So , why should weeds be removed from our gardens ?
In the other Wiley Post in this weed control series , I ’ve publish aboutwhat weeds areand made the point that , basically , weeds are like any other industrial plant in the garden . So , if that is the grammatical case , why do we need to get free of weeds ?
If grass are just industrial plant grow in the wrong place , why should we care ? Why should we bother withweeding ? Is there any reason that the front of weeds should matter to us other than that we do n’t care the look of them where they are ?
Weeds can be plain ugly – here they have ruined this feature garden bed
Of course it will depend upon what you are trying to reach in yourgarden , but there are a numeral of reasons why the presence of locoweed is likely to be undesirable and why it is important to remove weeds .
Reason to get rid of weeds 1: competition
Probably the big problem withweeds in the gardenenvironment is that they compete with the plants that you are trying to grow . Just take a look at the exposure at the top of this post to see what essence that can have .
unluckily , when it comes to a scrap , there is ordinarily only one victor . Yourgarden coinage of plant – ornamentals or pabulum – have belike been cover to favour sure genetic characteristics , such as flush color or gustatory perception .
Whilst they would not have survived asgarden suitable plantswithout an ability to fend for themselves in your beds and border , their survival kit is no peer for that of many of the weeds they may have to compete with .
Weeds can be plain ugly – here they have ruined this feature garden bed
So , in fussy , when you are growing for a use , such as to provide food for your table orcut flowers for your vase , you will take to be very insomniac of rivalry from weeds . dope in a polytunnelor in your vegetable beds , for example , can quickly endanger your crops if left unchecked .
As we will seein the next post , weeds have unremarkably invested all their evolutionary Washington in ensuring their survival , whether as individual plants or as a species .
Their sequent adaptions admit vigorous root systems that easy overpower those of cultivatedplantswhen it come to taking in available nutrients and water and an ability to turn quickly up and outwards so as to crowd out their neighbours and to take all the available light .
This leaves your hold dear plantsweakened , so that they will fail off or be more susceptible to assault from pests and diseases .
In summary , therefore , it is authoritative to take away weeds because they provide damaging competition for your prefer plant in the following ways :
Getting free of weeds will therefore reduce competitor for light , nutrients , water and outer space and allow your plants to produce on unhindered .
Reason to get rid of weeds 2: pests and diseases
Not content with weakening your plant and spread out them up to attack from plague and disease , weedscan also be the source of those pests and diseases .
Uncleared weeds can often provide a seat for pests to overwinter , whilst the succulent gage canopy provide sheltered conditions to accommodate manypests , such as lick and snails .
What ’s more , since manyweeds are adaptedto germinate and/or to begin growing early in the season , thus gaining an advantage over the plants around them , their young growth can provide sustenance for sap sucking worm , like aphid . This enables colonies of sap - mug to build up ready to attack your plant in force when they tentatively unfurl their soft spring foliage .
Weeds in the same family as cultivated industrial plant can also harbor diseases that are specific to that family . So , for example , Shepherd ’s Purse , from the brassica family may be host toclubroot diseasewhich can eliminate your cabbage family line crop .
Reason to get rid of weeds 3: harvesting
This is obviously an issue withediblecrops , but clearly the task of harvesting low-spirited growing leafy crops is made more difficult if widow’s weeds are mixed in and whilst some , like chickweed are eatable , not all are .
So , harvestingleavesand other crops which are covered or surrounded by weeds can imply you have to spend a lot of metre looking for the crops you are adjudicate to harvest and sort the goodness from the bad .
Reason to get rid of weeds 4: they can be ugly
Finally , and this may be the main grounds why most gardener want to rid themselves of their green goddess , plant life in the incorrect place can see plain horrifying , especially in a formal or highlydesignedgarden stage setting .
Weeds tend to be savage , disorderly plant that clash with the orderly , maintained face of a purposefully planted garden . Their growing habits are erratic and their unpredictable shapes and heights resist out in stark direct contrast to the uniform , tidy and designed coming into court of flower , veg , and other intentionally sown crops . Visually , dope can create a helter-skelter , unkempt look that disrupt the tranquil beauty of a well - tended garden .
However , it is deserving acknowledging that sometimes it is not a bad theme to pass on some office of your garden unkempt and susceptible to settlement by weeds . This is because these are the kinds of space that cater a have forwildlifethat can bring a symmetry to your garden ’s ecosystem and boost the insects that you need to chew the fat your garden to pollinate your plants .
Weed control resources
You ’ll find more imagination to serve you ascertain about weeds in the main and , in particular , about getting free of weeds here :
The Gardening Step by Step weed control series
Weed identification
Martin Cole has been an devouring plant buff and nurseryman for more than 20 age and loves to talk and write about gardening . In 2006 he was a finalist in the BBC Gardener of the Year challenger . He is a member of the National dahlia Society .
He previously live in London and Sydney , Australia , where he hold a sheepskin class in Horticultural study and is now ground in North Berwick in Scotland . He constitute GardeningStepbyStep.com in 2012 . The web site is direct at everybody who loves plants or has been bitten by the horticulture bug and wants to know more .
garden Step by Step has beencited by Thompson and Morgan , the UK ’s largest mail order plant retail merchant , as a website that release expert gardening cognitive content .
Weeds can be plain ugly – here they have ruined this feature garden bed
