Manual Control of Weeds

 

In many cases, the only way to control weeds in borders, vegetable gardens and small areas without harming neighbouring plants is by manual weeding; either by hand or by using a hoe or a fork.

Shallow rooting perennial weeds should be removed using a fork, so that the roots may be lifted intact; a trowel will chop them up, thus multiplying the problem. Make sure that all of the rhizomes, roots or bulbils have been removed from the soil so that the weed does not have a chance to re-establish itself.

Annual weeds may be removed from the ground by hand-weeding or by shallow hoeing before they set seed. This should preferably be done on a dry, sunny day, so that the weeds are easily loosened from the soil and will dry out quickly. Use a sharp hoe with a back and forth sliding motion so that weeds become severed from the stems, preventing further development. Walking backwards when hoeing will ensure that you do not tread the weeds back into the soil. If carried out regularly, hoeing will defeat most weeds and the reservoir of seeds in the soil layer will be exhausted.

Some perennials, such as horsetail (Equisetum arvense) are particularly difficult to eradicate and may be resistant to many weedkillers. It may be necessary to control the growth of these weeds by repeatedly cutting down their foliage. Although new growth will regenerate quickly from their large food reserves, infestations can be substantially reduced in a few years. This technique is useful for perennials that appear in laws, as regular mowing will eventually weaken the plants.