The Sustainable Lawn

A Weed is a Plant in the Wrong Place Or Position. A Potato Plant in a newly seeded Forage Field could be called a weed in this particular case. The Potato, A Healthy Nutritious Cultivated Food Plant is not therefore normally a weed.

Fire Flower, The Floral Emblem Of The Yukon Territory, In Full Bloom. This Plant As Described Is Not A Weed !

The Fire Flower, Chamerion angustifolium, Great Willow Herb, a perennial herbaceous plant in the willow herb family Onagraceae is sometimes called a weed. The Fire Flower makes Premium Honey by Honey Bees in The Peace River Country of Alberta & British Columbia. The  Distinctive Bright Red/Pink Flower is commonly found in Newfoundland & Labrador plus it is the Floral Emblem of the Yukon Territory of North West Canada. For these Beneficial & Legitimate Reasons, The Fire Flower Is  A Beneficial Wild Plant & Is Definitely Not A Weed.

Fire Flower In Full Bloom.

The Plant Or Herb of Dill, Anethum graveolens, commonly used as a Herb  or Spice in pickling cucumbers, red beets or in sauces for different foods like salmon. For these reasons, When Used Beneficially As A Food Plant or Herb, The Dill Plant Is Definitely Not A Weed.

We have an array of alternative Beneficial Plant Utilization Categories  to be considered before designating a particular Plant a weed. What should be determined, is what kind of a Plant in what category a Plant truly belongs to?  Does the Plant belong to a Beneficial Plant Utilization Category as in the following:  Beneficial Plant Utilization Categories;              Examples:         Local Food, Herbs,

A] Indigenous/Wild/Native Plants Low Bush Blueberries;                                                                                                                                                                            Raspberries, Strawberries, Chives, Mint

Wild, Native, Indigenous Strawberries At Peak Harvest. These Strawberry Plants Are Growing With Other Indigenous Plants Which Are Natural, Beneficial & Are Companion Plants Not  Weeds.

B] The Centre Plant With The Vertical Flower Heads & Seed Stocks Is Plantain, A Medicinal Plant. The Other Plants Growing Here Are Compatible Beneficial & Companion Ground Cover Plants & Are Not Weeds.

B] Medicinal  Plants: Plantain, Red Clover, A Legume.

C] Yellow Blossom Sweet Clover 5-6 Feet Tall Being Cut For Feed To Dairy Cows.

C] Soil Enrichment Plants: Yellow & White Blossom Sweet Clover, Legume Plants.

D] Marigold Flower Thwarts Off Sucking Insects For the Benefit Of The Neighbouring & Companion Plants.

D] Companion Plants Thwarting Off Insect Pests From Neighbouring Plants: Marigold, Onion, Garlic

E] White Clover, A Legume  Nourishing The Native Strawberries, Marigolds & Pansies  Plus Growing As A Living Mulch Keeping The Weeds Down.

E] Living Mulch & Soil Fertility  Enhancement Plants: White Clover, A Legume.

F] Native Purple Aster In Full Bloom.

F] Wild Flower/Native or Indigenous Plants: Rhododendron, Kalmia, Orchid, Purple Aster

G] A Healthy Oats, Peas & Vetch Soil Improvement Combination Plus Feed For The Dairy Cows. A Sustainable Crop Fed By The Legumes Peas & Vetch With The Liquid Plant Food Of Dairy Manure & Milk Parlour Soapy Wash Water Irrigated By Sprinkler To The Soil Before Planting.

G] Soil Structure Enhancement Plants: Oats, Fall Rye, Alfalfa+Timothy

H] A Native Saskatoon Shrub With Edible Ripe Pear Shaped Blue Fruit.

H] Fruit & Ornamental Plants: Native Shrubs Elderberry, Saskatoon

J] The Queen Of Forages, Alfalfa, A Healthy Robust Legume Crop With No Weeds.

