Organic products availableOnly a few organic herbicides are available. One, pelargonicacid, is popular with organic growers. It’s sold under severaltrade names, such as Scythe and Quik II, and is basically aconcentrated soap you mix with water and spray over the top ofweeds.Pelargonic acid causes plant cells to fall apart. It kills mostweeds, as long as they don’t have extensive underground rhizomeor tuber systems.Vinegar (acetic acid) is marketed in several products, such asGarden-Ville Natural Weed Control, and also works at burning downemerged weeds. Common table salt, one of the first herbicides, isstill used to control weeds in driveway and sidewalk cracks.Some plants are adept at making their own herbicides. One goodexample is black walnut (Juglans nigra), which producesjuglone.Produced in many parts of black walnut trees, juglone kills orreduces the growth of plants growing under and around treecanopies.In the future, we may be able to take the genes that producejuglone and transfer them into a plant like corn. Imagine that: aplant that can make its own herbicide. By Mark CzarnotaUniversity of GeorgiaMany people don’t like to use synthetic herbicides in thelandscape. But weeds can be a big problem with any gardeningpractices. With organic gardening, prevention is one of the mostessential ways to keep weeds out.Many horticultural and agricultural practices are allowed withorganic agriculture. But if any chemicals are used, they shouldcome only from plant or animal sources. Get to them before they flowerAt the least, try to remove the weeds before they flower andproduce seeds. Some fully grown weed plants, such aslamb’s-quarters (Chenopodium album), pigweed(Amaranthus species) andspurge (Euphorbia species), can produce thousands ofseeds.Removing these weeds while they’re small removes a lot of seedsyou and your future generations will otherwise be fighting.Mulch! Bare-ground planting is very hard tokeep weed-free and isusually left for large-scale row-crop or vegetable production.Besides smothering weeds and preventing their germination,mulches help to maintain soil moisture and temperature and addorganic matter to the soil.If the landscape is to be permanently planted and no bulbs orannuals will be planted, consider using a landscape fabric underthe mulch. The fabric will help smother those tough perennialweeds.Wash your equipment when you complete a job.Soil stuck onequipment can easily transfer weed seeds from one site toanother.Don’t bring in weeds. Weeds, such as nutsedge, often rear theirugly heads when they’re brought in with nursery plants. To avoidbringing these weeds into the landscape, carefully select nurserystock.
Follow these tipsHere are a few tips to help keep weeds out of the landscape andgarden and do so organically.Prepare the site to be planted. Plowing,rotary tilling and othermeans of soil cultivation are still very good methods of weedcontrol. Prepare the site to be planted with at least one goodtilling.If you’re not in a hurry to establish your plantings, severalcultivations three or four weeks apart will eliminate manydifficult weeds.These continual tillings disturb weed growth and help eliminateweeds. Weeds like nut sedges (Cyperus species)and Bermuda grass(Cynodon dactylon) primarily come from vegetativestructures suchas rhizomes and tubers, and plants coming from vegetativestructures won’t survive continual cultivation.Get them early. It’s much easier to hoe orpull out those weedswhen they’re small. The bigger weeds are allowed to grow, themore they will compete with desirable plants for light, water andnutrients.
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