Weeds have superpowers

Weeds have superpowers. Like Marvel super villains, weeds are tenacious and difficult to control, and they don’t realize they are evil. In their viewpoint, they are simply trying to survive and replicate, and oh yeah, dominate the world.

And they do so in plenty of ways.

Last year I shared about some of these problem plants and others in my post, six garden problems.

How do I know weeds have superpowers?

Because I’m an experienced gardener, and we all know weeds have superpowers.

This morning, I brainstormed with Carol Michel, my friend and my co-host on the Gardenangelists’ podcast. I explained I was writing a post about how weeds have superpowers, and she was all in.

What are weeds’ superpowers?

Let me tell you.

• Some weeds are prolific super seeders. They create a multitude of seeds and spread them far and wide in various ways. Some shoot them out like bullets, while others hitchhike like ticks on our clothing or on animal fur.

• Some weeds have superpower root systems, i.e., rhizomatous stems that make us want to lose our minds. I’m talking to you Bermuda grass. If you’d like to learn more about Bermuda grass, I’ve done two separate Instagram reels on it. This one was at my son’s house, and this one was in my garden.

• Some pretend to be their neighbors, like comic book villains pretending to be good, or wearing masks to conceal their true identities. Can you tell I’ve always been a comic book fan? Many grassy weeds, like crabgrass, hide in plain sight right next to the ornamental grasses in your garden, and you only realize they’re a problem when it’s nearly too late.

• Some weeds can let go of pieces of themselves to protect the whole. You’ll never get rid of them, no matter how hard you try. I’ve had an oxalis in my blue euphorbia for a year. I’ve repotted it twice, checking carefully for oxalis roots and stems. I even replaced all the soil and washed off its roots. It doesn’t matter. The purple oxalis simply grows back. I must use tweezers to pull out more of it.

• Some weeds’ superpower is wind pollination. This is very efficient in Oklahoma and much easier than depending on butterflies, bees and hover flies for pollination. Ambrosia artemisiifolia, common ragweed, is a perfect example.

• Some weeds have more than one superpower. Mulberry weed, for example, has several superpowers it uses to dominate the garden. As it grows, it breaks off in the middle to stop you from pulling it out of the ground. It is a prolific seeder, and it sprouts those seeds in abundance. It also sets seed early. It is my most difficult weed, and it hitchhiked into my garden on another plant years ago.

Here are some strategies to weaken weeds’ superpowers.

You’re the superhero of your garden, and you also have superpowers you can rely on.

With time and experience, you’ll learn the secrets of your garden weeds and how to subdue and remove some of them.

However, weeds are like house dust. You won’t ever get them all.

1. Learn to identify your weeds in your garden. I’ve provided photos of some of my weeds in this post. Take photos with your iPhone and then use the plant identifier at the bottom. It usually works with common weeds. Or, upload your photo to Google images and do a search. Sometimes, that works even better.
2. Get close to the ground and try to remove the roots of your weeds. Don’t be content with just snapping weeds off at ground level.
3. Pull weeds when they are small. They are easier to eradicate then.
4. Know that you will have to live with some weeds in your garden, and that’s OK. You will never rid your garden completely of Bermuda grass, nutsedge, or crabgrass. You’re just trying to stay ahead of them so they don’t take over. Barriers like sidewalks and raised beds help, but they won’t eradicate the two grasses.
5. If you must use a weed killer, read the label carefully and follow the instructions. If you’re planning on mixing your own, do your research. Adding some natural killing agents like salt can hurt your garden in the long run. Here’s an excellent resource for information on weed killers, both natural and not.
6. When in doubt, remember that your garden is still fruitful and floriferous, and butterflies are more attracted to messy gardens, anyway. You will have beautiful butterfly watching in your garden if you follow a few simple steps.

Note: having a weed free garden isn’t one of them.

Finally, don’t get discouraged. Garden on my friends. The garden is beautiful even if it has weeds, and weeds have superpowers. Keep plugging away, and you’ll be rewarded with a beautiful fall.