J] Drought Tolerant

A Young Healthy Alfalfa Plant With An Extensive Penetrating Root System That Can Grow Down & Across 6 Feet In Both Directions.

Ground Cover Plants:

Alfalfa+Crested Wheat Grass.

K] Wild Bee Pollinating The Flower Of The Flowering Dog Bane Plant.

K] Honey Producing Plants: Fire Flower, Flowering Dog Bane, Pumpkin, Squash & Cucumber Flowers.

L] Bird’s Foot Trefoil, A Legume Plant Grows Well On The Slope After Land Alterations Where The Top  Soil Is Limited.

L] Soil Stabilization Plants On The Slope: Bird’s Foot Trefoil, Alsike Clover [Legumes] plus Annual & Perennial Rye+ Creeping Red Fescue Grasses.

M] A Grass Cover Crop [Especially With A Legume To Feed The Grass] Growing In Between The Raspberry Rows, Clipped 2x A Year Keeps The Weeds Down.

M] There could be other examples of  the right Plant Utilization Categories being used  as we become more knowledgeable & familiar with a particular plant in our environment. Quite often a plant is called a weed because little is known about it or it is not common in a particular part of the world where we live.

N] The Native Orchid, Lady’s Trusses In Full White Bloom Is Growing Amongst The Native Strawberries In The Ecological Sustainable Garden. Because It is Not Mowed Like A Mono Culture Lawn, Nature Has Provided A Rare, A Little Known Or Appreciated Secret Blessing That Is Very Difficult To Grow Even In The Greenhouse. This Orchid, A Rare Species, A Companion Plant & Is Not A Weed Here!

N] Land has been cleared for development & with the clearing all the inconspicuous, small & even the Native Fruiting Trees & Shrubs get obliterated in the devastating process, particularly if it is done after the deciduous leaves have fallen. No Plants, Shrubs or Trees are healed in & put aside for later use in the Land- & Plant-scaping process as is done with the Rich Black & Dark Brown Top Soil in North & Central Alberta around Edmonton.

O] The Stinging Nettle Plant Is A Valuable Food & Medicinal Plant. Although It Originates From Europe, It Does Very Well Here. If The Beneficial Plant Is Not Utilized Or Its Attributes Are Unknown, It May Be Called A Weed.

O] If the plant is a Noxious or Invasive Species & is troublesome, then the term weed could legitimately apply. However, may be its purpose or the advantages are not completely or commonly known?

.

Refer To The Key Section: Under The Category, The Sustainable Lawn, “The Objectives And Benefits To Positively Affect Climate Change And Health”

A] Understanding The Ecological Perspective

High Population Of Dandelions-Feast Or Weeds?

The Dandelion originates from Europe. Its natural enemies are not here in the same abundance to keep the invasive species in check. In a Robust Healthy Plant there are 120 Seeds per Flower Head plus there are 30-40 Stems with Flower Buds per Plant. By the shear numbers a new area can be infected very quickly & re-infected on a larger & larger scale a number of times.

A Dandelion Plant With 30 To 40 Blooms & Buds

A Dandelion Seed Head Has 120 Seeds.

B] Keeping Aggressive Imported

Plant Species Like Dandelion In Balance

All flowers/buds prominent in mid to the end of June in the Island Of Newfoundland can be picked off into an empty clear plastic bread bag & there by preventing the seed heads from developing.

1. The first two steps can go along ways to minimize the same prolific spread of dandelion seeds.
2. The plastic bread bag can be closed at the top & placed in the sun to cook & render the seeds, buds & flowers inactive.The contents can placed in the bottom centre of the compost pile at the end of the growing season or sooner if they have rotted.
   

   The Dandelion Plant Has A Large Carrot Type Tap Root Allowing It To Store Food Plus Giving It Staying Capacity & Great Resilience.

