Sacramento Digs Gardening Article
Your resource for Sacramento-area gardening news, tips and events

Articles Recipe Index Keyword Index Calendar Twitter Facebook Instagram About Us Contact Us

5 reasons to eradicate weeds

It's a Sisyphean battle, but don't surrender

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Kathy Morrison PUBLISHED AUG 31, 2023

Spurge is a scourge, spreading through microscopic seeds, but when small it can be dug out easily, unlike some weeds. Kathy Morrison

Not everyone hates weeds, I've discovered. Some gardeners have a "live and let live" attitude about the interlopers that shove their way into the garden, squatting next to the dahlias or cozying up to the tomatoes. Some folks even proclaim the beauty of weeds -- those little white flowers of field bindweed, for example. So pretty!

So dastardly, if you ask me.

Strictly speaking, a weed is any plant that grows where you don't want it. A tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) could be classified as a weed under this definition -- they move in unannounced all the time.

But most of us have garden-variety weeds to deal with: dandelions, crabgrass, nutsedge and the like. Lately, a variety of spurge has been our biggest problem -- my husband spent several hours digging it out of the front yard this past week so he could mow our small lawn without chopping the weeds into bits.

Why bother? The weeds ironically did make the lawn look greener. But, ugh, spurge and many other weeds can take over and choke out desirable plants. Which leads me to all the reasons to keep after weeds, as endless as the task may seem:

1) They're thieves. They suck up water, nutrients and sunlight that could be benefitting a garden's intentional plants.

2) They're opportunists. Given a little room to roam or soil to settle in, they develop tap roots, bulblike "nuts" or runners that take off into all corners. And this makes them tougher to remove.

3) They're thugs. Some such as bindweed can climb, envelop and throttle other plants. Others produce burrs that stick to pets or seeds with nasty thorns strong enough to pop a bicycle tire.

4) They can be outright dangerous. Pokeweed, for example, is toxic to humans and livestock -- all parts of it, not just the pretty berries. It's a perennial that produces a massive taproot that will help the plant grow back after winter.

5) They're hiding places for pests. This is why weeds shouldn't be ignored in winter. They can harbor bad bugs that will move into your ornamental or vegetable garden once the weather warms up.

All that said, into every gardener's life some weeds will sprout. It's part of what we get to share complaints about. So be good Earth residents, folks: Don't use broad-spectrum herbicides against those invaders. Mulch your planting beds. Find an excellent weed digging tool and keep at it. It's good exercise, after all.

Note: If you're interested in learning more about weeds, the UC Integrated Pest Management program website (which includes the links above) is invaluable. Also, check out the latest edition of the UCIPM Home and Garden Pest Newsletter. It includes an article "How can weed control help with wildfire preparedness?" Yes -- a sixth reason to keep after weeds: They can dry out in summer and become easy fuel for fires.

Comments

0 comments have been posted.

GENERAL GARDENING

An article about gardening.

Keywords:

weeds gardening Sacramento plants fall summer fall planting UCIPM integrated pest management crabgrass nutsedge bindweed

Newsletter Subscription

Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.

Flowers in My Back Yard Series

March 3: Fruit tree blossoms are a fleeting joy

Feb. 27: Are your roses looking rusty?

Feb. 24: Treasure spring daffodils now and for years to come

Feb. 17: How and why to grow wildflowers

Feb. 10: Let's talk Valentine's Day roses

Feb. 3: Why grow flowers?

Local News

Taste Winter! E-cookbook

Find our winter recipes here!

Sites We Like

Garden checklist for week of March 8

During this sunny week, get your garden set up for a beautiful spring:

* Fertilize roses, annual flowers and berries as spring growth begins to appear.

* Pull weeds now! Don’t let them get started. Take a hoe and whack them as soon as they sprout.

* Prepare vegetable beds. Spade in compost and other amendments.

* Prune and fertilize spring-flowering shrubs after bloom.

* Feed camellias at the end of their bloom cycle. Pick up browned and fallen flowers to help corral blossom blight.

* Feed citrus trees, which are now in bloom and setting fruit. To prevent sunburn and borer problems on young trees, paint the exposed portion of the trunk with diluted white latex (water-based) interior paint. Dilute the paint with an equal amount of cold water before application.

* Feed roses with a balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10, the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium available in that product).

* Prune and fertilize spring-flowering shrubs and trees after they bloom. Try using well-composted manure, spread 1-inch thick under the tree. This serves as both fertilizer and mulch, retaining moisture while cutting down on weeds.

* Cut back and fertilize perennial herbs to encourage new growth.

* In the vegetable garden, transplant lettuce and cole family plants, such as broccoli, collards and kale.

* Seed chard and beets directly into the ground. (Soak beet seeds first for better germination.)

* Plant summer bulbs, including gladiolus, tuberous begonias and callas. Also plant dahlia tubers.

* Shop for perennials. Many varieties are available in local nurseries and at plant events. They can be transplanted now while the weather remains relatively cool.

* Seed and renovate the lawn (if you still have one). Feed cool-season grasses such as bent, blue, rye and fescue with a slow-release fertilizer. Check the irrigation system and perform maintenance. Make sure sprinkler heads are turned toward the lawn, not the sidewalk.

Send us a gardening question, a post suggestion or information about an upcoming event. sacdigsgardening@gmail.com

Taste Spring! E-cookbook