USA were involved in common household pesticide-related (acute) poisonings or exposures in 2004. At least two peer-reviewed studies have described associations between autism rates and pesticides (D'Amelio et al 2005; Roberts EM et al 2007 in EHP). It is estimated that 300,000 farm workers suffer acute pesticide poisoning each year just in the United States - No one is checking chronic contamination.
In order to try to help "stem the tide", I have just finished re-writing my IPM encyclopedia entitled: THE BEST CONTROL II, that contains over 2,800 safe and far more effective alternatives to pesticide POISONS. This latest copyrighted work is about 1,800 pages in length and is now being updated at my new website at http://www.thebestcontrol2.com .

This new website at http://www.thebestcontrol2.com has been basically updated; all we have left to update is Chapter 39 and to renumber the pages. All of these copyrighted items are free for you to read and/or download. There is simply no need to POISON yourself or your family or to have any pest problems.

Stephen L. Tvedten
2530 Hayes Street
Marne, Michigan 49435
1-616-677-1261
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest.

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#126988

Posted by unregistered user at 5/9/08 8:21 a.m.

So if I was going to spray some stubborn dandelions popping out between concrete, what solution would I use?
Would I have to repeat applications?

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#129853

Posted by bloggerlou at 5/18/08 8:04 a.m.

For the dandelions in the concrete, I would use full strength white vinegar in a spray bottle and, yes, you will probably need to do it more than once. If you apply the vinegar on a warm, dry day, it will work faster. The leaves absorb it quicker.

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