Smart Weeds

heady flowering tall weeds

Battles against the weeds continues. It’s turning summer and the heat makes them pop up faster than anybody can whack them down. There’s a problem with weeds. They’re smart, really smart.

You see, taller weeds give the little flat guys protection and a place to root under their shady foliage. If you weed whack or mow the tall ones, flat runner types stay unscathed ready to take over your yard. Only pulling them up by their roots obliterates the crawlers.

round leafed crawlers hiding under pointy leafed tall plants

Weeds proliferate. They have plenty of flowers that seed overnight. You remember those wonderful little smiling gold flowers you plucked as a child to bring to your mother--the ones called Dandelions? FYI, even if you chop them down flowers and all, the half dead wilting heads go to seed anyway, programmed to live on in spite of your efforts to stop them. Nothing short of raking them up before that happens will prevent further growth.

recognize me?

felled dandelions--dead flowers already forming white puffballs

Spiky weeds, like last month’s nettles, prevent those who don’t wear gloves from pulling them up. It doesn’t keep the horses at bay. For some odd reason, many spiky plants are their favorite munchies. Other weeds have roots so deep and tenacious you have to fight or at least dig deep, to end their wild abandon. 

tough root system

That’s work; and as one fellow rancher said, “It’s easier to spray ’em with Roundup. There’s a reason I don’t do that. I’ve planted grass that’s rapidly taking over the yard. It’s St. Augustine grass, itself a weed of sorts from Africa, that pretty much blocks out weed seeds because of its thick carpeting runners.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Augustine_Grass

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/turf/publications/staug.html 

Almost . . .

because an occasional weed will slip through to raise its fluffy head above the grass. Nevertheless, the grass is taking over, and the yard will stay relatively weed free when the mat of grass thickens. Last year's planting has become an almost impenetrable carpet already but . . .

one nasty weed makes it through the mat thick grass

Only weeds working themselves between the cracks of the pavers or popping up in the driveway need a Roundup treatment. All other weeds get mowed or whacked down, allowing the new grass to tendril its way across the yard. There will be full coverage by next year.

Oh, did I mention weeds are also time released? The nettles we ate last month have all but died. Now the tumbleweed is poking its head above the soil. Tumbleweeds grow fast, big, and thorny, so pull those smart weeds as soon as you can. Then you’ll be thankful for the weed free summer ahead.

a humble strand of tumbleweed