The Very Important Reason You Should Think Twice Before Deweeding Your Garden

Many gardeners would likely welcome a scientific excuse to avoid the tedious chore of weeding. How about this one — you should stop and think before weeding because weeds heal and rebalance soil. Weeds accomplish these feats, in part, by making nutrients available to other plants when they decay.

Most people get rid of weeds in the garden, believing that these pesky unwanted plants use up valuable nutrients for their flowers and veggies, but the truth is, those nutrients will return to the soil if weeds are left to mature and die. Thus, weeding is a bit like harvesting nutrients. When left in place, weeds will increase the soil's organic matter content as they continually grow, die, and decompose. Weeds can serve other soil health purposes, as well. Some deliver carbon to the soil. Others, like dandelions, anchor soil in place with their extensive taproots. All weeds help conserve soil and prevent erosion. Think of a patch of bare soil that is getting no nutrients and is vulnerable to soil loss — in nature, it's the weeds that move in and provide nutrition and protection.

How to leverage the nutrients in weeds instead of weeding

Should you simply leave the weeds in your garden, potentially creating an unsightly mess? Consider alternatives that enable you to harvest and deliver the nutrients in weeds efficiently. One option, sometimes considered a form of composting, is known as "chop and drop" or "cut and drop." The idea is to cut down weeds into small pieces and scatter them in the same area where the weeds grew. Like any compost, the broken-down weeds will decompose in place, making nutrients available to the plants around them.

You can make fertilizer teas to nourish your garden as another alternative to leaving weeds in place. Create a fertilizer tea by placing chopped weeds, covered with water, in a 5-gallon bucket. Keep mosquitoes out by covering the bucket with a piece of screen, and use the liquid fertilizer in your garden within three to five days before it starts to smell. Dilute it with 4 parts of water to 1 part fertilizer tea.

You can, of course, decide you prefer regular weeding, using weed removal hacks. But if you ever want a break, think about recycling nutrients back into your soil with no-weeding options.

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