Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
organic matter, and probably the calcium to magnesium and phosphate to potash ratios are
out of whack. When these problems are corrected, the fungi that decay these rhizomes
will make quick work of them and the area will be ready to support more desirable plants,
which these fungi will leave alone.
When the weeds are healthier than the plants, it can also indicate a lack of mycorrhizal
fungi in the soil. Most common weeds are not colonized by mycorrhizal fungi and there-
fore don't need them in order to be healthy, whereas plants do.
There are lots of weeds that grow in soil where organic matter is not decaying properly,
which comes back to improper nutrient ratios and a lacking soil food web. Increasing the
diversity and number of microbes in the soil helps with weeds because they create a
healthier soil that weeds don't want. They actually move the nutrient ratios towards bal-
ance, break down organic matter, relieve compaction and balance air and water.
So we can actually learn a lot about our soil simply from the weeds that are growing
there. We generally still want to do a soil test to get more detail, but weeds are often just
as helpful as a soil test at giving us an overall look at the most important nutrient deficien-
cies and prevailing environmental conditions.
