Weeds are often seen as a nuisance in the garden, but they can be incredibly useful. Instead of tossing them out, you can harness their power to create free, nutrient-rich fertilizer that will benefit your plants. Here’s how to turn your weeds into garden gold with two easy methods that will boost soil health and promote plant growth.
Recycling Weeds to Improve Your Garden
Weeds, like all plants, absorb nutrients from the soil, which are then stored in their roots, stems, and leaves. By using these plants strategically, you can recycle their nutrients back into the soil, enriching it naturally. This process mimics how nature sustains itself through nutrient recycling.
Method 1: Chop and Drop
The “Chop and Drop” method is as simple as it sounds: pull out weeds, chop them up into smaller pieces, and drop them onto the soil. This technique helps the plant material decompose quickly, adding organic matter to the soil.
- Key Points:
- Timing: Do this on a dry day so that the weeds shrivel and die before they have a chance to re-root.
- Seed-Free: Only use weeds that haven’t gone to seed, as you don’t want to encourage more weeds.
- Avoid Perennials: Avoid the roots of creeping or perennial weeds unless you have a hot compost pile.
By regularly practicing this method, you can enrich your soil while keeping weed growth in check.
Method 2: Hoe, Hoe, Hoe
Using a hoe to sever the tops of weeds is another form of “Chop and Drop.” This is especially effective for small, annual weeds. By cutting the weeds at the ground level, the plant matter will decompose, adding valuable nutrients to the soil while reducing the weed seed bank.
- Tip: Hoe regularly to prevent weeds from taking over your garden and to keep the organic matter flowing into the soil.
Feed the Compost Pile
Weeds can also be added directly to your compost pile or bin, where they’ll break down into nutrient-rich organic matter. Weeds like nettles, for example, are full of nitrogen, which helps balance the carbon-heavy materials in the compost like leaves or twigs.
- Avoid: Do not add perennial weed roots unless your compost is hot enough to kill them. A properly maintained compost pile can reach temperatures of 140°F (60°C), which will destroy weed seeds and roots.
Drying and Drowning Weeds
For more persistent weeds like bindweed, you can either dry them out by laying them on a sunny, hard surface or drown them by submerging them in water. Both methods will break down the plant matter and render it safe to add to your compost pile.
- Drying: Leave weeds on a paved surface and let them dry out over time. A heavily trafficked area can speed up the process.
- Drowning: Submerging weeds in a bucket of water for a few weeks will cause them to break down into a sludge that can later be used to create fertilizer.
Making Weed Tea: A Liquid Gold Fertilizer
You can turn weeds into a quick, nutrient-rich liquid fertilizer, also known as “weed tea.” This process involves soaking fresh weeds in water to extract their nutrients, which are then used to nourish your garden.
- How to Make Weed Tea:
- Gather a variety of freshly harvested weeds, including roots for a broader range of nutrients.
- Place the weeds in a bucket and cover them with water. Use rainwater if possible, as it doesn’t contain chlorine.
- Optionally, add a small amount of fermented food or compost to introduce beneficial bacteria.
- Let the mixture sit for 1-2 weeks. The warmer the weather, the quicker the process.
- After 1-2 weeks, dilute the concentrated tea (1 part tea to 10 parts water) and use it as a liquid feed for your garden.
Super-Concentrated Liquid Fertilizer from Weeds
For an even stronger fertilizer, you can create a concentrated liquid feed from weeds like comfrey or alkanet. These plants draw nutrients from deep in the soil with their long taproots, making them ideal for concentrated fertilizers.
- How to Make Concentrated Weed Fertilizer:
- Fill a bucket with chopped-up comfrey or alkanet leaves.
- Weigh down the leaves with a heavy object to encourage them to break down.
- After a few weeks, the leaves will release a dark, nutrient-rich liquid.
- Collect this liquid by placing the bucket on bricks or another container to catch the liquid.
- Dilute the concentrate (1 part concentrate to 20 parts water) and use it on your plants.
This super-concentrated fertilizer is great for fruiting crops, and its potent formula means a little goes a long way!
Conclusion
By recycling weeds into valuable fertilizer, you can keep your garden thriving while reducing waste and promoting healthy soil. Whether you chop and drop, make weed tea, or create a concentrated liquid feed, these methods provide a sustainable, cost-effective way to feed your plants with nutrients straight from the weeds in your garden. Happy gardening