I have a question for you today. Why? Why is it that weeds grow profusely, no matter what. If it rains, they grow. If it's dry, they grow. They don't need expensive fertilizers to stay healthy. You do not have to keep a chart of when they were last fertilized and with what and the quantities and a calendar of dates when they need to be fertilized again. You do not have to prune them to make them healthy. Weeds grow and multiply in ways that we never see with the expensive plants we purchase at the nursery. Those plants require constant attention and then, many times, end up dying or just not producing what we expected. I do not understand this. I deal with it in a myriad of ways, like all gardeners. But I do not understand it. So when I have to deal with weeds in the garden, here is what I do.
On a recent day in the garden, I came upon this bramble patch. In it, this weed, standing tall and proud, mocked me. Actually, I think this may be a sweet gum tree sapling. I certainly do not want any more of those. This could not be pulled from the ground by hand.
So I was off to the shed to retrieve the Razorback spade shovel. I decided I wanted to dig whatever this was out of the ground completely. I did not want to leave the root system intact and with the possibility that it could send up new growth at a later time.
We have had weeks and weeks of rain, so I was able to dig deep enough, with little effort, to get the entire root system.
And here you have them. The entire root systems removed. These were discarded with the rest of the yard waste. So, what I am suggesting is, when possible, dig out the weeds in your yard with a shovel or a small handheld spade. Removing the entire root ball from the soil will ensure they will not return. If you cannot remove the root ball, use a pair of pruners to cut the weed back as close to the ground as possible. Hopefully that will deter any further growth.
When I was done digging weeds for the day, I decided to move the bird feeder stand to a new location. As you can see above, that did not turn out as expected. When I lifted it out of the ground, it was corroded and simply twisted off the base. I do not know if I will replace this. I have some new ideas going through my mind for how I would like to care of our feathered friends. More on that in a future post. Everyone have a great weekend.
On a recent day in the garden, I came upon this bramble patch. In it, this weed, standing tall and proud, mocked me. Actually, I think this may be a sweet gum tree sapling. I certainly do not want any more of those. This could not be pulled from the ground by hand.
So I was off to the shed to retrieve the Razorback spade shovel. I decided I wanted to dig whatever this was out of the ground completely. I did not want to leave the root system intact and with the possibility that it could send up new growth at a later time.
We have had weeks and weeks of rain, so I was able to dig deep enough, with little effort, to get the entire root system.
And here you have them. The entire root systems removed. These were discarded with the rest of the yard waste. So, what I am suggesting is, when possible, dig out the weeds in your yard with a shovel or a small handheld spade. Removing the entire root ball from the soil will ensure they will not return. If you cannot remove the root ball, use a pair of pruners to cut the weed back as close to the ground as possible. Hopefully that will deter any further growth.
When I was done digging weeds for the day, I decided to move the bird feeder stand to a new location. As you can see above, that did not turn out as expected. When I lifted it out of the ground, it was corroded and simply twisted off the base. I do not know if I will replace this. I have some new ideas going through my mind for how I would like to care of our feathered friends. More on that in a future post. Everyone have a great weekend.