3. The carrot like dandelion root can be dug out with a long handle trowel, screw driver, tire iron, narrow or pointed hoe just after a rain when the soil is soft & the root comes out more easily.
4. Foot operated diggers specifically for the dandelion can be purchased at a hardware store.
5. Most of the root has to come out or the tenacious plant will re-grow & come back again especially if a rain occurs on the exposed root lying on the soil.
6.  The Dandelion Population Reduction Program In The Lawn & Garden can be used as an Out Door Health, Exercise & Stretching Program To Improve Cardio-Vascular Activity, Lower Blood Sugar & Cholesterol plus Improve General Health & Well Being with a little bit of Dandelion Management Reduction Activity each day.
   

   Cabbage With Lamb’s Quarters, An Edible Healthy Nutritious Spinach Like Crop.

C] Beneficial Uses For Dandelions

The Dandelion Plant has many uses including the following. The young leaves in the early spring can be used as salad greens.The flavour is similar to endive.The Plant has a hardy tap root like a carrot. The root harvested in early spring or late fall can be used in an infusion/tea fresh or dried.The flowers can be used in making a wine & a syrup similar in consistency to honey. The flower stems are particularly versatile in that they can be chewed after the flower has been removed especially useful for diabetics for increased energy & used in salads. The Dandelion is beneficial for the liver & gallbladder function & helps get rid of gall stones painlessly. As a blood purifier it brings relief in gout & rheumatism; glandular swellings subside with continued use in 3-4 weeks. In the treatment of itchy, scaly rashes & eczema plus jaundice, they are of value.  The Dandelion Plant is used as a Herbal & Medicinal Plant with a long history in Europe.

Rutabaga [Fall Turnip] & Lamb’s Quarters, Both Excellent For Early Season Greens In Salads & Cooked As Spinach

In Newfoundland & Labrador there is a tradition of seeding & harvesting young leaves of Rape/Turnip/Rutabaga Tops in the spring & early summer for Greens with a distinctive flavour for use like Spinach cooked or fresh in salads.

A low growing plant from Eurasia called Sour Sallies/Sheep Sorrel commonly found & does well in acid soils has a unique flavour with a hint of Rhubarb.

Another plant from Europe commonly found in cultivated soils, that can be used like Spinach, is Lamb’s Quarters. It has a higher iron content than spinach.

Red Beets-Both Foliage & Root Can Be Eaten. Red Beet Leaves Are Excellent Spinach Greens With More Fibre.

E] Growing Alternatives

1. Many people are looking for ways & means to drastically reduce large acreages & lawns of grass that are cut each week & maintained to look like a golf green but not being regularly utilized. The Objective is to Eliminate Poisonous Cosmetic Use Pesticides; Drastically Reduce Noise Pollution & Toxic Carbon Exhaust Emissions. If the area is not needed for Family Use, Sports & Recreation, more efficient & appropriate use of the land & soil can be realized. Dandelions can be more easily managed.
2. Vegetable, Herb, Perennial Fruit Tree & Shrub Plant Alternatives are being considered. Besides gaining Fresh Food from the garden, the nutrition & quality is improved plus less poisonous pesticides are involved.
3. Greater use of Mulch Material is needed in the Paths of the garden, around the base of trees & shrubs where the feeder roots are concentrated.The fibrous Mulch Material keeps weed competition down, Increases moisture conditions & the up take of plant food plus enhances nutrition & plant health.
   

   Potatoes In Bloom-Blue Skin cv Blue Mac. Enough Bloom For A Flower Bed & Easy To Grow Food.

4. Mulch Material includes Fibrous Biological Organic Material like bark & wood chips, corn cobs & husks, cut up branches, limbs & twigs, leaves & grasses, shells of sun flower, peanut & tree nuts.
5. Many people are concerned where their food is coming from & are welcoming the opportunity to grow & acquire more of their own food locally that is organically grown in their own garden, from the Community Garden & Local Farm/Fish Market.
6. Refer To The Key Section: Under The Category, The Sustainable Lawn, “The Objectives And Benefits To Positively Affect Climate Change And Health”