What does it mean when weeds "compete"?

I am having a hard time wrapping my head around this. Do weeds compete for: moisture, nutrients or light? I'm sure your going to tell me "all three" but...

Lots of permies advocate living mulches to conserve moisture. If plants compete for water, wouldn't this have the opposite effect of conserving water?

People still weed around their beans and peas. These both fix their own nitrogen, so weeding would be unnecessary, wouldn't it?

It almost seems to me that light is the only thing they really compete for so long as there is abundant water and nutrients in the soil. However, others on this board have warned that using dutch white clover as living mulch would be a bad idea because it is too aggressive. Dutch white would: cover the ground all but completely thus retaining soil moisture, fix its own nitrogen thus not competing for nutrients and grows so low that it wouldn't compete for light if disturbed before receiving transplants or seeds.

When we say that certain plants are too aggressive, what exactly do they do that is so antagonistic to our vegetables?

on permies, we had a pretty nice discussion about legumes, nitrogen fixing, and how it works in the Legumes Not Fixing Nitrogen thread. I find the main point to get from that thread is that nitrogen fixing and feeding the nitrogen fixing bacteria is a very very expensive process; it takes a lot of energy to feed them!
Paul Wheaton has a nice video explaining some of this, too:


Also, another thing I think people might have trouble wrapping their heads around is the three-dimensional underground; the plant roots vary a lot depending on species; some stay on the surface, some go down a little, and some go down a lot.





There is also a good article that explains more about plant roots, if you are interested in how they work.

This is kinda a basic overview; consider this documentary "What Plants Talk About" as an introduction to the broader topic of plant behavior as a whole:


If this video did not explain some of your questions, please enumerate them.

Another video that I suggest watching to get a good overview of the plant kingdom is "The Secret World of Plants":


Hope you enjoyed these! Also, I think there is some confusion on what goes on underground because soil ecology is relatively a new-ish field, and being underground, it is hard to observe and obtain accurate understandings of what goes on. If you have not seen the link Burra has at the bottom of her posts called "Mother Trees"; I do suggest watching this video, too:

dan long wrote:I am having a hard time wrapping my head around this. Do weeds compete for: moisture, nutrients or light? I'm sure your going to tell me "all three" but...

imo the supposed competitive nature of plants is grossly overstated, plants actually like living in communities and are into sharing space. it may be contrary to conventional gardeners/farmers thoughts about such, but many plants do better and yield more in diverse and crowded conditions, polycultures. there are some cons for them i guess, but the pros far outweigh the cons, making it a better method to have plants much closer together and much more diverse than common held ideas about gardening that people usually assume.

there are some plant species where this is not true, but it is more rare in the plant world to have a species that doesnt play well with others. even with those kinds of species that for whatever reasons arent as compatible to be harmoniously in polycutures, it is less actual effect than is commonly believed, imo and ime. so just throw a bunch of stuff together real close, let the plants work it out for themselves, without being too concerned about companions...is more my method. and plant a lot more than you ultimately want to have, because some will not thrive, but hey thats easy free mulch for chop and drop.

dan long wrote:
Lots of permies advocate living mulches to conserve moisture. If plants compete for water, wouldn't this have the opposite effect of conserving water?

it could seem this way and this also seems to be logical. but the actuality of it is that with plants shielding the ground a lot less water is evaporated, especially in a full sun site. the water that is saved and stored by having either a living mulch or a chop and drop or other mulch, is much more than the plants in the living mulch take.
if you try this out, it is clearly so...a plant with lots of space around it and bare ground needs to be watered all the time, even though no other plants are taking the water, where a plant with a living mulch or other mulch will need a lot less water.

dan long wrote:
People still weed around their beans and peas. These both fix their own nitrogen, so weeding would be unnecessary, wouldn't it?

i think a lot of weeding is unnecessary. it can be beneficial, but not a big deal if you dont get to it, so i guess i see it as much more optional.

