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Syracuse, NY

I think the recovery period for anything is less that the time it took for it to become depleted, because the infrastructure is already there and 'just' needs to be 'rekindled'. 'I'm a little rusty, butt I'll get it!', for lack of better words. However, like you might be saying, if the worms take a hike because there's not enough fun stuff to eat and break down for us, then, yeah, barren, desolate and non-productive, like I've been seeing in my patches lately. My 178 seed took off like a rocket like it never has before in soil that was lawn and had just had a great helping of horse manure added with random amounts of Mycorrhizae and granular 0-0-50 just to get the ball rolling...Then, the pigweed or rag weed or T-Rex weed or whatever started filling in. I should have grown REAL weed. Ida had a better season! 7 feet tall, some if it. Had a fruit of about 138# on it X Self and will plant the seeds next year. They are sprouting. Got a very late start due to having relied upon what the plants and fruit 'were doing' into the main pollination/setting period. BIG mistake.
I'm not tilling it so that the weed seeds can stay on top, sprout next spring and be Glyphosated, numerous times if necessary. The weeds are my cover crop,
err, CRAP. - eric g

10/9/2024 1:50:06 AM

Grittyville, WA

Pigweed is annoying. I've pulled a lot more of it this year than past years. Got most of it out though without it reseeding. But you only have to miss one... and the cycle continues. Spread some straw on top of it when it first emerges, then burn the straw, if burning is allowed... Some places may even have an exemption for agricultural burning. This = biochar, plus you reset the clock on the weeds??

[Last edit: 10/09/24 4:29:58 AM]

10/9/2024 4:22:54 AM

Syracuse, NY

No. No burning. I saw your AI cartoon, lol. I've also seen how weeds invade new land - by leaning outward at the edges and I come along to even THINK of moving them back inward, the birds landing on the stalks (they seem so fat lately, offa billions of the seeds) and these tall things even get seeds onto my person, and I hate being 'a bad seed(s)' - swipe/wriggle...new weed crop. eg

10/9/2024 12:06:22 PM

Colorado

you make my brain swell.....in a good way

10/10/2024 1:07:22 AM

Australia eastcoastcitrus@hotmail.com

Pig weed or purslane is one of the most nutritious plants you can eat and it makes a great pesto a lot of weeds are edible

10/10/2024 1:57:35 PM

Grittyville, WA

The pigweed I'm talking about is this but its also edible:
https://daafmaapextweb.gnb.ca/010-002/Details.aspx?Culture=en-CA&Id=177&Pid=1405
Indeed, the only reason either of these plants are not in a grocery store near you is because they wilt rapidly!
Our culture has shifted away from anything that wilts or spoils.

10/10/2024 2:17:20 PM