When the winter rainstorms come, it's time to weed.
That's an important thing to know if you've recently converted your yard to natives and realized you could forgo the expense of a yard crew.
Even in my food garden, if I spend an hour a month weeding in January and February, I have almost no weeding to do the rest of the year. At a community garden plot where I'm surrounded by plots where weeds flourish, I spend no more than a couple minutes a week weeding my plot the rest of the year.
Weeding in January and February will allow you to spend a little time outdoors at a time of year when you might prefer to sit inside looking out. But while the weeds are still small – ideally, under an inch high – they're easy to pull from wet soil and unlikely to disturb the roots of other plants. If you can catch them before they go to seed, you've prevented them from adding to the soil seed bank, so every weed you pull means fewer weeds next winter.
And if your natives are small, pulling weeds now will reduce competition. Pay special attention to the area close to the stems of recently planted perennials and shrubs. Weeds may have tagged along in the original pot, and this is your opportunity to remove them before they spread all over your garden. In addition, weeds use established plants as “nurse plants” to shelter them when they're small.
Do be careful not to walk on wet soil, though, if you have unmulched garden areas. You don't want to compress the soil within the root zones of perennials, shrubs, and trees.
Distinguishing weed seedlings from wildflowers is a useful skill. My rule of thumb is to know the identity of every seedling I pull. Search online for photos or ask around to find a gardening buddy who knows weeds. Don't make the mistake of a gardener who painstakingly weeded out her chia seedlings because she didn't recognize them. If you have extra seed, grow it on a damp paper towel inside a closed plastic bag. Put each species in a different bag. Let the seedlings grow until the first set of identifiable true leaves forms.
Globe gilia is vigorous enough to compete with any weed once it gets going, as are California poppies. Miner's lettuce is a lovely native edible that can take over a shady section of the spring garden, so give it enough room. Birds appreciate the tiny black seeds.
Their taproots make California poppies difficult to transplant, but you can move them when they're small. If I see more than one plant per square foot, I pot up my inch-high extras to give away or plant in a different area. I dig them out, rather than tearing the small root hairs, but even weeded-out poppies are remarkable survivors that can survive if potted up right away.
I've split thickly growing clumps of globe gilias and clarkias when they're under an inch high. It's easy to gently relocate a small section that fits on a trowel. For wildflowers next year, let them go to seed this year. Moving clumps around can expand your wildflower area with little effort and no expense.
© 2010 Tanya Kucak