Roses And Weeds

Planting, watering, pruning, feeding and weeding are tasks that must be done to enjoy the beauty of roses. Let's talk about weeding. The longer the weeding is neglected, the more work it will need to bring the garden back under control. The secret to keeping weeds at a manageable stage is working with properly prepared ground and keeping to a regular schedule of maintenance.

Weeds are simply plants that are growing where we don't want them, but they are not a homogeneous group. Weeds differ in their habits and needs. By examining which weeds are growing in your garden, you can often discover whether your soil is too acidic or too alkaline, if cultivation is required, if the ground is lacking in certain nutrients and a host of other information. Turn weeding from a nuisance into an opportunity to learn more about your garden.

Weed management

Weed new gardens often, particularly during the first few months. At this stage the weeds are not well established and are easy to deal with. If you wait, the roots will quickly spread, and pulling or hoeing becomes increasingly difficult. Begin weeding early as well in established gardens. The spring and early summer are periods of intense growth. By getting to the weeding early you will not have as big a job, and you will be able to relax during the summer when your roses are magnificent.

Most weeding can be done in a mulched garden by simply pulling weeds out by hand. This requires only your hands and gloves, and perhaps the help of a three-pronged hand cultivator. If you prefer to keep your garden clean cultivated, there are several tools to aid you in your work. If you must choose only one tool to have, make it a hoe. This age-old simple device has never been replaced as the number-one gardening aid.

Good hoeing is an acquired art. Most people hold a hoe nearly horizontally and hack at the ground. This destroys both the hoe and your arms. A hoe should be held nearly vertically so that the blade cuts away thin slices of ground. Cut these slices from the uncultivated ground, pulling the loosened earth toward you as you work. Walk forward, working in a regular pattern of strokes from right to left or vice versa. If you work as you walk backward, with the blade pushing into the harder earth, you will be working twice as hard with poorer results.

Weeds can be managed with the aid of chemicals. Called herbicides, these chemicals prevent weed seeds from germinating or destroy existing weeds. The newest generation of herbicides works by interfering with the normal transfer of materials in the plant, killing the plant down to the root tips.

There is, however, a hidden cost in herbicides. Many of these materials work, their way through the soil and into the groundwater, where they then show up in wells, in rivers, and ultimately in the oceans. Areas treated with herbicides often cannot be planted with certain crops for years after the chemicals have been applied. Careless use of herbicides results in the loss of neighboring plants and contamination of soil and water. Children who play on lawns treated with herbicides can develop allergic reactions or illness. It is difficult to measure these hidden costs, but we need to carefully consider the consequences of using herbicides.

Herbicides are another unknown quantity in the chemical onslaught we are inflicting on the Earth. Modern insecticides were introduced after World War II, and their use has accelerated at an alarming rate since then. The harvest of that headlong rush into chemical management is now being reaped. Our water, air and soil are polluted. Plants, animals and humans are being affected in serious ways. Even our food is contaminated.

If we want to clean up our environment, we must make decisions that reflect that commitment. Herbicides are not needed in a gardening, or agriculture.