Were reclaiming one majorily weedy area on our property and were wondering if any of you have suggestions on the best things to do right now until late May when we plant. We grew in this area for the first time last year the soil seems pretty rich and we were happy with the results but any area not covered with straw, newspaper, or cardboard between rows had lots of weeds sprouting up. Im sorry to admit we neglected it after pulling out the last pumpkins and squash last autumn and didnt plant any cover crop or put down protective mulch.
What are the best things my wife and I could do right now? Im thinking wet newspaper and straw right now to suffocate the weeds, or can I try an early spring cover crop keeping in mind that well be planting sometime in mid to late May? Or, should I not even worry about it until a little before planting time when I can just mow the weeds down and then till them under? By the way, we are planning to use our tiller to help us create raised beds in this area this year and then hopefully won't have to till again. Any of your suggestions are appreciated, thanks.
Using natural mulches, newspaper products, and/or thick rooted cover crops, are the classic ways to maintain good soil management, while controlling weeds.
For ocassional weediness, try spraying strong, straight vinegar just on the weeds. Acetic acid dries up sugars in plant foliage, thus stopping photosynthesis. It will kill any plant, if used too much.
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To the Captain: You mention straight strong vinegar. I know there was a lot of discussion about this last year. Can regular white vinegar be used? What kind is better--there was talk about some kind that was difficult to find, etc. Michelle
How about a nice cover crop of buckwheat oats and peas? Maybe toss in some nice daikon radish or tyfon while youre at it. Then mow or till it when you plant.
I don't know if this is appropriate for your area, but in mine, I clear the area and then (assuming I remember) water well 2 weeks or so before planting. Any weed seeds that are left behind get a fighting chance to emerge - and then I remove them too. Mwahahahaha.
I just slopped regular white supermarket vinegar on the weeds growing between the bricks on the patio and 2 days later, they're dead!! So much easier than anything else we've done.
I'm not the captain, but the following is some information on the horticultural vinegar product -- I don't know how accurate it may be:
[Brand Name] HORTICULTURAL VINEGAR (A NON-TOXIC HERBICIDE)
1. Product made by the acetous fermentation of ethyl alcohol containing 20% acetic acid (200 grain food grade vinegar). Yucca Extract (food grade Yucca Schidigera), a sticky carbohydrate substance, has been added as a natural surfactant.
2. Use as a non-selective vegetation killer.
3. The killing action is a dehydration process. The acidity of the vinegar strips the protective coating off the surface of a plant. This opens the plant up to be dehydrated to death. The plants moisture from the root up will wick out in a matter of hours. This process is most effective on warm sunny days. The heat of the midday sun is best. Most plants will turn totally brown in 2 to 6 hours after application. Some plants with thick waxy-coated skins may need a second application within 2 to 4 hours.
4. The Horticultural Vinegar is minimally effective against plants with large root systems such as Bermuda grass, Ivies, brush and trees. A top kill will be apparent but most likely these plants will resprout in a week or so.
5. Apply the Horticultural vinegar undiluted on the targeted vegetation. Its important to spritz as near 100% of the targeted foliage as possible. When temperatures are above 85 degrees F and when dealing with fairly tender vegetation, one can dilute the Horticultural Vinegar 1 to 1 with water and be very effective. Application rate per 1,000 sq. feet is undeterminable as the variable density of vegetation per 1,000 sq. f. is the determining factor.
6. Acetic acid is exempt from registration by the EPA as a Pesticide under the EPA Minimum Risk Pesticide regulation 25(b) of FIFRA. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have no association with the above company. I received this undated fact sheet from another gardener. The fact sheet did not include any kind of address information. The information may be more than 2 years old & is at least 2 years old, so laws about its use could have changed. So far as I know he has not used it & neither have I. It is apparently a by-product of the wine industry & the concentrated acid described probably would require rubber gloves & other protections as required for the use of a concentrated acid.
Jennifer- The vinegar didn't leave any residue on the bricks that you could see? I've been using boiling water on the weeds in my brick patio but that's a lot of work when you have to do it 5 or 6 times.
Horticultural vinegar is the best (especially the 20% strength). However, any form of vinegar is perfect as a herbicide.
Apple cider vinegar contains over 30 nutrients in it, and can be used 1-2 tblsp per gallon of water or compost tea, and be used as an acidic fertilizer.
Mulch, Mulch, Mulch...Use anything readily available, spoiled hay, straw, leaves, newspapers, and you may find that when you are ready to plant you may not need to till, the ground should be soft, just pull the mulch back, plant a seedling, and pull mulch back around it and you're done. If you are planting seeds, just pull mulch back, plant seeds, cover lightly with mulch , sawdust or dirt, and when plant starts to grow, pull mulch back around it to keep the weeds out. Easy gardening! No need to till your garden again, just keep applying mulch to it year-round! Jane
I called one of my local tree removal companies...a lot of them will deliver you a half or whole truckload of wood chips. I got probably 20 cu. yds. of that stuff. I've been piling it on 6-8 inches thick.
Now, given, it is not the highest quality stuff...there are a lot of small branches that didn't get chopped up, but for the quantity and price, I couldn't beat it.
