Does anyone know of a good way to keep weeds out of an asparagus bed??
I recall my father putting salt in his asparagus bed. He said it didn't hurt the asparagus, but helped prevent many weeds from growing. Does anyone know if this is save or effective?
ThatGuyBry
Asparagus - Keeping weeds out
My local gardening guru has a fabulous asparagus patch, and I don't think they put down anything other than several inches of grass clippings.
I don't think I'd try salt, even if asparagus is salt tolerant. The amount of salt that would control weeds would likely also damage your soil.
You can also try preemergence herbicide, but you usually have to reapply it every 4 months. Cornmeal is also used as an organic preemergence herbicide. Mulch sounds easier.
Thanks for the ideas.
How much cornmeal do you have to use for it to work as a preemergent?
I've been using compost tea with other organic fertilizers and some additional sources of microorganisms in my vegetable garden and with my shrubs and trees.
This method is extremely effective. If you can get the right balance of bacteria and fungi (which isn't hard, really), you'll find less weeds, diseases, and pests! With compost tea, even the rabbits leave my garden alone.
Go to:
http://www.soilfoodweb.com/
for more.
Lois
I've heard of putting down newspaper. The question is will the asparagus pop through the paper. I think it will does anyone else know anything about this method??
Don't know about the paper. I guess if it decomposes well enough, the asparagus spears will be strong enough to poke thru.
I think the grass clippings sounds the best. We use it around all our blueberry plants and various other plantings and it works good. Also, it's such that the spears can find their way between it to come up I would think,
Newspaper has a hard time decomposing even in our heat...I think I would shred it if I used it. I don't know anything about asparagus but I know nutgrass will come up through newspaper. I used to use it; but I've pretty much "abandoned" the practice to extremely heavy mulching.
Debbie
On one of the other forums they were talking about using corn gluten for this. I did not ask how they put it down etc. Maybe the same idea as the corn meal? I will google corn gluten and see what I get.
If you use newspaper for this purpose on other beds, don't know about asparagus, you normally would use 12 sheets of paper and wet it good then put bark mulch or something like that over the top. They say that by the end of the season the paper will be rotted. I do not think you would use the slick paper from advertising.
Corn gluten:
"It releases an enzyme in the soil that kills germinating seeds, without effecting insects, soil organisms or aquatic life"
Yardlover.com $44.99 per 50#. Plus shipping. That shipping might kill you. But, might be some close by where you live. Mind you, I have never tried this.
Jeanette
Lowes and Home Depot carry corn gluten now. Directions on the bag, but you can use it with a spreader/seeder. It will do nothing to weeds or other plants that have already germinated and set up little root systems. Good stuff.
What would be the difference between corn meal and corn gluten? Just a further refinement? A different part of the kernel? At that price for the gluten, I'd try the meal first!
Corn gluten meal is the protein part of corn, so as I understand it, yes, it's a further refinement. Its usefulness as a pre-emergent herbicide was discovered when someone was studying the nutritive effects of corn meal on crops. They were looking for one thing and found another. ... isn't that how Viagra came about?
Salt is not good. I remember my Dad doing it, but it's not recomended these days. You can use a barkchip mulch, black plastic, or a peat and compost topdressing.
Your father probably was using Epson Salt which I also use 1 or 2x per year which is MgSo4.
"Epson salt delivers an immediate shot-in-the arm of magnesium to plants and boost growth when applied as a foliar spray. Mix 2 tablespoons of the Epson Salts in an average ize spray bottle shake it vigorously and apply every 2 weeks with a thorough soaking. Use with your fav fertilizer (prefer Fish Emulsion) every otehr week on alternate weeks from the epson salt spray." Thats from a Pepper Joe's web site. Never tried it a a foliar spray I am planning on trying this on my peppers this year.
Actually, it was the ice cream salt. Laugh. He poured all of it on one patch instead of splitting it up like he usually did. Killed it!
I have a lot of epsom salts. I used it for tomatoes. I forget I have it . Thanks for the reminder. I need to put it in the garage.
Gardens Alive sells "WOW" (with out weeds) that is the corn-based pre-emergent. You can use it on your lawn or in your garden. I mixed WOW into the soil, per the package directions, then mulched with lawn clippings. I think the combination should be a winner. Picking up corn gluten locally would beat the shipping costs--I will have to look at Lowes and Home Depot to see if I can find some locally.
I have used newspapers under the grass clippings in the past. Although it breaks down okay, I was never comfortable that new asparagus sprouts would be able to come up through the newspaper. If I were going to do that again, I would use shredded newspaper under the grass clippings. The worms do seem to like the newspaper.
That is so interesting. I will see if I can find it at HD or Lowes. My problem is they are 80 miles away and I don't get down there very often with the price of gas etc. Maybe next year as by the time I do get down there the weeds will have taken over. LOL. Right now, I am going to try soaking my perennial bed good, laying newspaper on it, I understand it takes 12 sheets, soaking that good and then mulching everything.
This is not for asparagus. It is in my perennial bed. Will let you know how it goes.
Jeanette
I see that I am late getting to this thread if you are worried about weeds. :) I grew a bunch of Asparagus from seed a couple of months ago and I need to know the best way to prepare the Asparagus patch. I've seen all sorts of different info online and in books, but how do you guys prepare your bed? Since the plant is perennial, what ammendements do you start with and how deep? My base soil is clay with very little topsoil. The clay is nice and crumbly when dry but when it gets really wet then starts to dry, it is like playdough and strangles roots. I see lots of peat in my future! LOL
Peat or coconut coir, yes, but chopped straw, chopped leaves, manure and grass clippings are a good deal cheaper and will also help enormously. Wood shavings and chicken poo will also lighten and enrich your soil, if you know anyone w/ chickens.
My soil was solid orange clay a year ago. I used whatever I had on hand (above list) with some shovelfuls of greensand and rock phosphate, and here it is on asparagus planting day. I ordered my asparagus plants from Nourse Farms and spears were emerging a week after planting.
Thank you Zeppy! I don't have any chickens yet but I have plenty of kids to mix in. LOL What a cute picture!
I really need to get mine in the ground. I keep waiting for the spring rains to slow down.....
That's probably a good idea. We've been so dry here I had to water like crazy...
Badseed, after you prepare your beds and plant the asparagus might be the time to try the corn gluten. I told my sister about it and she did buy some. This has been 4 or 5 weeks ago at least. I will ask her if it worked.
Jeanette
You know, I did that with the corn gluten and a lot of weeds still came up.
I know very little about Asparagus other than it tastes good. :) Is it a clumper or does it run? I know it takes a few year before you really get much off of it and I grew them from seed.
Please let me know about the corn gluten! Could you use regular mulch or no? When I did my other veggie beds, I decided to make it easy on me. Since I had to start from scratch on brand new ground, I tilled very long aisles with enough room to cultivate between plants and on both sides. I'm thinking I may plan something more ornamental for next year since I have so many eyes on me being new and a guerilla gardener. LOL At some point, if I ever gain on the weeds, I think it would be fun to have open gardens too.