Question:
How do I control weeds using mechanical means, such as cultivation or hand pulling?Answer:
Cultivation and hand pulling effectively control most annual weeds. It is very important to destroy these weeds while they are small before they produce thousands of seeds, guaranteeing a weed problem for many years in the future.
Like annual weeds, perennial weeds are easy to control when in the seedling stage. Once established, they are challenging to control because of their perennial root system and rhizomes. Repeated cultivation of perennial weeds is necessary, being careful not to chop up or leave behind plant pieces that can root to become a new plant, multiplying the problem.
When cultivating the garden, avoid deep tillage. The roots of many desirable plants grow near the soil surface. Deep cultivation will cut off some of these roots. Also, deep cultivation will bring buried weed seeds to the soil surface where they can germinate. When hand pulling, work in the garden a day or two after a soaking rain or water the garden 24-48 hours before weeding to make pulling and digging easier.
