What do weeds do to flowers

Other weeds such as milkweed are the major food source for monarch butterfly larva to feed on to create the poisonous fluid that fills the veins in future butterflies' wings. The purpose? To prevent these butterflies from being eaten by birds and other predators. Butterflies are a major pollinating element in our ecosystem. Bees thrive on many blooming plants such as clover, dandelions,and crown vetch, to name a few. These are the ultimate pollinators in our world and without them we would face dire consequences.

Clover is actually a plant that feeds the area around it with nitrogen, similar to that of a legume or bean. It has pretty flowers and is often found in lawns and pastures. A healthy lawn will usually choke out clover without chemical assistance. Dandelions, with their deep tap root, are known to bring up calcium and nitrogen from far below. They are also a great food source for humans and animals alike with their nutritious leaves. And I am not just talking wine here!

Turn to the residential and commercial weed control experts at Realty Landscaping. Business owner and homeowners throughout the Philadelphia area have counted on us for years to keep their lawns and gardens happy, healthy and weed-free. Contact us today to learn more. You must be logged in to post a comment. Web Form Generator. Here are four ways weeds can damage the plants on your lawn or in your garden.

Weeds can cut off your plants food supply Your plants need water, light and nutrients to survive. Weeds take up the space your plants need to grow Weeds compete with plants for space, which can keep plants from reaching their full potential.

Species like European Water Chestnut Trapa natans , Water Soldier Stratiotes aloides and Common Reed Phragmites australis have adverse effects on recreational activities like swimming, boating and fishing and on reproductive strategies of fish, turtles and birds. Species like Giant Hogweed Heracleum mantegazzianum , Poison hemlock Conium maculatum and Poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans can be detrimental to human health with exposure causing allergic reactions and dermatitis.

In spring, it can be difficult to determine what is a weed and what is a flower, especially when things are just emerging. Do weeds have certain tell-tale characteristics that make them easier to identify? JP: In a garden setting, it can be unclear which plants are meant to be there and which are invaders. Mark the locations of your desirable plants so that you know approximately where they will emerge. Anything that emerges in other locations may be a weed. There aren't specific morphological characteristics within these plants that tell you they are weeds.

If you see lots of seedlings emerging in mass or clusters, they could be weeds. If you see plants emerging or greening up earlier than our native species in spring, they could be weeds.

Take pictures of the difficult ones and send to your local public garden or a friendly gardener you know — hopefully they will help you identify them.

What should you do if you aren't sure if it's a weed or a flower? JP: First, remember that all weeds are plants too. Best advice is to be patient, sometimes the identity of the plant can't be guaranteed until the plant is flowering so waiting is often the best thing to do. Proper identification is the most important step in determining what you'll need to do to either abolish or control a plant. And some plants can be toxic to humans, so it's important to know what things are before dealing with them.

Wear proper protective gear if you are uncertain. What weed-killing options can you recommend? JP: There isn't one solution for dealing with every weed.

The most important thing is to properly identify the weed in order to figure out the best method s of control and to check which pest control products are legal to use in the province you live in. Often multiple methods of control will need to be used over a number of years in order to get a handle on the problem.

It really comes down to hard work. Hand pulling is my go-to control method — I like to provide some irrigation or wait until after a good rain to pull weeds while the soil is moist so the pulling is easier. Also, try to find time to pull weeds regularly as the smaller they are, the easier they will be to remove. Timing of pulling some weeds is also critical. You want to ensure you pull them before they set seed so that the problem isn't persistent.

Also, remove all pulled weed debris from the garden and do not incorporate it into your compost bin. Other methods of control can be used at the proper time of year and some with guidance recommended including: cultivating and tilling the soil, solarisation using polyethylene sheets laid on the soil surface to cook the weeds and their seeds ; adding nutrients as many weeds prefer nutrient poor soils ; and by planting a plethora of desirable plants.

By filling the empty spaces with desirable trees, shrubs, perennials and groundcovers, you will eliminate the soil space and sun exposure available for weeds to germinate and multiply. Do you think gardeners are too touchy about weeds — should we be more forgiving? JP: Yes, people are probably too touchy about weeds. When dealing with these weeds you have to pull them, root intact, from the ground, or use an herbicide that goes down into the roots to kill the entire plant.

Many weeds, such as thistle, can also reproduce via rhizomes or stolons. These are under-ground stems which can generate an entire new plant. If you choose to use a hoe in your garden, be aware that every piece of the rhizome has the potential to produce a new plant so all plant material must be removed! When using herbicides to manage weeds in your garden, correct timing is key. Summer annuals emerge in the spring, flower and set seed, then are killed by frost in the fall.

Crabgrass and knotweed are examples of common nuisance summer annuals in lawns. To get good control of winter annuals it is often necessary to apply herbicides in the fall when the plants are small, but summer annuals can be controlled in the spring. Remember weeds do best in stressful environments that prevent the growth of your desirable plants. Amendments with compost or chemical fertilizers might be needed. Irrigate during dry weather conditions and select the right plants for the location — shade tolerant species in low light locations, hardy grass species in high traffic lawns, etc.

Whatever your purpose for cultivating plants, whether farm, garden or landscape, weeds make your job harder. The best way to tackle these plants is to know your enemy.

Correctly identify the weed, learn about its growth habit winter vs. Just remember to get a jump on it!