Suite Help For Weeds

When weeding in either the lawn or garden my habit was to carefully extract the interloper with roots intact and toss the offender back down on the ground. Imagine my surprise when I read the article Early Weeds - Part 3 in our own Suite101 Gardening that Veronica (Speedwell) has a row of seeds running down the stem even when the first miniature flower has been spied on top. It takes a very close look to see the minuscule seeds. What the Suite101, Gardening In Shade article told me was that I had been helping to spread the noxious beasts by my own action. The help I received from the article on weeds has changed my procedure in attacking Speedwell. Now after pulling plants I dispose of them in the trash. I fear composting may only aid their propagation. Evil must be handled most carefully. This year there has been a veritable explosion of the plants, aided no doubt by a spring and early summer with more than our share of rain. For example, yesterday we had ¾ of an inch of rain and 1¾ of an inch today. More is forecast. While parts of the country are begging for water, locally some farmers have had planting delayed all too long due to over-wet fields

Formerly there were herbicides that could control some of the more resilient weeds in lawns. Some have been taken off the market as their residual effects were potentially worse than what they attempted to cure. I have an aversion to the practice of companies that broadcast a lethal mixture widely over lawns and then put up little warning flags. I do, however, spot spray occasionally, hitting only visible miscreants. With Veronica it seems to be a losing battle. For every tiny plant poking through the grass it seems there are a multitude of nearby seeds just waiting for me to leave so they may germinate and replace those pulled out or sprayed. The spray I have been using this year claims to control Chickweed, Clover, Creeping Charlie, Ground Ivy, Oxalis, Speedwell (Veronica), and Wild Violet. I have them all. Some ten days after spraying, when the Veronica is a bit yellow and shrunken, there remains a row of little seeds along the stem. Are they still viable and just waiting to burst into growth? Now when I hand weed the garden and lawn I collect all the Veronica