2. What is a weed?
• Plant growing in the wrong place
• Generally very aggressive/ reproduces quickly
• Responds well to disturbance
3. Why are weeds a problem?
• Rob our desired crops of nutrients, sunlight, water.
• Create home for undesirable
insects, fungus, snakes, rats, pests etc.
• Make harvest difficult
7. Hand pulling weeds
• Best for in between plants
• Understand when your weeds are beginning to
harm your crops
• Best done in the morning
8. Tillage
Positive
• It is a mechanical way to destroy weeds.
• Ploughing loosens and aerates the top layer of soil
which can facilitate the planting of the crop.
• It helps in the mixing of residue from the
harvest, organic matter (humus) and nutrients
evenly throughout the soil.
• Dries the soil before seeding.
9. Tillage
Negative
• Brings up weed seed buried in soil
• Soil dries faster
• Erosion of soil / Higher rate of fertilizer and
chemical runoff.
• Reduces organic matter in the soil
(Microbes, carbon
compounds, earthworms, ants, etc.).
• Destroys soil aggregates.
• Aeration and mineralization may cause
lower soil fertility.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tillage
11. Rye
• Important to understand the difference between
ryegrass and cereal rye.
• Generally most cold tolerant cover crop.
• Produce allelopathic chemicals
• Can mine nutrients from deep in the soil
15. Cereal Rye and vetch
http://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/factsheets/vetch%20and%20rye.JPG
16. Clover
• Cold tolerant, can be
planted in the fall or
spring
• N fixing
• Great for the bees!
• Needs a higher pH (6.5-
7)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Trifolium_pratense_0522.jpg/220px-Trifolium_pratense_0522.jpg
18. Buckwheat
• Rapid growth in the
summer
• Great for a smother
crop in between
spring and fall
plantings
• Rapid growth cycle
19. Brassicas
• Produce plenty of
biomass
• Have shown good
pest and
nematode control
• Good for the
bees!
• Deep rooted
http://www.extension.org/pages/18643/brassicas-and-mustards-for-cover-cropping-in-organic-farming
20. Synthetic Ground
covers
• Can be permeable
or impermeable
• biodegradable
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/images/Produ
ct/large/9302.jpg