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Weed Control Methods for Vegetable Gardens
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Articles on Gardening | Topics: gardening, gardens, garden
by Gwyneth Underwood
Weeds can become huge problems in gardens and crops if the proper steps aren't taken. Weeds will reduce moisture, nutrition, sunlight and growth space that is needed for your gardens. You will find that you have smaller growth, quantity and yield when weeds have become a problem in your garden. Garden weeds tend to grow rapidly while producing a large number of seeds and will spread very aggressively. There are several ways to control the weed population in your garden. A couple of the more popular methods are mechanical and chemical.
The first method this article will discuss is mechanical weed control. It is very important to kill all weeds before you begin planting your garden. Weeds that come after you have planted your garden should be rid of before they get past 3 inches tall. The larger the weed the harder it becomes to remove it without possibly uprooting your plants. Some of the most common ways to remove garden weeds are by cultivation or pulling by hand. There are many hand tools that have been proven effective on small weeds. The spring tooth hand cultivator and trowel are just a couple; however these tools require the gardener to work only from their knees. Some tools that enable the gardener to stand while removing weeds include the scuffle hoe, the warren hoe, the onion hoe, and the garden weasel. Scuffle hoes are considered to be very light and can be very effective for the smaller weeds. It comes in different shapes and requires no lifting. The Dutch version is considered to be one of the more popular versions of the scuffle hoe. It has an open stirrup with a blade, while others usually are made of triangular plates. The warren hoe can be effective in removing small weeds as well. It comes in the shape of an arrowhead. Its purpose is to scratch a furrow with one side, and then when turned over to the other side it fills in the furrow. When you need to remove weeds that are near your vegetables then the onion hoe is the one to use. It has a thin blade that allows you to have more precise maneuvering near the vegetables. The garden weasel has wheels with spikes that break the soils crust while using a push-pull maneuver to cultivate the weeds. By breaking the soils crust you aid in the emergence of your vegetables.
| Historical Quote |
Who has not seen in imagination, when looking into the sunset sky, the gardens of the Hesperides, and the foundation of all those fables?
| —Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862) |
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The second method discussed is chemical weed control. Some gardeners will use a chemical referred to as an herbicide. It should be noted that no one herbicide would do the entire weed control job of all vegetable gardens. It becomes difficult to apply small amounts of an herbicide evenly to the garden's surface. It is possible to apply too much or too little of herbicide if there has been a miscalculation or miscalibration of the equipment. Not enough herbicide will result in poor weed control, while too much herbicide will result in damaged gardens. If you are looking for a more convenient way to apply your herbicides you may find several chemical manufacturers that sell a variety in small quantities. For large jobs you may want to check with your local farm chemical retail store, as they will have a product to satisfy your needs. If there is no crop present than you can use Roundup and this will kill all weeds. It is important that you do not use this if you do have a crop present because it will cause serious injury to your crop. If you are looking for an herbicide that will control germinating weed seedlings before your crop emerges you can use treflan. This herbicide may be found as other trade names so read the ingredients so you know what you are getting. Weed control chemicals are available as liquids or powders. The liquids need to be mixed with water before application. For the dry version you need to use a granular applicator.
Therefore, it really depends on the size of your crop when deciding which option is best for you. If you are just planting a small vegetable garden the hoes might do the job, but if you have several acres of crop then the chemical herbicide might be the best choice for you. As with all chemicals it is extremely important to keep reach out of children.
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