Did you know that your weeds tell you a lot about your soil?
Because certain weeds grow in certain conditions, when one appears, you can bet it’s there because of the kind of soil that’s there. So knowing your weeds can tell you whether your soil is wet or dry, rich or poor, alkaline or acidic, aerated or compacted.
Here are some examples according to here and here and here and here and here.
Acidic Soil (A good place for blueberries, azaleas, and hydrangeas)
Sorrel
Plantain
Fertile soil (Maybe a spot for a vegetable garden):
Henbit
Chickweed
Lamb’s-Quarters
Clay Soil:
Creeping Buttercup
Canada Thistle
Weeds That Improve Soil Fertility
Clover—pulls nitrogen from the air and puts it in the soil
Vetch—the same
Dock–Deep taproots bring up calcium, potassium, phosphorus and iron, and help soil structure.
What have you learned from reading the weeds?
Can’t say I’ve learned much except that I can’t get rid of the dandelions in the lawn and the goldenrod and multiflora rose in the garden without more poison than I’m willing to use. Miss those roses for a season, and it seems the only way to get them out is with a backhoe! But I’d be glad to find sorrel as a “weed” in my garden.
Sandra, well at least they’re *attractive* weeds.