Weeds Archives - gardenmyths.com

What Do Weeds Tell Us About Soil?

Are weeds good indicator plants? Does the presence of a particular weeds tell you something about your soil? There are many claims online that you can tell the pH of your soil by checking the weeds. Some claim that weeds indicate an imbalance in the ratio of bacteria to fungi, and other claim they can be used to detect nutrient deficiencies. Let’s separate myth from fact.

Key Takeaways

Weeds are much more versatile than most people think and many are not always good indicator plants.
Indicator plants can tell you about your soil, but they can difficult to read.

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Vinegar Weed Killer Myth

Commercial weed killers have been banned in a number of Countries including Ontario, Canada and people are now looking for natural weed killers. Does vinegar kill weeds? Is it a natural weed killer? Let’s have a closer look at this common garden myth.

bottle of vinegar — This is NOT a good natural herbicide, source: Joe Shlabotnik

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Weed Tea, Fertilizer Tea – No Matter the Name, It Stinks

I read about weed tea many years ago and I made some. It stunk so bad that I never made it again.

With all the interest in natural gardening it is making a comeback and the internet is full of gardening advice that says fertilizer tea made from weeds is great for plants. Let’s have a look at the science behind this gardening practice. Is it worth making weed tea fertilizer? What kind of nutrients does it really provide? Are there better ways to use your weeds?

Just to be clear – I am talking about the weeds you pull from the garden – not the kind you smoke!

Weed Tea, Fertilizer Tea, No Matter the Name It Stinks, source: permaculture news

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Natural Weed Killers – Do Organic Herbicides Work?

Weeds, weeds everywhere! Gardeners are looking for the best natural weed killer to get rid of them. Roundup certainly works, but is there an equivalent natural product that is less harmful to the environment and our health. In this blog I’ll look at a variety of organic herbicides to see if they work for controlling weeds and lawn grass.

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Should Hydrogen Peroxide Be Used in the Garden?

If you spend any time on social media or reading popular gardening blogs you already know that hydrogen peroxide does all kinds of useful things in the garden. You will see blog headings such as, “11 Mega Reasons why Hydrogen Peroxide for Plants is a Must” and “10 Amazing Uses of Hydrogen peroxide for Plants in the Garden.”

This stuff must be fantastic! Or not.

Not every claim is a complete myth, but many of these claims are just wishful thinking. Time to look at some science and get down to the reality of using hydrogen peroxide in the garden.

Should Hydrogen Peroxide Be Used in the Garden?

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Does Barley Straw Stop Algae Growth in Ponds?

Algae is probably the pond owners biggest problem and people try everything to get rid of it, even barley straw. This is becoming a common method and companies are even selling bags of it for small back yard ponds, but does it actually work?

If you think about it for a minute, it does not make any sense. Why would barley straw work? Why not some other kind of straw?

Even if it does work, it seems a shame to use it in a pond rather than make beer out of it!

Does Barley Straw Stop Algae Growth in Ponds?

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Are Dandelions Really Important to Bees?

I am sure you have seen the memes on social media; Dandelions are the first food for bees. “Don’t pick dandelions and save the honey bee”. How important are these dandelions to bees, and which bees are we talking about? Is it their first food? Do bees actually use the pollen and nectar from dandelions?

Just because social media says its true, does not mean it is. Lets uncover the truth behind this new craze to save the dandelions.

Are Dandelions Really Important to Bees?

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Corn Gluten Meal – Does it Work For Weeds?

Corn gluten meal is the new herbicide for lawns. The movement away from synthetic chemical herbicides has left a gap for managing lawns and researchers are scrambling to find an organic solution. One product that is showing promise is corn gluten meal. Its proponents claim that it prevents weed seed from germinating, and if seeds don’t germinate you have a weed free lawn. Sounds like a perfect solution.

There are scientific reports, both for and against the product. Anecdotal evidence from gardeners is also mixed. Does the product work? How should it be used? Are people using it correctly?

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Vinegar Weed Killer – My Experieince

A while ago I wrote about using vinegar as a weed killer, in Vinegar Weed Killer Myth and reported on the scientific evidence for vinegar weed killer. It does not kill larger weeds with established roots, but can have an effect on seedlings. Vinegar is recommended so much in social media that I decided to give it a try myself.

I ran a few simple experiments to see how effective vinegar is for killing weeds.

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Homemade Weed Killer – Roundup vs Vinegar vs Salt

Homemade weed killers are all the rage and vinegar or salt or a combination of the two are highly publicized. How well do they work? How do they compare with Roundup? In today’s post I will compare the three options by testing them on real weeds in my garden.

Homemade weed killer - vinegar and salt — Homemade weed killer – vinegar and salt

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What Can You Compost?

Composting is the process of degrading organic matter. So any organic matter should be good for the compost bin—right? Maybe. You will find lots of lists showing you what you can and can’t compost. Are the lists correct? Why can’t you not compost everything that is organic? Let’s look at this closer.

Composting meat and cheese, source: Charles Hope

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Landscape Fabric – Weed Barrier Cloth

Landscape fabric, weed barrier and weed barrier fabric are names for the same product. It is a black mesh type of plastic that is used extensively in landscaping to keep weeds out of your garden. Does it keep the weeds out? Does it let water through to the plants? Lets have a look at the effectiveness of landscape fabric.

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