listen to your weeds!

8/22/2019 Listen to Your Weeds!

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Published on Organic Gardening(http://www.organicgardening.com)

Listen to Your Weeds!

What do you do when you see a weedin the garden? Jump in and franticallyhack away with a hoe? Throw up yourhands in despair? Learn something?

Yes, learn something! Those weedsare excellent indicators of soil

conditions. In fact, experts known asgeochemical botanists often look forspecific weeds to help them locateminerals in the soil and to pinpointgeological features. You can apply thisscience in your own backyard in twoways: to plant garden crops that willthrive in the same conditions as thoseweeds or to amend your soil so thatthe conditions are less inviting to theweeds you find there.

Here are the most reliable weedyindicators and what they reveal aboutyour soil.

Photo: (cc) Howard Dickins/Flickr

Weeds That Say Your Soil Is Soggy

If you see dock, foxtails, horsetail, andwillows, you can expect your site tosuffer swampy conditions some timeduring the year. Other weeds thatthrive in wet soil include goldenrod,Joe-Pye weed, oxeye daisy, poisonhemlock, rushes, and sedges.

What could you possibly grow in suchconditions? How about a fabulousgarden filled with plants that like wet

n to Your Weeds! http://www.organicgardening.com/print/75627?

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feet? Ornamental willows, includingpussy willow and curly willow, willflourish here and provide plenty ofmaterial for flower arrangements. Youcan also grow dogwoods, Japaneseiris, Siberian iris, yellow flag, ligularia,cardinal flower, and turtlehead. Don'tgrow invasive wet-loving plants like

purple loosestrife or meadowsweet, however. They can overwhelm the area and destroy thenatural balance of the wetlands.

Also, don't try to change these conditions. Wetlands are priceless natural habitats that arerapidly being lost to development. Besides, trying to "correct" such a site usually is a lostcausein Nature, water almost always wins.

Photo: (cc) Eugene Zelenko/Flickr

Weeds That Cry Out "Compactionand Crust"

Chicory and bindweed are telltalesigns of compacted soil. That's whyyou often see the blue flowers ofchicory along highways. Chicory alsois common in gardens where bedshave been left empty or, worse still,where soil has been worked when it'swet.

If your weeds indicate compacted soil,plant a cover crop of white lupines andsweet clover. They have roots asstrong as those of pesky chicory, andthey help to break up the soil. At thesame time, these cover cropsreplenish the nitrogen levels in thesoil.

Although a hard crust on your soil's

surface can prevent many vegetables and flowers from breaking through, it doesn't deterquackgrass or mustard family weeds at all.

If weedy mustard is flourishing in your garden, pull it up and plant closely related brassica cropssuch as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and choy instead. They can push through crusty soilwith ease. Replace quackgrass with a fast-growing grassy cover crop (such as rye) in fall, thentill it under the following spring. The cover crop will loosen the soil and choke out the weeds.

To aerate and lighten crusty and compacted soil, add compost. Prevent future problems byworking your soil only when it's dry.


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Photo: (cc) Joost J. Bakker/Flickr

Weeds That Signal Your Soil Is Sour

Dandelions, mullein, sorrel, stingingnettle, and wild pansy all thrive in

"sour" acidic soil (pH below 7.0).

If you find these pests in your garden,grow plants that also like their soil onthe tart side: hydrangeas (whoseflowers achieve their most beautifulshades of blue in acidic soil),blueberries, rhododendrons, andazaleas. In the vegetable garden,endive, rhubarb, shallots, potatoes,and watermelon all tolerate soil with a

pH as low as 5.0.

Or, if you'd rather grow plants thatthrive in neutral soils, you could raiseyour soil's pH by applying dolomiticlimestone. To determine how muchlime to use, send a soil sample to alab for testing, then follow the lab's recommendations. Wood ashes also will raise soil pH, butdon't use any more than 25 pounds per 1,000 square feet, and avoid applying them more oftenthan every 2 or 3 years. Compost is a better buffer: Just add enough to raise your soil's pH to6.5 or 6.8.

Photo: (cc) Bob Jenkins/Flickr

Weeds That Say Your Soil Is Sweet

Campion, field peppergrass, noddingthistle, salad burnet, scarletpimpernel, and stinkweed all indicatea "sweet" alkaline soil (pH higher than7.0).

Ornamentals that do well in alkalinesoil include lilacs, Persian candytuft,dianthus, baby's breath,helianthemum, dame's rocket,lavender, and mountain pinks. Someedibles also tolerate soil that's a littleon the sweet side, includingasparagus, broccoli, beets,muskmelons, lettuce, onions, and


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spinach.

If you want to lower the pH of youralkaline soil, add peat moss orelemental sulfur at a rate suggested by soil test results. Or, again, simply add compost regularlyto bring the pH closer to neutral.

Photo: (cc) Anemone Projectors/Flickr

Weeds That Warn of Worn-Out Soil

Biennial wormwood, common mullein,daisies, mugwort, wild carrot, wildparsnip, and wild radish are sure signsthat your soil has poor fertility.

Luckily, many perennials actuallyflower better when the amount of foodin the soil is on the lean side. This listincludes achillea, antennaria,artemisia, asclepias, centranthus,cerastium, coreopsis, echinops,eryngium, gaillardia, salvia, santolina,solidago, and stachys. In the edibledepartment, beans (and otherlegumes), beets, carrots, parsnips,peas, radishes, sage, and thymetolerate soil that's low in fertility.

Of course, you could and shouldimprove the fertility of at least some ofthat soil. First, have your soil tested. If the test reveals major deficiencies, correct them withorganic fertilizers such as fish meal (for nitrogen), bonemeal (for phosphorus), and greensand(for potassium). From then on, use compost and cover crops to maintain your soil's fertility.

Photo: Image Source

Weeds That Reveal Your Soil Is Rich

Fertile soil will often make its richnessknown by supporting happy andvigorous colonies of chickweed,henbit, and lamb's-quarter. In addition,a flush of redroot pigweed indicates anabundance of nitrogen in the soil,while knapweed and red clover revealan excess of potassium. Spot lots ofpurslane and mustard? They could be


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telling you that your soil is rich inphosphorus.

To take full advantage of your soil'sfertility, plant heavy feeders, such ascorn, broccoli, lettuce, melons,squash, tomatoes, and peppers.

Keep Reading: 8 Weeds You CanEat.

Photo: (cc) Steve Ryan/Flickr

Source URL: http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/listen-to-your-weeds

Links:

[1] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/12-most-common-weeds

[2] http://www.flickr.com/photos/dorkomatic/4608327283/[3] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/beautiful-mud[4] http://www.flickr.com/photos/eugenezelenko/3498847913/

[5] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/cover-crop-basics[6] http://www.flickr.com/photos/joost-ijmuiden/3662920259/

[7] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/understanding-ph[8] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/blueberries

[9] http://www.flickr.com/photos/48380660@N04/4496277750/[10] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/how-lower-your-soil-ph[11] http://www.flickr.com/photos/anemoneprojectors/4607134162/

[12] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/how-get-accurate-soil-test[13] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/soil-nitrogen-content

[14] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/8-weeds-you-can-eat[15] http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniorvelo/5708700140/


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