then again i do sheet mulch and deep mulch methods, so weeding is not an issue so much. plus i like many weeds, so i hardly never weed. well sometimes i do, but in a very quick way, usually hardly pulling up the root, just grabbing very quickly at patches of whatever i am less interested in having growing there. chop and drop, in a super quick haphazard way. and usually only if something is on my enemy list of plants, which is really very small, but with deep mulch and sheet mulch i dont usually have too many weeds....at least not for the first year or three after sheet mulching.though sometimes if i am inspired to, i will weed out even "good weeds" cause its like...theres plenty of them growing all over already, they dont have to be in the beds. i've got way more lemon balm and self heal, etc than i could ever use...so i will think they are more benefit as chop and drop than in the garden bed. but i dont get super fussy over it, just to save time and just will quickly grab at the plants and tear them up, or go at it with scissors.....whatever is quick....maybe getting roots maybe not, and throw them in an area that looks like it needs some mulch cover.

tho chop and drop and weeding does some minimal disturbance to the ground that seems beneficial to plants, just roughing the ground up a bit and make small spaces for deeper water penetration, as well as feeds the nutrients back to the soil from the plants that get chopped and dropped. living mulch is good and it works, but when you get the real bonus is when you chop and drop them as actual mulch, imo. i am too lazy to do this a lot tho, so to me its more like optional, not "necessary".

i suppose some people have aesthetic concerns, or they just like to see a nicely weeded bed, for them perhaps its necessary for those reason but as far as optimal plant health and water wise methods, as well as how boring and how much time weeding takes, weeding is unnecessary.

dan long wrote:
It almost seems to me that light is the only thing they really compete for so long as there is abundant water and nutrients in the soil. However, others on this board have warned that using dutch white clover as living mulch would be a bad idea because it is too aggressive. Dutch white would: cover the ground all but completely thus retaining soil moisture, fix its own nitrogen thus not competing for nutrients and grows so low that it wouldn't compete for light if disturbed before receiving transplants or seeds.

When we say that certain plants are too aggressive, what exactly do they do that is so antagonistic to our vegetables?

i would never warn you about clover, someone says aggressive, i think easy growing without fuss. its a good one for that quick style weeding, sometimes pulling up root sometimes only getting like half the plant, and makes abundant amounts of mulch, and then springs back quickly within a few weeks for more mulch or living mulch. i think its one of the best "good weeds" in a garden bed.

theres only a few plants i would watch out for overly aggressive growing, and weed on sight, in my locale thats blackberry (which you gotta love and hate! i guess), buttercup, grass, ivy...probably a few more. and then theres some that i dont look out for because they arent bad, but i might weed if i am inspired to spend some time clearing it up, lemon balm, pigweed, purslane. theres just so much of that here it doesnt need to spread on the actual garden beds, but its no big deal if i let that sort of stuff go.
get to know your spot well and it should become obvious which ones you dont want to encourage.

as for your last question imo the thing isnt that they are antagonistic to veggies, its that many cultivated veggies are rather fussy and have greater requirements for a cultivated bed. grow really hardy no fuss type plants ( some cultivated veggies are easier to please =)) and the weeds wont disturb them at all. even with the fussier cultivars many of them can thrive with some weeds and with closer spacing than is commonly recommended, people just dont push this envelope to find out and take it for granted that plants need to be grown in a certain way.

And, if you need help researching your plants, I think the Plants For a Future Database and Royal Horticulture Society Database are good resources to use.

One thing to remember in polyculture systems is that they give an increase in total yield for an area, not so much optimal yield from a given plant type.
Say you planted a dedicated tomato bed, kept it tidy and weed free, nothing but your tomatoes, pruned and trellises them and generally did a first rate conventional gardening approach. Likely you would get a very nice tomato harvest.
In another bed, you start peas and swiss chard together long before you can plant tomatoes, and then put your tomatoes in among the established peas and chard. The peas will start to fade as the tomatoes are coming on and the tomatoes will grow up past the chard. You get peas and chard before you ever harvest a tomato, plus you get tomatoes. Even if the tomatoes produce less than the dedicated bed due to competition (and they may produce just as well), you get three yields spread over more time from the same square footage.
Competing plants may individually under perform, while the overall system may be much more productive.
I think Michael Pilarski is an eloquent advocate of this idea.

It is the PC mono crop way to say "better suited to the growing conditions" than the intended crop.

