A Dexter gardener writes to inquire whether there is a remedy for a particularly noxious weed called Galinsoga. She notes that in addition to being a very prolific breeder (as are all weeds), the pesty plant is hard to pull without disturbing the roots of her garden plants. Herbicides are an option which the frustrated Dexterite is willing to consider.

Galinsoga is an annual in the composite (daisy) family. As such, it overwinters as a seed in the soil and is presumably controllable with a pre-emergence herbicide. I know exactly nothing about this type of chemistry and am not inclined to learn for the simple reason that I don’t believe the home gardener should expose himself or the soil to the hazards of powerful herbicides.

In the absence of a chemical cure for Galinsoga weed, there are really only two other options: mulch or cultivation. As I have stated in this column many times, oat or rye straw makes a superb mulch which possesses natural herbicidal properties; weed seeds tend to be inhibited from germinating under a straw mulch. The trick is to apply the mulch at the start of the season and do a thorough job of it. Garden centers carry bales of straw at most times of the year. If the straw is too coarse for use as is, try running it through a shredder or lawnmower equipped with a bagger.

As for cultivation, you must have the right attitude to keep this option from being a chore. Again, the key is to start early in the growing season, waltzing through the garden with a hoe or other implement. Weekly cultivations until such time as the plants completely overshadow the soil will go a long way towards reducing the weed population in the garden. Once you achieve a full year of good weed control, it’s surprising how much easier the job will be thereafter, thanks to the reduced number of weed seeds in the soil.

On a similar note, a Bangor gardener asks for options to the use of weed and feed on her lawn. She has small children and can’t bear the idea that they might be exposed to hazardous chemicals while frolicking in the grass.

Obviously, if I am opposed to using herbicides in the garden, I don’t favor their use on the lawn either. Beyond the imponderable health risks and the possible contamination of ground water, there is the glaring fact that a lawn free of broad leaf weeds looks rather artificial to the gardener’s eye. If you keep in mind that any monocultural ecosystem (i.e. only one species grown in large numbers) is much more susceptible to insects, diseases, winterkill and physiological problems, then dandelions and white clover don’t seem like such villains after all.

As for the practical question of what can be done to limit the presence of unwanted plants in the lawn, there are other options. First, try to rethink your philosophy of lawn mowing. Close cropping with a mower set down low is the surest way to favor broadleafed weeds over their grassy neighbors because grass has only a limited ability to recover its height after mowing and thus overshadow its competition. Broadleafed weeds, on the other hand, can expand horizontally despite any amount of mowing, crowding out grass as it goes. So, set that mower on a medium to high setting and learn to like the way a slightly taller lawn looks. If you want to see manicured grass, go to the golf course. And while you’re there, ask the greenskeeper how much chemistry it takes to keep his close-cropped grass alive.

If dandelions are unacceptable, go after them with a dandelion weeder, making sure to get as much of the tap root as possible. This sounds tedious, but I assure you it is both relaxing and addicting once started. Also, pay close attention to the life cycle of the dandelion and interrupt its reproduction by mowing and removing flowers before they form their darling little balls of fluffy seeds.

Finally, consider using spot applications of Roundup TM herbicide if you must employ chemistry rather than covering the whole lawn to kill a relatively few offenders. Roundup is considered ultra-safe as herbicides go, since it breaks down very quickly in the soil.

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