Layers of cardboard or newspaper are great for weed control.

Organic Weed Control

The dreaded weed, the bain of our gardening life’s, no matter what we do they always back!

Here are a few tips to help with your weed control using more Natural products that aren’t harmful to your precise plants.

Layering;

This works well in permanent gardens and also in between your vegetable rows where you would traditionally walk. Lay copious amounts of either newspaper or cardboard on top of your soil and then place a layer of mulch on top of that. The Mulch can consist of anything from Bark for the permanent ornamental garden to lawn clipping for the vegetable garden. If you have a bad patch of weeds mow them down leaving the residue in place and then put your layers on top of that, the weeds break down into organic matter feeding the soil they were once robbed nutrient from.  In a permanent garden providing you use enough newspaper/cardboard (10mm minimum) and a good layer of bark or mulch (30mm) weeds will stay away for a long time unless you disturb the soil. The newspaper/cardboard breaks down via worms and the normal soil process to organic matter feeding the micro-biotic life of the garden. Alternating these rows each year in your Vegetable patch will improve the soil dramatically over time.

Another type of layering is plastic sheeting, this works best in the summer months and when the garden is not in use or prior to the area being turned into the garden. This method is a type of steam sterilization.  Lay a single sheet of clear plastic on the area you wish to treat (ensure the soil is moist) and seal the edges with lengths of timber or the likes and weigh these down so there is an airtight seal, alternately did a trench on the edge of the new garden and bury the plastic in the trench. The sun heats the soil under the plastic sterilizing it via the moisture in the ground heating up and killing the weeds and also a lot of weed seed. Generally, a couple of weeks of sunny days will do the job.

Burning;

One of my favourites because it kills the plant and any seed on top of the soil as well. Not so good on weeds that have a bulb, in this case, it will only kill the top which will reappear later. The Burner I use runs on Butane canisters which makes it cheap to run. You don’t need to burn the weeds to a crisp at the time just till you see a change in the colour of the leaf. Any that didn’t get enough the first time is easy to tidy up the next day, and it is that quick! Be cautious around your vegetable plants to ensure they don’t become victim to the heat, I usually hand weed directly around the vegetables so as to not get too close.

Pine Oil/Vinegar;

The results with these two can vary, with Pine Oil use plenty of detergent to make it stick, you will need a rate of 1-4 to kill soft weeds. Vinegar works best on hot days as it dehydrates the plant you spray, use at a rate of half and half water even straight if you have woody type weeds to kill.

Hand Cultivation;

Either simply plucking the weeds out of the ground or using a hand hoe to disturb the top layer of soil killing the weeds by cutting them just below the surface. Leave the remnants of the weeds (providing they don’t have seeds) on top of the ground again to add Organic Matter.

Be Happy,

Barry.

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