TO: Dan Long
FROM: Eric Koperek = erickoperek@gmail.com
SUBJECT: "What does it mean when weeds compete?"
DATE: PM 2:48 Sunday 14 February 2016
TEXT:

1. All weeds and living mulches "compete" with crop plants for light, water, and nutrients. Even Dutch White Clover = Trifolium repens which only grows 6 to 8 inches high will intercept sunlight that might otherwise have reached lower stems and leaves of interplanted peppers, for example. The clover living mulch takes water from the soil and in times of severe drought this competition for moisture can reduce crop yields 50% or more. The flip side to this is that clover living mulch shades topsoil and helps keep it cooler which retards moisture loss. Clover living mulches also raise humidity around crop plants which reduces crop water use. Clover living mulches also protect soil from wind and water erosion. Fields covered with clover absorb heavy 4 to 6 inch rains like a sponge with little or no runoff. This increases effective rainfall (because less water is wasted and so more water is available for plant use). A field of Dutch White Clove also encourages large earthworm populations which can easily exceed 1,000,000 worms per acre (23 worms per cubic foot of topsoil). 1 million worms per acre creates hundreds of miles of wormholes that speed air and water circulation throughout the soil (which increases crop growth). 1 million worms per acre also produce 1 ton = 2,000 pounds of worm casts = earthworm manure per day, an enormous amount of free organic fertilizer. Thus, the benefits of a low-growing living mulch often far surpass the costs of seeding, irrigation, and fertilizer needed to sustain the mulch crop.

2. Weeds are just another form of living mulch or cover crop. Manage weeds just as you would Dutch White Clover or any other cover crop like winter rye = Secale cereale, for example. It is not necessary to eradicate weeds in order to grow commercial vegetable crops. In fact, it is possible to grow profitable crops by seeding or transplanting into fields of live, standing weeds. The weeds protect crops by providing pollen, nectar, shelter, and alternate hosts for predatory and parasitic insects that keep crop pests under control. You do NOT want weed free fields. Rather, you want to space your weeds so that they do not compete significantly with your crops. Ideally, you want about 5,000 weeds per acre = approximately 1 weed every 3 feet throughout your fields. Weed density can be far higher than this without reducing either the quality or yield of most vegetable crops. The trick is careful management and generous application of water and fertilizer (because you are growing both a mulch crop and a cash crop in the same space at the same time).

3. The easiest way to grow transplanted vegetable crops is to set transplants into an established (1 year old) sward of Dutch White Clover or similar low-growing legume like Crimson Clover = Trifolium incarnatum or Sub Clover = Trifolium subterraneum. Mow the clover as close to ground level as possible immediately before transplanting (to give crop plants a head start). Alternatively, apply a circle of mulch around each transplant. Transplants need protection for the first 3 to 6 weeks only. After crops become established they will overgrow clover without difficulty. I grow commercial crops of tomatoes, peppers, sweet potatoes, okra, cucumbers, melons, squash, gourds, pumpkins, cabbage, common potatoes, and broccoli in Dutch White Clover without any problems. Just remember to mow before planting then irrigate generously (1 inch per week) throughout the growing season. Apply dilute soluble fertilizer in irrigation water to feed crops and living mulch.

4. You can easily grow most vine crops in live, standing weeds. Mow weeds immediately before transplanting. You don't have to mow the entire field. Just cut where you will plant. Keep mowing or apply a circle of mulch around each transplant only until vines begin to run. Again, you only need to protect transplants for the first 3 to 6 weeks. After that, the vines will overwhelm the weeds = grow right over them. We get our best melons from the weediest parts of our fields. Dig into the earth and you will see melon roots following weed roots down into the subsoil. As an added benefit, I never have to spray vine crops grown in weeds. Insect pests do not like weedy fields. Again, remember to irrigate generously = 1 inch per week with dilute soluble fertilizer. Dairy lagoon effluent works well, or make your own fluid extract of manure (1 part cow manure + 1 part water by weight. Soak 1 hour then filter finely so you don't clog your irrigation system).

5. It is possible to use tall-growing legumes as living mulches in corn and other large-seeded crops. For example, plant a field of Red Clover = Trifolium pratense the previous season. The clover will fix enough nitrogen to grow 100 bushels of corn per acre. The following spring, mow the clover as close to ground level as possible then plant corn with a no-till seeder. Mow again 2 weeks later using a divider and swathing board so cut clover does not fall on seed rows. You may have to mow a third time depending on the germination and growth rates of corn and clover. Once the corn gets up and going, it will overgrow the clover without difficulty. The clover provides 90% or better weed control, as good or better than most chemical herbicides. Remember to irrigate and fertilize both corn and mulch crops. Alternatively, wait until corn has 4 to 8 leaves (about 18 inches high) and then top seed red clover over corn. As a general rule, crop plants should be at least 12 inches high before over seeding with clover (otherwise, the clover will overwhelm the cash crop).

