[APWG] Weed Control Methods Re: Why not use the weed thatch to kill themselves, instead of herbicides?

[Wayne Tyson]

Zounds! 99.997 percent? Pretty good! But where's the evidence? Or is Dremann just kidding? 

I'm getting convinceder and convinceder that zero is the best number for glyphosate "compounds." Thick enough thatch will kill almost anything, including "desirable" plants. 

What works best is a healthy ecosystem, pretty much unperturbed. 

Most whacking methods, while providing some visceral satisfaction, jobs, and BigChem profits, do far more harm than good. Digging, and even pulling, create localized disturbances which favor weed growth, and chemicals, thatch, other quick fixes can, and usually do, kill emerging natives. 

Even alien weeds can provide some ecosystem services, such as soil-building, habitat for indigenous organisms, and food, for example. 

Trying to bend Nature to our will, our fantasies is questionable, at best. We need to re-examine our assumptions and deal with verifiable evidence and numerous replications. 

But most and easiest of all is look at the causes of alien species colonization. Without that information and understanding, one can't really come to any valid conclusions. 

WT
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: craig at astreet.com 
  To: Wayne Tyson 
  Cc: apwg at lists.plantconservation.org 
  Sent: Monday, May 06, 2013 9:56 AM
  Subject: Why not use the weed thatch to kill themselves, instead of herbicides?


  Dear Wayne and All,

  Love the discussion.  Why not just limit the use herbicides only on the perennials when needed, and apply from wicks instead of spray?  Wouldn't that solve all the problems?  

  The annual weeds are going away 99.997% with the use of straw mulch in my Poppy Project in Palo Alto, California, that you can see at http://www.ecoseeds.com/arastradero.html.

  I look at the weed thatch, cut either before the seeds are ripe, or after the seeds are shed, as my most valuable weed-killing material to use, to kill 99.997% of the weed seedlings of the future, without the use of any herbicides at all.

  Sincerely,  Craig Dremann (650) 325-7333. 


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