 Nature's Way
with Alan Hayes
Beat the weeds
Each week I receive voluminous quantities of mail seeking advice and solutions to all different types of problems in and around the home. A recent letter asked how to get rid of weeds between garden pavers. This letter was quite pertinent, since I have just finished doing battle with the various young weeds that had popped up between the cracks of my patio pavers.
Most weeds produce large amounts of seed and if you don't keep on top of the problem and eliminate them as they appear they will continue to be a problem. Many varieties of weeds have seeds with varying time clocks in them; so they have the ability to germinate over several years.
Even if you do manage to eliminate the weeds before they flower, you may still find them appearing year after year. Their seeds can arrive in your garden from numerous other sources. They can be carried by the wind, excreted and undigested from bird droppings, and can even get caught in their feathers, or carried in the fur of pets, on trouser legs, wide skirts and bushwalkers' socks.
There are two ways to control weeds: removing them or killing them. However, it is best to attach them as soon as they appear so that they cannot seed or spread, and while it is still relatively easier to eliminate them.
Apart from garden beds, lawns and pavers tend to be the two biggest problem areas. Pavers, in particular, are perfect for weeds. They provide a warm and plant-free environment, where weeds have no other plan to compete with, and mowing and digging is impossible.
The easiest way to get rid of paving weeds is with a chipper: a small blade on a long pole. If you don't have a chipping tool then you can use a spade, although this can be cumbersome and tiring. If you water them thoroughly first, they usually pull out without too much trouble. You can sprinkle them with borax, but be careful not contaminate other plants around them as it will kill them. Painting weeds with kerosene will also work, if you don't mind the smell.
Provided weeds are shallow-rooted, they can be eliminated from cracks in paths and from between pavers with a safe, natural herbicide made from human urine. After collecting the urine allow it to stand in a covered bucket for 24 hours or more before using. Apply using a pump-spray bottle to the leaves and base of weeds.
Regular mowing and good lawn care are usually sufficient to prevent lawn weeds. However, unless you choose the right lawn type for your area, they can still be a problem. You lawn also needs regular care: leave cut grass at least two centimetres high and fertilise them at least twice a year with a light sprinkling of compost.
Lawn weeds such as summer (crab) grass and winter (poa annual) can be controlled by regular mowing to prevent seed heads from forming. And Paspalum can be chopped with a mattock, or cut with a knife, below the crown so that the root doesn't regenerate.
Alan on the Web – www.itssonatural.com
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