Ralph Waldo Emerson might have said it best: “What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not been discovered.”
In a lawn or garden environment, most of us have a hard time seeing any virtues in any plants that are trying to compete with our grass or peas and carrots. Oftentimes, however, those weeds can be very valuable in telling us something about the condition of the soil below. Changing your mind about weeds starts with learning to identify them.
Weeds are messengers sent by Mother Nature to teach us about the soil. We can kill the messenger — with a chemical, with a tool, a blowtorch or a tarp, or with boiling hot water or by simply bending over and pulling it out — but it doesn’t change the message. The weeds will always grow back unless we change the soil conditions. Here are a couple of examples:
If you have excess plantain, you almost certainly have heavily compacted clay soil.
If you have excess dandelions, your soil probably needs more calcium and less magnesium.
For a great rundown on this fascinating subject, look for a copy of Ehrenfried Pfeiffer’s book Weeds and What They Tell. It’s long out of print, but readily available online ($24 at amazon.com).