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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] 'non synthetic' herbicide

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  • From: "road's end farm" <organic101@linkny.com>
  • To: Helga and Bert Dunn <helbert@idirect.com>, North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] 'non synthetic' herbicide
  • Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 12:32:04 -0500

Anything that comes up fast and thick (so as to prevent the weeds from germinating and crowd them out if they do), and that won't cause more problems than it helps with, can be used as a smother crop. What works best depends on your soils and climate, what season you have available for the planting, and to some extent what you're trying to smother.

Buckwheat's great for short season in warm weather; it comes up in dry or wet soil, only needs four to six weeks to accomplish something, and is easy to till in. If you're trying to smother a coldweather weed, winter rye may be useful. There are lots of other possibilities. Some people use a mix including a nitrogen fixer, such as hairy vetch or field peas.

If the smother (or other cover crop) goes to seed, it may establish as a weed itself. If you already have very heavy weed pressure, this may not be a huge problem, as if something's going to pop up anyway maybe it might as well be more buckwheat; but it's a good thing to be aware of.

-- Rivka (Finger Lakes New York, zone 5 mostly)

On Monday, February 17, 2003, at 06:51 PM, Helga and Bert Dunn wrote:

Hello Gord
Please explain "smother crops". I have , it seems, more than my fair share
of weeds Cheers Bert

Bert Dunn RR4 Tottenham Ont zone 4b
www.hardygrapes.tottenham.on.ca
THINK BLENDING, NOT VARIETALS





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