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Ron’s ArticlesLove ‘em, Hate ‘em or Eat ‘emMay 2006
I love weeds! They led me to organics. Soon after I got into this business I was frustrated. The harder I tried to get rid of weeds the worse the situation got. Then it hit me. Poisons that kill weeds also weaken turf. So the next crop of weeds has a better chance. Weeds love distressed soil. It’s clear: Chemical weed killers don’t work! In my Texas A&M advanced horticultural studies, I learned that that weed control products were designed for golf courses and football fields - not urban landscapes. They destroy life in the soil, poison your trees and shrubs and stunt St. Augustine. Synthetic pre emergents disrupt hormones - mess up a plant’s reproductive system. And we spread these on our parks and school grounds? Does this help explain why so many youngsters have screwed up hormone systems? I had to make changes. When I started searching for answers, I found things were worst than I thought. I read articles about atrazine killing trees, about atrazine and SU herbicides polluting our drinking water, of class action suits being filed against products that had been touted as safe. There had to be a better way. I tried a few organic tactics without much success. But, I didn’t give up. I learned to listen to nature and study the soil. Weeds are indicator plants - nature telling us what’s wrong. Weeds with long roots say the topsoil is nutrient deficient. Usually chemicals have destroyed its life - microbes, earthworms and their mucous and the resins that give soil a healthy texture. Then nutrients leach down to the subsurface. Deep tap roots pull them up. Nature’s plan is for the weeds to die, decompose and deposit nutrients near the surface where they’re available to higher orders of plants. The deep thick roots also help aerate the turf. Some weeds carry special messages: Some other messages: Dallisgrass: My plan was to aerate and apply compost. That would increase oxygen, add nutrients, reduce compaction, improve drainage and drive out all the weeds. WRONG! When you first improve the soil, weeds explode. I was astounded at the huge dark green weeds. I needed a post emergent spray. Vinegar works, but I tinkered to come up with my Speedy Weedy - a mixture of vinegar, orange oil, compost tea, liquid humate, Epsom salts and molasses. This mixture sticks to weeds, adds carbon and magnesium to the soil and fries the weeds. Plus, it suppresses seed germination. A cup of Speedy Weedy per gallon of water makes history out of broadleaf weeds. And, it improves the soil making it less hospitable to weeds in the future. Finding an effective weed solution sold me on organics. We can reduce weeds by 50 % each year. So by the 3rd year we’ve eliminated about 90 % of the weeds. At this point I started to hate weeds because, if they reappeared on my properties, I knew something had gotten out of balance. Every one of my lawn restoration customers has tried chemicals without success. They’re thinking of costly total resodding. If there’s at least 50% of the grass left, I can save them hundreds of dollars. We aerate then apply compost and the appropriate biostimulant to turn that lawn around. We warn them that in the short run they’ll have great big beautiful weeds. But before long the turf will prevail. One of the keys to keeping weeds to a minimum is proper mowing. It takes about 14 days for weeds to produce seeds. If you mow weekly, you will minimize the reinfestation. Make sure your blade is sharp so you’re cutting, not shredding the turf. You may have to pop a few big weeds. If you took my advice and applied compost in February, your soil will be looser now. As the soil improves, weeds are no longer needed. So the root system starts to die and it’s easier to pull them up. After a good rain you can pop them up boom boom boom. If you’re organic, your weeds are good to eat. Trust man’s best friend. Dogs eat weeds when they sense a need for certain nutrients. Dandelions are one of the most nutritious greens on earth. They’re packed with essential trace minerals. Try them in salads and as tea. 
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Clover and dicondera say, “This area is too shady for grass.” If you kill them, you’ll be left with bare soil.
Dallisgrass thrives under the same conditions as turf and digging it out is a pain. Mix cornmeal and molasses. Spread it 1/3 inch thick over the crowns. In about a month it will have all but disappeared with no further effort on your part.