Weed Control - The Natural Way Newsletter 2012

Weed Control - The Natural Way

Killing weeds is big business. Weed problems are also the most common questions I get. Weeds bother people more than any other pest. As the late Charles Walters said, “weeds affect our psyche”. Ironically, weeds have great value. Nature doesn’t like bare soil and uses weeds to fill in the spaces. Therefore, the primary control of weeds is to eliminate the conditions which create the need for weeds.

Severely noxious weeds rarely invade a high-quality lawn. All the money in the world can be spent on weed-controlling products and techniques, but if the lawn is not maintained properly, the weeds will return.

Commonly available weed controls are divided into two groups - those that kill the weed seed as it germinates (pre-emergent herbicides) and those that kill the weed after it germinates (post-emergent herbicides).

Pre-Emergent Weed Control

With pre-emergent weed controls, a product is applied evenly over the lawn and forms a barrier at the soil surface. Liquid Corn Gluten Meal is a relatively new product that holds great promise.

Post-Emergent Weed Control

Post-emergent  products are used to kill weeds after they come up. These weeds are divided into two groups – grasses and broadleaf. Control choices include 10% pickling vinegar, 20% vinegar, BioSafe, Scythe, essential oils and fatty acids. 

Selective Grassy and Broadleaf Weed Control

One of the few select organic weed controls is the Agralawn Crabgrass Killer. It is a potassium bicarbonate and cinnamon product that works well when applied per label instructions. It is effective on crabgrass, basket grass, chickweed, clover and other weeds. It even works on tough weeds like false strawberry and Illinois buttonweed.

Read More: Detailed information on specific weeds

You can read more in my new book Organic Manual for the Professional.

If you have any questions on this newsletter or any other topic, tune in Sunday 8am -11am (CST) to the Dirt Doctor Radio Show. The phone number for the show is 1-866-444-3478. Listen on the internet or find a station in your area. Organic Club of America Members can log in on Sunday mornings to see the Dirt Doctor's Live Broadcast.

Please share this newsletter with everyone in your address book and all of your friends on Facebook and Twitter to help me spread the word on organics.

Naturally yours,

Howard Garrett

Join the Organic Club of America. Membership supports TORC.

Forward this newsletter to family and friends and ask them
 to subscribe for Howard Garrett's Free E-Newsletter.

Dirt Doctor, Inc. P.O. Box 140650 Dallas, TX 75214
Copyright(c) 2011

If you no longer wish to receive Howard Garrett's Weekly Newsletter,
click reply and put Unsubscribe in the subject line.

  Search Library Topics      Search Newspaper Columns