A Lesson on Cultivating and Weeding

Cultivation loosens the soil surface. At the same time several other gratifying results are achieved. Weeds are killed, rain can soak into the soil more easily instead of running off, and the soil is aerated.

A vegetable garden is plowed, or a new flower bed spaded, in the fall to make the soil loose and friable. The surface is left rough to prevent erosion and to catch the snow. Some insect pests are killed when exposed, and the alternate freezing and thawing action improves the soil structure. The soil dries earlier in the spring and work can be commenced sooner.

No cultivating should ever be done until the soil is dry enough not to cling heavily to whatever tool is used. This applies to all tools whether it be a tractor-drawn plow in a large garden, a hoe used around shrubs, or an old dinner fork used to cultivate the soil in a flower pot. If wet soil is stirred or walked on the particles are practically cemented together and become as hard as bricks. The more organic matter (composted manure, partly decayed leaves, peat moss, or compost) that can be incorporated in the soil the less danger there is of ruining the soil texture by cultivating when too wet.

In the spring after fall plowing the soil may be harrowed or raked lightly to make a smooth surface and to kill any weed seeds that have germinated. After row crops of vegetables or flower seeds have been planted and are up far enough so that one can see the row, the soil should be stirred lightly after each rain (when the soil has dried) to prevent crust formation and to kill any weeds that might have appeared since the last cultivation. Deep cultivation would injure the roots of desirable plants or bring weed seeds near the surface where they could germinate. An ordinary garden hoe can be used but a wheel hoe not only makes the work much easier but is a real time saver.

Cultivation should never be attempted while the plants are wet from rain or dew. Fungus diseases thrive under wet conditions and brushing against the plants is very apt to scatter the spores from diseased plants to healthy ones.

Chemical weed killers are on the market but they must be used with the utmost caution. Even then they are extremely dangerous. A weed spray was used on a field one summer day when it appeared safe to spray, but soon afterwards a valuable walnut tree across the road (and some one hundred feet beyond, sheltered by a house) commenced dying. Last summer I was questioned about some rose bushes whose tops suddenly commenced growing in corkscrew fashion. It looked like chemical weed spray damage. The owner said weeds had been sprayed on the opposite side of the fence but the roses had been protected during the spraying process. The spray itself had not reached the walnut tree nor the roses but the deadly fumes had inflicted irreparable damage.

A persistent and watchful gardener can keep most weeds under control by safer methods. When they cannot be reached with a garden hoe or wheel hoe, as for instance in among the vegetable crops, or in closely planted perennial borders, or in seed frames among young seedlings, they must be pulled by hand.

Cultivating, and weeding in particular, can be back breaking work taking all the joy out of the garden and landscape. The solution lies in eliminating as much of both as possible and performing the remainder in the easiest yet most efficient way. It takes much less strength to cultivate as soon as the soil has dried enough than to wait until the sun bakes the surface until it is like cement.

Tree seedlings such as elms can easily be pulled while young but are much more difficult to eradicate when they have reached any size. These and large weeds are easier to pull after a soaking rain. Weeds that are permitted to grow rob cultivated plants of their food and moisture as well as shading them and checking their normal growth. It is much more comfortable to work on a cloudy day or toward evening but if a hot sun bears down on the freshly pulled weeds, they wilt quickly and cannot take root again. Perhaps such work can be planned for the early morning hours when there is no dew.

Mulching plants with a weed-free material such as partially rotted straw, ground corn cobs, saw dust, peat moss, or compost when the soil contains moisture makes cultivation unnecessary and also discourages most of the weeds from growing. Avoid applying mulch at a time when the soil is lacking in moisture for light showers might not reach the roots of the plants. The weeds that appear later there should be very few can be pulled.

If annual and biennial weeds are never allowed to make seeds, there will be fewer weeds with which to contend. Perennial weeds are more difficult to control, especially those that have fleshy roots such as t.he docks. When hoed or cut off, they simply send up new growth. If these cannot be smothered with a mulch, they have to be dug or “worn to death” by repeatedly cutting off new top growth as soon as it appears.

Related Articles Of Interest:

• When to Water?
• Why and How To Use Mulches
• Spraying Equipment for the Homeowner
• Hoe and Cultivator – Garden Tools For Success