Sunday, April 15, 2012

Perennial Weed Control #1


First some personal observations about some of the universal truths of weed control.

1. "Control" usually doesn't mean eradication. Total removal of a localized weed infestation is possible in many situations, but usually not. However, thinking "eradication" during weed control work is good for the soul.

2. Any method, or methods, of weed control of invasive, difficult to control weeds must be applied repeatedly over a number of years. No single treatment will totally eliminate any of these bad guys. If the correct methods are being used, the job will get smaller each year.

3. To be effective, weed control must eliminate seed production EVERY year.

4. Relying totally on one control method is usually much less effective.

5. For many of the widespread weeds, biological control is the only real hope for region-wide control.

6. Not all weeds are widely spread by the wind or wildlife. This means that it isn't always your neighbors fault.

7. Roundup (glyphosate) is almost never the best choice of herbicide to use for chemical weed control. It also kills the plants needed to compete with weeds.

The photo is a young knapweed seedling at a very fragile stage of life.

8 comments:

  1. The weed control is crazy in Idaho some times. I think that the weeds will never stop. Thanks for sharing this information.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have had perpetual problems with weeds and crab grass on my lawn. I then got a weed control surprise when I found that raking helped. I think it must have been the aeration of the ground.

    ReplyDelete
  3. These are great tips for weed control. I used to live in Idaho when I was younger and I remember my father always struggling to figure out the best weed control. Now I am working on my own weed control in Surprise. It is a process, but I think these tips will really give us a boost. Thanks for posting.

    ReplyDelete
  4. To kill dandelions, pour vodka into spray bottle and spray on dandelions on a sunny day. Add a little dish liquid for more stubborn weeds.
    weed

    ReplyDelete
  5. When I worked in landscaping, we used a thing called weed control surprise that worked wonders! I couldn't believe how well it got rid of those weeds, it was incredible.

    ReplyDelete
  6. These tips were more than helpful! I am all too guilty of trying to eradicate every single weed and it's the death of me. I just need to control my weed problem then life will seem better.

    Aaron Carter | http://snydersweedcontrol.com/Residential/

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thank you for the tips. The weeds in my garden seem to grow in the blink of an eye. I spend a lot of time weeding my garden, only to see weeds popping up a week later. I might need to call a weed control service.

    Susan Hirst | http://www.headmanlawncare.com/Lawn_Services.html

    ReplyDelete
  8. I am impressed. I don't think Ive met anyone who knows as much about this subject as you do. You are truly well informed and very intelligent. You wrote something that people could understand and made the subject intriguing for everyone. Really, great blog you have got here. dorseylandscape

    ReplyDelete