6. You can grow any winter cereal crop (rye, wheat, barley, oats) by seeding both grain and Dutch White Clover together at the same time. The clover will suppress weeds but will not overwhelm the grain. Harvest grain the following summer, as usual.

7. To establish a field of Dutch White Clover, drill or broadcast 12 pounds of seed per acre. You can broadcast clover seed right over standing weeds, then immediately mow weeds to cover and protect germinating clover. If you have a bad weed problem, mow every 2 weeks until clover is well established. Adjust mower height so that clover is not cut.

8. For more information on old-fashioned, biological agriculture visit: www.agriculturesolutions.wordpress.com -- or -- www.worldagriculturesolutions.wordpress.com -- or -- send your questions to: Agriculture Solutions, 413 Cedar Drive, Moon Township, Pennsylvania, 15108 USA -- or -- send an e-mail to: erickoperek@gmail.com

@dan l.: "When we say that certain plants are too aggressive, what exactly do they do that is so antagonistic to our vegetables?"

From what I hear from large scale weed control specialists, unchecked weeds can be one of the greatest yield reducing factors in an operation. In addition to some of the other comments here, don't forget about allelopathy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allelopathy

Example from that wiki entry: "A study of Kochia scoparia in northern Montana by two high school students[26] showed that when Kochia precedes spring wheat (Triticum aestivum), it reduces the spring wheat's growth. Effects included delayed emergence, decreased rate of growth, decreased final height and decreased average vegetative dry weight of spring wheat plants.[27] A larger study later showed that Kochia seems to exhibit allelopathy on various crops in northern Montana"

All of this said, I use standard hoe cultivation and weed pulling in my garden in the early season, then just let everything go later on. Not enough reduction at that point to be worth our while.

While I agree with much of what has been written here, I would add that there is such a thing as too much density. This usually is seen most readily as competition for light, but sometimes it could be a problem of nutrient competition, or even water competition; those these last two are less likely if you have a good soil food web/mulch/plant diversity with appropriate density. My first planted polyculture, for instance, should have had a third of it's growth chopped down to nourish the others (with scissors) after a couple weeks, and then a couple weeks later. This was a problem that I created by over-planting, and was further exacerbated by the fact that I was working away for extended periods and was not able to get to the thinning so these plants did not succeed as they might have. Carrots, for instance, did not perform at all, or were so weak and small that they were practically useless, if beets even germinated I never saw them, beans-completely unproductive. Peas were able to climb above, but were still not as productive as less dense areas. In this case, I think the main competition was for light. The area was consistently moist in spite of 'drought' summer conditions, and only a dusting of hay for mulch when planting. Beds were mostly productive in terms of greens, and other moisture loving, shade tolerant, and cool loving plants. Weeds were virtually non-existent.

My garlic beds are mulched heavily with field hay. I leave volunteer dandelion, lambsquarters, and clover, but only if they are generally not right next to the plants. [interestingly I left a lambsquarters to go to full size maturity (close to 5 feet tall with many seed heads), right next to a garlic plant as an experiment. It was not my largest garlic bulb, but it was by no means the smallest head in the crop]. I clean the bed of all but desired (favored) weeds, and then interplant my garlic in the fall between the good weeds, and then mulch the whole thing. In the spring I tear up bits of clover and the tall dandelion leaves until the garlic is half grown, but I do not eliminate these beneficial weeds. With Lambsquarters I completely weed out some plants, but leave some others to add diversity to my 'polyculture'. I get the best garlic crops in the valley. Other weeds I do eliminate (zero tolerance) from my garden: Among them... Grasses, daisies, hedge nettle, horsetail, canada thistle, wild raspberry, buttercups, morning glory, hawkweed. Some I leave a bit of but I remove most of: plantain, chickweed are a couple that come to mind.

