Growing Tobacco--Organic Weed Control
Weeds! The gardener's nemesis. Weeds in the lawn, weeds in the flowerbeds, weeds in the veggie garden, weeds in the tobacco patch, weeds, weeds everywhere! Most gardeners consider keeping up with weeds to be the most annoying, time consuming task they have to do in yard and garden care. So how do you control weeds around your tobacco plants? Why is it important to control weeds in your tobacco garden?
Weeds compete with other plants for space and for nutrients in the soil. If weeds are sucking up nutrition from the soil, it can leave your cultivated plants weak and tired, more susceptible to disease and other problems. It's much like a malnourished person will tire out easily and is more likely to get sick. Tobacco plants are very heavy feeders and require a lot of nutrients, especially nitrogen, from the earth. If the weeds are stealing some of the food, it will hurt your tobacco, resulting in less vigorous, weaker plants, which then may become more prone to disease and insect attack.
#1. One of the best ways to kill off the weeds in an area is by solarizing the soil. This is a technique where the ground is heavily saturated with water. Then clear plastic sheeting is rolled out over the soil, and weighted down. This method does an excellent job of killing off the weeds and weed seeds under the surface. Basically, it cooks them to death. The draw back of this method is that it takes awhile, experts generally advise one to two months. And for best results, it should be done in the hottest part of summer, which of course, is right in the middle of your growing season.
#2. Landscape fabric does an excellent job of suppressing weeds around your tobacco plants. This product prevents weeds from sprouting, and does a great job of keeping weeds under control. The down side is that purchasing landscape fabric can turn into a fairly large cash outlay, however it does last for several years.
#3. Organic mulch should always be used around your tobacco plants—veggies and landscape plants, too. You should apply mulch, even if you are using landscape fabric. Mulch helps prevent moisture loss and insulates the ground to provide a more even soil temperature, as well as helping to block out weeds.
What are some good mulches for your organic tobacco garden?
Pine needles or leaves always work well as mulch. And it's free, if you (or a friend or neighbor) have trees on your property. Grass clippings also work great, and is free!
Straw is very good mulch for your tobacco plants, and is inexpensive purchased by the bale. Likewise, hay can work well, but it sometimes contains weed seeds, and can end up causing more weed problems than it solves.
Your local garden center will carry some different types of mulch. The selection available may vary by the area of the country you are in. Most commercial mulches are reasonably priced. It may be worth a trip to the garden store to see what they have to offer in the way of organic mulch to place around your tobacco plants.
Now go to Growing Tobacco Organically for more great information about growing organic tobacco, including tips for organic pest control, organic fertilizers, and much more!
About the Author
I'm located in west central Florida, about 45 miles north of Tampa. I live with my husband, son, two donkeys, a couple of dogs and some cats, in the middle of 32 acres of natural woods.
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