Eradicating Weeds

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24133, 27 November 1941, Page 15

Eradicating Weeds

'J'HERE are two legitimate methods of dealing with weeds, one by hoeing and tiie other by hand pulling, probably assisted by a fork or special lifting tool. Hoeing is the quicker at the outset, but not necessarily so in the long run. That depends on the type of weed. If it is a surface rooting variety and particularly an annual such as groundsel or chickweed, hoeing is all that is necessary. The weed is cut off just below ground level and its roots are unable to grow again. Unfortunately many weeds aro much more persistent. Everyone is familiar with the dock plunging its tap root deep into the soil. This can be cut off inches below soil level and yet in a week or two there are apparently two or three docks where there was only one before. This is because the severed root has healed over and produced several new crowns which have quickly grown to the surface. The dock is by no means the worst of these persistent perennial weeds. In any case it is a fairly obvious offender with plenty of leaves to give a good grasp when digging it out. None of these things can be said for the convolvulus, which has long brittle roots like pieces of string. They may be found at a depth of two or three feet and seem quite capable of growing up from there if left alone. There is only one thing possible with this weed and that is. to get out as many as possible of the roots without interfering with the plants among which the weed is growing. Be so persistent, week in and week out, so that they have no chance of forming shoots above ground. In time this treatment will so weaken them that the weed will die out.