Weeds
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From the point of view of the landholder, a weed is any plant that grows in the garden against the wishes of the owner.
However, some species of plants have properties that have made them more than just undesirable. Their characteristics have resulted in their being declared noxious and these plants are prohibited by law. If they occur in your garden, they must be destroyed.
Still other plants have properties that cause them to be a threat to native bushland and waterways and these are known as environmental weeds. Though not always listed as noxious, no self-respecting gardener should harbour environmental weeds on their properties.
Weeds are a nuisance common to all gardens. The "weed-free" garden does not really exist because weeds arise from so many different sources. Even if one were able to eradicate every weed in the garden bed, new seeds will blow in on the breeze or drop from the sky courtesy of venting birds or they might even be brought in under your shoes or fall from wandering animals or might even be washed in with the rain. Short of enclosing the garden in a glass dome, we will not be able to eliminate weeds from the garden. The best we can hope for is a low maintenance garden where the inevitable weeds may be easily removed when they do appear.
Weed management
There are two aspects to weed management:
1. Eradication - this refers to the persistent removal of weeds and their successive offspring.
2. Prevention - this refers to practices that will improve your gardens ability to resist weed infestation.
Eradication
Weeds can be removed manually with a hand-weeder or chemically with a herbicide. For many weed species, however, removal of the plant is just the start of the eradication process. The worst weeds have developed very successful survival mechanisms and new weeds will often appear after the parent plant is removed. These new plants will also need to be removed before they also reproduce so be prepared to revisit spots where weeds have previously been removed otherwise, for the sake of some follow-up treatment, all your initial good work will be wasted.
Hand removal is the most environmentally friendly method of eradication but, where there is a risk of regenerative tissue being left in the soil, a herbicide may prove more effective. However, even herbicide spray will not kill off all bulbs and some other regenerative tissue with just one application. Be prepared to revisit the site several times.
Bulbous weeds such as Onion Weed and Oxalis are difficult to eradicate because hand removal invariably leaves tiny bulbs in the soil and herbicide spray would pose too great a risk to nearby desirable plants. Another method is to use a brush to apply a concentrate of herbicide once a month over a six-month period. Because the bulbs do not all sprout at the same time, multiple applications are necessary to ensure that all the bulbs are killed.
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Hand Weeding Tips
- When removing weeds by hand, ensure you remove all parts of the plant including the root system.
- Weeds should be contained within a plastic bag to ensure parts do not fall off into other parts of your garden.
- Environmental weeds should not be put in the compost bin.
- Removing weeds before they flower will help to prevent them spreading.
- It is much easier to weed after rain because the soil is looser.
Herbicide Tips
- For weeds in the path and driveway and along fences, use a glyphosate herbicide such as Roundup® or Zero®.
- Weed seeds in garden beds can be controlled by a pre-emergent herbicide such as Ronstar®. It will kill the seeds as they germinate and will not harm trees or shrubs if used as directed.
- In your garden bed it may be easier and safer to use a paintbrush rather than a spray to apply herbicide.
- It is illegal to use herbicides without reading and following the instructions. Herbicides are dangerous and should be used with great care.
- Do not spray herbicide in windy conditions. Spray drift could well kill desirable plants.
- When you have finished, wash the spray equipment on bare soil. Don't wash herbicide residues down the drain or they will end up in the river. Avoid direct contact with skin and wash your hands and face with soap when you have finished cleaning up.
Preventing Weed Infestation
The best way to improve your garden's resistance to weed infestation is the use of dense mulch. Over time, the mulch will make the soil more friable (loose) and weeds that are growing in the soil will be easier to pull out. As well, a good mulch cover helps to block light from weeds growing in the soil. The looseness of mulch prevents weeds that germinate in the mulch from anchoring their roots in the soil.
Remove identifiable seed sources. For example, a nearby Privet tree will continue to produce thousands of weed seedlings as long as it continues to bear fruit.
The environment of a weed prone area can sometimes be modified to make it less conducive to weeds. For example, a boggy area infested with Wandering Jew might be better landscaped as a pond and planted with ferns.
Be careful with edge treatments as weeds tend to go unnoticed where one landscape area blends into another. Separate the lawn and garden areas with a garden edge to provide better definition.
Weeds are opportunistic and will occupy vacant space. Maintaining a dense planting of shrubs and groundcovers will reduce vacant space and increase the competition against weeds.
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