Got Weeds? - Talks with The Invisible Gardener

Let me explain a few things:

The term weeds has been misapplied and misunderstood ever since it was invented. Weeds mean unwanted plants to many. First off, I don’t like that term. It may seem unwanted to you, but that plant is very much wanted by the soil. More specifically the soil biology. Weeds grow in a mineral deficit soil. By looking up what the plant is carrying in terms of minerals, you will then know what the soil was deficient in!

Let me go over some basics.

We name them weeds, thinking they do not belong there and must be removed and thrown away.

How far away from the truth is this?

The fact is that what we call weeds is mother nature's system of recycling the minerals back into the top layer of soil where biology can get at it and then make the minerals, etc., available to the plants through an exchange system that uses many different "workers" in the soil biology army. Each worker or gardener has a specific job and has genetically evolved into it. Some biology lives on the root hairs of trees and plants, and they take the nutrients passed on to them from another different "gardener" who works on specific minerals, etc., who got it from others down the system.

You can tell what minerals the soil lacks by what plants are growing. These final plant workers have evolved to allow the interaction between them and the plants. They give the plants all the necessary nutrients, energy, and data; communication is just one.

The plants then take up this source and transmit it throughout the body to be accessed, assimilated, and processed. Thus, from healthy living soil, you get a healthy living ecosystem from which you get healthy inhabitants.

So here is the key to natural weed control: The more biology in the soil, the less the soil will be deficient in minerals and the less plants will be deficient, the less “weeds” are present. So yes, the plants, and trees need the weeds brought to the surface so they can be taken by the local biology and converted into a mineral-rich nutrient.

One needs to understand how toxins damage the soil biology which is then not able to function properly. Toxins come from many different sources and are killing soil biology. One source is city water which is destroying the soil biology. Get a whole property filter.

Another source of toxins is chemicals of any kind that harm the environment, water, air, and especially soil. Just do the best you can and start from there. Every little bit helps.

So stop using chemical fertilizers and go organic. Find a local source of compost. Join a local Organic Gardening club. Someone always has the best compost for sale or exchange. Soil biology needs soil! Use organic fertilizer, rock dust, or live compost; mix in equal parts with your soil, or add some nice clean topsoil; then mix into the soil (add soil if you have no soil). Start around the plants and trees, then eventually, the whole property. I would get an excellent mulch ( not wood chips) to cover it. Ask what brands I use and what brand you're considering, and I will help you decide. I would use a nicely ground-up tree bark mulch, maybe with a few other soil microbes or mycorrhizal. There are many organic fertilizers now that come with a wide range of mycorrhizal, and other minerals. Then, you have to stop throwing away what you call weeds and start composting them. This will recycle the minerals and biology back into the soil.

If you can, start a worm farm. yes, worms will supply you with all the nutrients the soil needs. Make sure you add a source of minerals like rock dust to your compost. Or use SEA90, an ancient mineral-rich salt bed. Use small amounts. Remember, it's trace minerals. Try to use various sources of trace minerals. Seaweed makes for a great mineral source. Or Try Kelp.

It is one of the fastest ways to bring your soil biology back to life. It's not very complicated. You raise worms in whatever container you want to use. I use a cattle trough. I place it on a stand with four legs, which are placed in a tray that holds canola oil. This is to protect the worms from being attacked and eaten by the ants.

You feed the worms and they will increase and soon you will have lots of worms. The basic idea is to grow the worms, feed them good organic food, bathe them ( with super clean filtered water) once or twice a week to help keep their environment clean, and use the water (I call it worm juice) to spray the leaves or soak the soil. This will slowly help bring your soil back to life. No soil is one big problem so start bringing in good healthy soil that will provide housing for the soil biology.

Any questions?

‍Feel free to email me at andylopez@invisiblegardener.com or use my inquiry form on my website. Please mention this column and I will answer back in the future.

Thanks
Have a great day!

Andy Lopez
Invisible Gardener