The Weeds ARE Among Us

During to this early spring, not only are the lavender plants waking up but THE WEEDS are also making their 2012 debut in our field. We have learned that the best weed defense is definitely an early personal attack. It is also very important to us to use only organic farm practices...including the dreaded weed control!

Last week, new farm managers Sandra Sarlinga and Fabian Lujan worked hard pulling each and every weed by hand at the base of each and every lavender plant. It is a time consuming task but one that is worth the effort!

Once the weeding is completed around the base of each plant, Sandra and Fabian replaced the oyster shells and then sprayed organic vinegar between each plant within every row...being careful not to spray the lavender plants themselves. You might be thinking, vinegar?? Well, this is definitely not the vinegar we use at home. Typically a consumable vinegar is 5% concentration of acetic acid, while the vinegar used to kill weeds is 20% concentration of acetic acid.

In our online research, we found some interesting information including an article titled Using Vinegar as Weed Killer in your Lawn Care Routine published on October 31, 2011. In part it states,

"Most people spray organic weed control products directly on the plants, thinking it won’t do any harm. In most cases, this is probably true. However, when using vinegar, you’re using an acidic liquid that can remove the waxy layer of defense plant leaves have, leaving the plant susceptible to dehydration...Vinegar might take a little more planning than some other organic weed control products, but it is still an inexpensive method to eliminate weeds without posing harm to the environment. Lawn care experts suggest applying the vinegar on warm, dry days. If it happens to rain immediately after you apply the vinegar application, you’ll need to re-apply because the original application will have been washed away."

All the extra effort now to ensure the healthy growth of our lavender plants will be seen (and smelled) during the June harvest...and this year, I foresee a BEAUTIFUL bounty!

(online courtesy of- http://www.infinitygreenlawncare.com/ )