From our local guru.
Weeds are both a boon and a curse to gardeners. You may ask what advantage is there in having weeds?
Two aspects immediately spring to mind: weeds are a free source of organic matter for composting and mulching, but must be cut and harvested before they set seeds.
The second advantage is much more complex: the type of weeds found growing in various areas indicate two important markers, the pH of the soil and the mineral content of the soil.
In the home garden each of us has our own batch of weeds that germinate and grow either consistently or only appear at certain times.
Many weeds are easy to deal with if they are removed before they are allowed to set seeds and increase the problem. Others, such as oxalis, are more difficult to control once they become established.
Grass weeds are likely to be the most prolific we have to deal with.
Our lawns can produce thousands of grass seeds, which carried by wind, water or our own actions will distribute grass seeds to where we do not want a new lawn.
Regular readers of my weekly column will be aware that I am dead against the use of chemicals in the home garden and I have not used chemical weed killers for over ten years.
One of the big prolems with chemical weed killers is the damage that they do to the soil life. Killing beneficial soil populations including worms does not make for healthy gardens and plants.
There are many safe ways to control weeds without having to use chemicals. The first thing to remember is that no weed or plant can survive indefinitely without leaves to gather energy from the sun.
For instance, if you cut off at ground level the leaves of oxalis or convolvulus and continue to do so as new leaves appear, then after a time the bulbs or roots will fail to produce more leaves, having exhausted all their energy. The root or bulb will then naturally rot away. But, on the other hand, if you dig the ground trying to lift the bulbs or roots you would actually spread the problem further.
Keeping free-range chickens may not be everyone's cup of tea, but, if you ncan provide a small hen house and use netting to keep them in the area you want cleared of weeds, then you can't go past having a few of these wonderful birds.