Hard work, not magic bullets, help gardener to control weeds

A Stockton Springs vegetable gardener asks what to do about an invasion of purslane (a weed in the portulaca family) which grows worse every year. Pulling the plants is, in the victim’s words, numerically impossible.

Meanwhile way Down East, a Milbridge gardener had the misfortune to till a large quantity of uncomposted cow manure into her garden and now faces a seemingly endless onslaught of weeds. Every five days, it is necessary to completely weed the garden, lest the unwelcome plants get ahead of her veggies.

There are no magic bullets for weed control that I can recommend for the current season’s garden. Purslane is a dreadful weed that roots right back into the ground if you merely pull it and leave it on the surface. As with all annual weed species, the first line of defense against purslane is to keep the plants from going to seed. Diligence in this regard will pay off next year with far fewer plants to contend with. A mulch of straw at the start of the growing season will greatly reduce the number of seedlings that emerge.

Incidentally, purslane is exceedingly rich in Omega-3 fatty acids that fight cholesterol. Commercial chicken growers are experimenting with purslane as a feed additive to produce eggs and meat lower in cholesterol. Adventurous wild plant fanciers do eat purslane as a boiled green, though I cannot personally say how it tastes.

The cow manure-weed problem is one I can personally sympathize with. It seems that Bossy is not at all careful about passing the grass and weed seeds in her hay along to the consumer. Rest assured that there are only so many seeds in the manure and the garden will eventually become manageable again, if — and only if — one is diligent about not letting the new crop of weeds go to seed. Again, oat straw as a mulch does discourage weed seed germination.

All gardeners would do well to pay careful attention to the weeds in their garden at the end of the season. Forgotten weeds grow into seed-laden giants in September and October. Frequent tilling this fall will greatly reduce the problems for next year. Perennial weeds can be taken care of with glyphosate herbicide (Round-up) once the crops are in.

A Beals gardener wants advice on transplanting and dividing peonies and daylilies.

Peonies are only to be dug in late August and through September. Don’t cut back the tops, and take care when dividing that each piece cut off has a decent supply of fine feeder roots which should not be allowed to dry out during the transplanting operation. Double dig for peonies, which means a hole twice as deep as the roots, the bottom half filled with compost, sludge or manure. Set the roots with the new growing points 2 to 4 inches below the surface, and water daily, without fertilizer this fall.

Daylilies can be dug anytime after bloom. Do cut back the tops to make a fan 8 to 12 inches tall. Divide as much as you like, down to individual fans if you like. Enrich the soil as above and keep the transplants well watered.

A Milo gardener wonders whether to let sweet William go to seed, and asks if the plant is a biennial?

Sweet William is a biennial that sometimes comes back for a third year. Once the seeds mature, you can either let the plants scatter them in the wind or collect them yourself to sow where you like. The sooner you remove the seed heads from old plants, the greater the likelihood that they will survive for a third year, but don’t count on it. Better to keep a fresh crop of seedlings coming on at all times.

Mike Zuck is a horticulturist and the NEWS garden columnist. Send inquiries to him at 2106 Essex St., Bangor, Maine 04401.