Coping with Weeds

By Pat Curran

Question:  How can I stay ahead of the weeds?

Answer: 

Persistence is the key to weed control, but life gets in the way.  It helps to identify your weeds, or at least be familiar with their life cycle.  Why?  This will help you do triage when time is limited.

Annual weeds grow fast, but it is critical to prevent them from producing seeds.  Otherwise, you have a ‘seed bank’ in your soil that may persist for 10 years or more.  Years ago, I had redroot pigweed spring up in my veggie garden.  It was 2 feet tall before I could deal with it.   I got it all pulled up before it seeded, and I haven’t seen a single plant since.  Obviously, the seeds came in my soil amendments.  On the plus side, they germinated all at once.  Prickly lettuce is another annual weed that may come with purchased compost that didn’t get hot enough to kill weed seeds.  Be sure to wear old clothes (the juice stains!) and remove it before the fuzzy seeds get loose!  At this time of year, it makes sense to remove ‘winter annuals’ like henbit which will flower and produce seed in very early spring.

common burdock
Arctium minus 
FoliageMary Ellen (Mel) Harte 

Many of us are familiar with burdock and mullein.  Both European imports, they are biennials.  The first year, there is a rosette of leaves.  The second year, they send up a flowering shoot.  If time and energy permit, dig or pull them up the first year, especially the burdock which has no ornamental value.  The mullein can be left to enjoy the furry gray leaves and leave the yellow flowers for the bees.  As the flowers fade, I cut the spike off and put it in the trash.

Perennial weeds live for years.  Dandelions and plantain are two common lawn weeds.  Plantain tolerates compaction and salt and thus tends to grow next to sidewalks.  I don’t advocate using lawn herbicides, as they have been implicated in dogs getting cancer.  Just keeping the lawn mowed to the recommended height, 3 inches, will keep the grass vigorous and decapitate most of the flowers, so that the seeds don’t blow into adjacent ornamental or veggie gardens.

Quackgrass and bindweed are two perennial weeds that require diligence.  They both have spreading white roots.  Bindweed, which resembles a white morning glory, climbs and makes terrible tangles in desirable plants.  Pulling out the foliage and then smothering these weeds by sheet composting with flattened cardboard, combined with weekly checking for new shoots, is the organic option.  It may be necessary to first remove desirable perennials to a holding bed.

Ask a Gardener appears weekly in The Journal during the growing season. For answers to other garden, lawn, landscape and pest questions, call Cooperative Extension at 607-272-2292 or email: growline1@gmail.com. This article was written by Patricia Curran, horticulture program manager at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County.

What to do in the Garden this Month

Halloween has passed and in just a few short weeks, we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving.  I look at this time of year as the start of the "Big Celebration".  Gardening is winding down to be replaced by visiting, parties, big dinners, shopping and the general celebration of everything that is family and friends. Enjoy this month as you start moving "indoors" for the upcoming winter.

Here's what to do in your gardens this month:

• Finish any garden clean-up you haven't gotten to.  Rake leaves, move downed branches, pretty-up your beds for winter. ** Be sure to remove and dispose of any plant material that is diseased.  Do NOT compost it. 
• Harvest any remaining root crops from your garden.
• Plant your final batches of spring bulbs.  You can plant until the ground freezes.
• Continue to water newly planted trees and shrubs until the ground freezes.
• Mulch around the root zones of newly planted trees, shrubs and perennials.
• Wrap tree trunks with trunk wraps to protect them from nibbling rodents.
• Erect wooden tepees to protect foundation plants from breakage when snow and ice slip off the roof.
• Drain hoses and turn off any outdoor spigots.
• Your lawn may still be growing - continue to mow as needed.  Don't be afraid to mow over fallen leaves, effectively mulching them.  As long as you don't put down a thick layer, this is helpful to your lawn. 
• After you have done your final mowing, winterize your lawn mower.  Leave the gas tank empty and have the blades cleaned and sharpened for next spring.
• Hill mulched leaved over any less - then - winter - hardy plants ( roses, hydrangeas, for example).
• Make sure the canes of your climbing roses and other climbing plants are securely fastened to their supports. 
• Put protection around valuable plants prone to deer and other wildlife munching.  Be sure fencing goes high enough that the little folks don't just sit on the snow and munch from there!!  
• Do not cut back mums as the tops act as a protection and mulch for spring growth.
• Check stored firewood for insect infestations.   Clear out any unwanted critters and bugs now instead of during the first snow storm of the year, in the dark, when you are in a hurry!
• Plant and water amaryllis and paper whites bulbs indoors for later flowering.
• Clean and disinfect your garden tools and send those that need sharpening out for a professional sharpening.
• Check stored fruit and veggies for problems.  Discard rotted fruit.
• Indoor plants may need to be moved or given artificial light as the days get shorter.
• Reduce fertilizer on your indoor plants.  They need a rest too!!
• Begin feeding non-migratory birds.  Make sure your feeders have been cleaned and rinsed with a 10% bleach solution.  Black oil seeds attract the largest number of species. 
• Since you turned your compost pile all year long, it should be steaming right now.  Pat yourself on the back!

I love forcing bulbs.  My family, however, hates the smell of narcissus which leaves me with forcing amaryllis. This year, I had to give up on the 3 bulbs I've been forcing for the past 3 years.  They have served me well for 3 years with double flower stalks, four flowers per stalk.  I loved them - one was white, another bright red and the final a peppermint stripe.  Lovely!!  This fall, they all went kaput: they hit their limit and I've purchased new bulbs.  Hopefully the new bulbs will be as fruitful. :)    Here is a link to a fact sheet from Iowa State University about forcing bulbs.  I hope you find it useful and that just seeing this post will encourage you to start a few bulbs today!