If the weeds in our garden could talk and why we shouldn’t ignore them. Cathy Isom fills us in on what different weeds may be saying coming up on “This Land of Ours.”
In our lawns and gardens, weeds come and go, grow, get pulled or cut down and then pop up and grow again. But if we paid closer attention, and if weeds could talk, we might want to listen. The fact of the matter is that weeds really are trying to tell us something.
They can tell us about soil pH levels, conditions, and types. They can tell us about the nutrient profile, what minerals might be in abundance or which seem to be lacking in an area. They can also tell us about moisture levels beneath the earth’s surface. These things, in turn, can tell how we should amend soils or which plants would better thrive in our particular setting.
Certain weeds can give us very specific information. For example, dandelions are a hint that soils might be compacted, or those that spread out quickly, like crabgrass, may demonstrate soils need to be covered. Just like anything else living and growing on this earth, weeds have a purpose, too. It is possible to change our attitude toward weeds, and still have productive lawns and gardens. If we understand what it is the weeds are trying to tell us and we also learn to help the weeds to do their job, it’s possible they’ll move on to do their work elsewhere. And the best part is we may not even need to waste our time and money using chemicals or weed killers.
I’m Cathy Isom…