These past weeks of summer have challenged us to be more aggressive in our preventative weed control program.
Weeds can be problematic. These weeds emerged 2 weeks after string-trimming.
The frequent rains of these past weeks have created excellent growing conditions for the unwanted vegetation in the orchard that we call “weeds.” Weekly mowing has kept a control on the grasses but the weeds that thrive under the trees’ canopies and in the rows between the trees have really been troublesome. We do use herbicides developed for orchards but the heavy rainfalls have hampered their effectiveness.
So what’s wrong with a few weeds? Well, there’s really nothing wrong with a “few” weeds but weeds without any control techniques tend to get out of control. Too tall weeds make it difficult to pick the harvest. There is not one of our pickers that enjoy stomping down thistle, ragweed or morning glories before they can reach the tree to pick apples. Besides hampering harvest, too many weeds keep the fruit on the low lying branches from developing without disease or cosmetic issues. In dry growing seasons, weeds compete for the available moisture and without adequate control measures there is a huge difference in crop productivity.
Weed control is a costly task as well. It is imperative to develop a plan for weed management. Knowledge of the plant needs and soil and nutrient testing are important factors to keep in mind. We always envision ourselves as caretakers of our land. So we are trying to use manual removal (e.g. use of a string trimmer) or softer herbicide chemistries in the orchard in our efforts to control the weeds. Although this season we have struggled with controlling the weeds with herbicides, we have made good efforts with our weed eaters. Not quite as effective in eradication as herbicides and more labor intensive, but overall we have had some good results.