I'm intending to stay out of this thread, other than saying that I haven't observed a weedy garden grow more vegetables than a weed-free garden. I observe that the further I plant my vegetables away from tree roots, the better they grow. I observe that if vegetables are crowded either, by planting too close, or by weeds, or by "companions" that they don't grow as well. I space plants much further apart than the seed packets recommend, because my experience is that wider spacing leads to higher productivity. I am not a fan of polyculture, because I don't observe an overall increase in yield. I'm in a climate that doesn't allow a long enough season to plant multiple crops in the same spot. From time to time, I let a crop get overtaken by weeds. If I harvest any vegetables at all, productivity is often reduced by 90%.

All weeds are not created equal... Black medic or amaranth flowering in a corn patch that is already 8 feet tall isn't a problem. Carrots don't compete well with black medic or amaranth.

I agree with what Joseph says in this thread as well. His advice (anywhere I've read it in this forum) is well heeded.

my experience is that wider spacing leads to higher productivity.

When I plant my garlic I do so at much larger spacing (minimum 7 inches, up to 9 or 10 inches) than is recommended and practiced by most people-and I get massive, super healthy garlic, but I do allow those weeds which I don't feel compete too much for light, and in the case of clover provide nitrogen, and which in the case of dandelion, reach down with a taproot. My beds are built and planted with peas, and besides harvesting things like potatoes and garlic, are left minimally disturbed. Carrots and beets have a very low tolerance for weed competition, especially when young. Once they are half grown, I let some of the chickweed do it's cover crop mulching over my mulch, but not much else. I've had the roots of Canada Thistle spear through and ruin market potatoes-one of the reasons for zero tolerance on this plant.

All weeds are not created equal

I just have learned that I can be selective about which weeds to allow, and still get production. It is a constantly evolving process. After reading Eric K's post, I am further encouraged to plant some melons into my weedy feral field, and to try out inter-planting in my clovers.

If you have a lot of water: plants can be spaced close, and weeds can grow, and there will still be a yield.

If you have not water: plants can be spaced 4 feet apart, and weeding should be ruthless, to get a yield.

At least so says Steve Solomon.

It makes sense. I will be testing it out this year.

TO: Roberto Pokachinni
FROM: Eric Koperek = erickoperek@gmail.com
SUBJECT: Weed Control in Carrots & Beets
DATE: PM 6:16 Tuesday 16 February 2016
TEXT:

1. Biological = "Organic" agriculture is not a panacea for all the world's agricultural problems. Weed control in carrots & beets is a good example. These crops are slow to germinate and quite sensitive to weed competition for light and water. I have yet to find a good, field-scale system for organic carrot and beet production. In market gardens, the best approach is to use raised beds and liberal quantities of mulch. This has its limits because hand labor is expensive and large mulch volumes are hard to obtain. That said, here are my best production practices: (A) Use pelleted carrot and beet seed so you don't waste costly labor to thin plants. Always plant monogerm = 1 seed beets. Standard beet varieties contain 4 seeds in one capsule which makes thinning very expensive. (B) Plant pelleted seeds into established (1 year old) swards of Dutch White Clover = Trifolium repens using no-till equipment. (C) Flame weed rows immediately after planting, then again 2 weeks later or when FIRST carrot or beet sprout rises above soil surface. Watch carefully. Flame weeding works best when closely timed to crop emergence. (D) Flame weeding keeps carrot & beet rows nearly 100% clear; Dutch White Clover suppresses 90% to 95% of weeds between rows. (E) If you have a severe weed problem, grow a buckwheat cover crop prior to planting Dutch White Clover. Buckwheat overwhelms just about any common farm weed. (F) Carrot roots turn green if not hilled with earth or mulch. This creates a problem when trying to grow "no-till" carrots. The best solution I have found to date is to use composted cow manure as a surface mulch. Apply compost gently down the rows when carrots are well established. Do not mulch row middles. (G) Carrots, beets, radishes and all other root crops need large amounts of water. Apply 1 inch of water weekly (1.5 inches for sandy soils). I use overhead sprinkler irrigation but soaker hose or irrigation tape also works well. (F) Apply dilute soluble fertilizer with irrigation water. Remember that you have to feed and water both cash crop AND Dutch White Clover living mulch.

