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Weeds and Your Garden

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WATCH OUT FOR WEED SOURCES

Weed seeds drift in on breezes or are transferred by animals from nearby weedy areas. Keeping sites adjacent to your landscape fairly tidy will reduce the number of weed arrivals.

Field bindweed - a perennial with deep underground rhizomes, spreads by mowing or soil disturbance. Flower resembles a small morning glory. Can damage garden plants by twining around them.
Yellow nutsedge has triangular stems and leaves. Reproduces by underground tubers that can remain viable for years.

You can inherit such perennial pests as bindweed and yellow nutsedge in root balls of transplants. Take care to remove weeds when you bring plants into your garden. Water in the landscape, such as streams or ponds, can promote the growth of grasses, sedges, and other weeds. By staying vigilant, you can prevent these sites from creating problems for the rest of your landscape.

Some areas are so overgrown with large, established weeds that pulling them isn’t feasible. Before you mow or till them under, however, identify them. The rhizomes and tap roots of some perennials can create thousands of sprouts if you chop them and leave them in the soil. To manage these weeds, you’ll need to repeatedly mow, dig, or mulch.

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