We don't use chemicals full stop. However, 'off the record' organic advice is if there are lots of noxious weeds (I love 'injurious weeds') When you take over a place, blooter the lot with chemicals, after all they have been used until now. Then once clear, you can start on organic chemical free methods. However, as chemicals have been used, but you still have loads of weeds growing, then that tells you that the treatments so far haven't worked too well.
There are chemical-free ways to deal with perennial weeds. There are mainly two kinds of bothersome thistles - spear and creeping. Spear thistles are dug out by hand, usually in June just when the plant has invested its all into putting up a flower spike. Dig it out (two spade slits at right angles is the neatest way) roots and all, before the seed head opens, then burn it. If you leave spear thistles lying around they go on growing, the flower sets seeds and they blow all around the place. Creeping thistle responds well to close mowing several times through the summer, before they grow tall. Both kinds of thistles are loved by bees, especially honey bees on creeping thistle, and butterflies, hoverflies etc. You might also get riverine thistles, but they don't take over. We have almost entirely eliminated spear thistle here, by digging out year after year. We just see it as an annual chore, which becomes less each year. Sheep will eat thistles, especially spears, which are full of juicy vits and mins from having very long tap roots. They eat them very carefully, turning them round so they go down with the points facing out. Still, it's terrifying to watch!
Nettles will soon show themselves with fresh green leaves starting low down. They tend to be the first edible thing available, so were used as a cleansing vegetable in ye olde times, when folk lived off stored food all winter, so the nettles flushed their bodies. Nettle shoots are tastier than spinach. You can tell where they are in winter, because you will see dense patches of pale grey dried stems still hanging on. At this stage the mats of roots, which are close to the surface, can be forked out, with all the little yellow hair roots. In the main though we tend to leave ours for wildlife, and for the sheep to eat. Where we don't want them we keep the area mown short.
Docks? They are more of a problem as according to old farmers' tales, one lazy year will leave you with 20 years of docken seeds. Again the only way we have found to control them is by frequent mowing. Sheep will also eat small amounts, but too many is not good. About the only things in docks' favour are for rubbing on nettle stings, and to make a fibre dye from their roots.
I don't know much about bracken except that the spores (seen as brown spots on the undersides of fronds) are carcinogenic to humans when they are airborne (the spores!) but if cut at the right times can be used for pigs bedding.
For rush, we leave ours for the sheep to nibble at, then mow them before they set seed. We don't have many, and then only where we are about to make a damp wildflower meadow, so they are no problem. I can see that if you have lots you would want to keep them mown.
You don't have to keep your place spick and span if you like wildlife and can ignore your neighbours' taunts. All sorts of mini beasts, flying friends and small mammals will make use of scruffy patches, and will provide food for bigger critters, and help pollinate your crops, so have a think about just how much you want/need to clear, before assuming you have to.
Topic: Injurious weeds! (Read 5140 times)