2. For more information on old-fashioned "biological" agriculture, visit: www.agriculturesolutions.wordpress.com -- or -- www.worldagriculturesolutions.wordpress.com -- or -- send your questions to: Agriculture Solutions, 413 Cedar Drive, Moon Township, Pennsylvania, 15108 USA -- or -- send an e-mail to: erickoperek@gmail.com

TO: John Weiland
FROM: Eric Koperek = erickoperek@gmail.com
SUBJECT: Weed "Aggression"
DATE: PM 6:56 Tuesday 16 February 2016
TEXT:

1. From an agronomic perspective, "aggressive" weeds are unwanted plants that grow quickly. Fast growing weeds overwhelm crop plants mostly by rapid shading and competition for water.

2. The key to weed management is to be smarter than the weeds. You have to out-think the opposition.

3. Remember that weeds are nature's band-aid. Weeds are specifically evolved to rapidly cover bare earth. Weeds heal injured soils.

4. The key to intelligent weed control is zero tillage. The more earth is disturbed, the more weeds are stimulated to grow. Open the earth only as necessary to set seeds or transplants. Seed directly on top of the ground whenever practical. Whenever possible, use pelleted seed for surface planting. Pelleted seeds greatly increase germination and seedling survival.

5. Keep the ground covered with growing plants at all times. Never leave the soil bare. Weeds are best controlled by continuous competition with crop plants. Interseed or interplant crops whenever practical = seed or transplant a new crop several weeks BEFORE the preceding crop is harvested. This allows the new crop to germinate and get established. When the previous crop is harvested, the new crop is already growing strongly and will out-compete most weeds.

6. Here is an example of a Clover-Wheat-Turnips rotation common in Holland during the Renaissance and later periods: Enclose a field of Dutch White Clover. Turn in your pigs and let them root. (Do not put rings in hogs' snouts or they will not be able to dig). The pigs will churn up the soil like a rototiller, uprooting all vegetation. Broadcast wheat over pig-tilled field. Run sheep back and forth over field to stomp wheat seed into soil. When wheat starts to head out, broadcast turnip seed over ripening wheat. When wheat is harvested turnips are well established and quickly cover the field, blotting out most weeds. A few weeks before turnip harvest, broadcast clover seed over standing turnips. When turnips are lifted clover blankets the field, suppressing weeds and feeding the soil. Expect 40 bushel per acre average yields in most north European soils (or climates like northern New York). No tractors, irrigation, synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, or fungicides needed. Yields can increase up to 80 bushels of wheat per acre in fertile soils if crop is irrigated with 1 inch of water weekly.

7. For more information on old-fashioned biological agriculture please visit: www.agriculturesolutions.wordpress.com -- or -- www.worldagriculturesolutions.wordpress.com -- or -- send your questions to: Agriculture Solutions, 413 Cedar Drive, Moon Township, Pennsylvania, 15108 USA -- or -- send an e-mail to: erickoperek@gmail.com

this is all to much info and techy stuff for me. I just collected all the compost material from 12 beds (3 foot by 10 foot) and the paths between, the stuff that was high enough to bother with that is. Took me two hours.

What!? Weeds is what those things are called?! oh. I call them names like nutrient accumulators, cover crops, free mulch.

Anyway I just pulled most of them from the paths and the ones over topping the veggies. pulled up more where they were thick around the veggies. The patch looks tidy and cared for again now.

It was a month since I weeded it last.
My "lawn" is full of those things. More cover crops and nutrient accumulators than grass. I cut the lawn and put the clippings where I need mulch. lessens the amount of "weeds" popping up in my garden beds.

Besides if I'm going to worry about getting every last weed I'd be the all day and have my last intact nerve frayed!

Jotham Bessey wrote:this is all to much info and techy stuff for me. I just collected all the compost material from 12 beds (3 foot by 10 foot) and the paths between, the stuff that was high enough to bother with that is. Took me two hours.

What!? Weeds is what those things are called?! oh. I call them names like nutrient accumulators, cover crops, free mulch.

Anyway I just pulled most of them from the paths and the ones over topping the veggies. pulled up more where they were thick around the veggies. The patch looks tidy and cared for again now.

It was a month since I weeded it last.
My "lawn" is full of those things. More cover crops and nutrient accumulators than grass. I cut the lawn and put the clippings where I need mulch. lessens the amount of "weeds" popping up in my garden beds.

Besides if I'm going to worry about getting every last weed I'd be the all day and have my last intact nerve frayed!

Haha still more work than I am inclined to do most days. I prefer to only weed when they are in my way or incredibly obnoxious.