Teaching Organic Farming and Gardening

Managing Weeds

Unit 1.10 | 27

6. Describe three additional weed manage-
   ment techniques, how they function, and
   how they the may be used in organic farming
   systems.

• Irrigate stale beds (beds that have been

formed but not planted) to germinate
weeds and use flame weeder to kill newly
germinated broadleaf weeds prior to planting
crops

• Use flamer on beds of slow-germinating crops

such as garlic and carrots after irrigation
and before crop emergence to kill newly
germinated broadleaf weeds

• Soil solarization suppresses weeds by

elevating soil temperatures high enough to
kill weed seeds

• Dark plastic mulches suppress weeds by

blocking light and as a physical barrier

Assessment Questions Key