Elimination Of Competition
Categories:
TILLAGE
Weeds pump the water out of the soil, use
up available plant-food, and compete for the sunlight. Tillage is given
for several reasons, and one is the destruction of weeds. A weeder
which stirs the soil only an inch or two deep is an excellent destroyer
of weeds when they are starting, but after the weeds are well-rooted,
the weeder acts only as a cultivator for the plants that should be
destroyed. Modern cultivators have fine teeth that let the surface
remain nearly level, and they do their best work when the weeds are
small. The use of "sweeps" should be more general. The blades are so
placed that they slip under the surface, letting the soil fall back so
that a mulch is formed.