Greening Up Your Thumb: Weed identification
By Tammy Jones
Wednesday, September 30, 2009 10:35 AM PDT
A good place to identify your weeds is the county extension office. Not only are they very knowledgeable, they are concerned and are actively trying to reduce the population of noxious weeds.
One of the most basic things you need to know is whether it’s an annual or perennial weed. Both kinds are a pest in your garden, but they present different problems. That is why it’s good to know which is which.
Most of the weeds you see in a vegetable garden are annual weeds. They are able to withstand a lot of abuse during the growing season, but they do die at the end of the year. However, they will have left behind thousands of seeds for you to remember them by next spring.
Annual weeds are all over the place and produce a huge amount of seeds per plant. For instance, a chickweed plant by itself can produce 15,000 seeds, shepherd’s purse will produce up to 40,000 seeds per plant, and lamb’s quarters is one of the highest producers at about 70,000 seeds. These seeds lie in wait patiently until the right conditions present themselves, and then they spring forth. For this reason, the key to controlling your annual weeds is to control their seeding activity.
The perennial weed however is the most serious problem, and they need direct attention. These are very tough plants that are sometimes able to grow through a very heavy mulch. To seize control of the perennial weed, you must control their roots. Unfortunately, they have amazing root systems, which makes them almost impossible to destroy. For example, leafy spurge has a root system that can extend 4 to 8 feet deep. Canadian thistle can beat that; its roots can grow an amazing 20 feet straight down. Jeez, knowing that, it’s no wonder you fall on your behind when you try to pull some weeds. The really bad news is, even if you leave just a little piece of root in the ground, it will sprout anew.
Next time, I will go into how to get rid of these different weeds. There are also some interesting things going on next month.
At 10 a.m. Oct. 17, the Four Rivers Community Garden will put on a seminar about how to winterize your garden. If you have any questions, you can call Nancy Gledhill, (208) 642-2760, or e-mail fourriverscommunitygarden@gmail.com.
“I can enjoy society in a room; but out of doors, nature is company enough for me.” — William Hazlitt.
As always if you have any questions or suggestions you can e-mail me at kntjones@mindspring.com. Happy harvesting!
For questions or comments, Tammy Jones can be contacted at kntjones@mindspring.com. The views and opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of the Argus Observer.
