>Two schools of thought on this one (maybe more, I just
>haven't read them).
>
>The first school of thought is that ma nature wants
>the weeds to grow there for some unknown purpose. Most
>of the proponents of this idea just let the weeds
>grow, and if their crops do poorly - oh, well.
>
>Second school of thought is that "mother nature abhors
>bare ground", so she puts something there to cover it.
>Doesn't matter what it is - could be weeds, a log, a
>rock, a pond. Proponents of this idea believe that by
>substituting something else - like mulch - serves her
>purpose. I happen to belong to the latter school.
>Here's why...
>
>Take a walk through the woods sometime. You'll find
>tons of different ecosystems - sometimes in close
>proximity to each other. THE thing that stands out is
>that "weeds" (or at least the plants WE classify as
>weeds) generally only grow in areas free from any kind
>of ground cover.

It becomes apparent that they are
>intended to grow, die, decompose, and become fertile
>new soil. Once the soil becomes fertile, then an
>entire new type of plant moves in and takes advantage
>of the area where the weeds were. These new plants are
>generally far stronger and more resilient than the
>weeds ever were.
>
>Last year, as an experiment, I tossed some wildflower
>seed in a patch of ground that was previously infested
>with weeds. The wildflowers obviously like the spot
>(fertile soil), because they grew abundantly. What
>amazed me was that this year that same spot was pretty
>much weed free - the wildflowers had established
>themselves and crowded out the weeds! Tells me that it
>doesn't really matter what's there - just as long as
>it's something.


i can give you a view that goes beyond those 2 reasonnings .
each species have its place and function .

the most tenacious weeds in a garden (like thisles or wild carrots ) are
mostly colonising plants , they thrive in disturbed soils ( tilled ,
buldozed, logged , or burned)  by concentrating in their tissue a certain
mineral make up , they make available thoses to other plants  that will come
after , when dying.


the weeding out of those plants or the repeated tilling of the ground makes
those weeds persist . give  them the  oportunity to fulfill their function
and they will disapear to leave room to other species.
My ex garden was  in a 15 acres meadow cut every year for hay that was
removed from the site , i fenced 2 acres and cut back the grass and let them
rot as mulch for the crops interplanted with them. It was full of wild
carrots but after 2 years of doing so,  almost no wild carrots were left.
then disapeared completely after 4 years  on the other side of the fence
(cut and removed ) the wild carrots are stubbornly still trying to do their
job
( eight years after my intervention).

living ground cover have numerous advantage other mulch (  especially if it
is made of only one specie of dead plants )
one that i notice is to attract  lot of dew at night making the environment
more humid .
they also create a living environment for many species of animals and
microorganisms ( while mulch will sustain ony the decomposers) so enriching
the biodiversity .
a nitrogen fixing plant for ex will have an  nitrogen enriching effect while
growing

plants have like any animals a species specific diet  and require a
diversity of food sources.

a trick that demonstrate the principle of weed utility : to stop thisles  or
other weeds from coming back make a tea   from that plant and water the
ground with it .

what is the relevancy of plant diet over human diet ?
paleo humans or modern hunter gatherers have a point in common that
agricultrists lost . It is to be integrated in the wild environment by
eating only wild plants and animals that have grown by consequence in their
most optimum environment . while crops are artifcially grown where the
environment is not optimum for them ( at the wrong place at the wrong time )
Natural way of farming with the tool of seed ball allow a natural design to
take place each species finding its place and time.
In some way it is integrating together the hunter gatherer and the
agriculturist life style and can be seen as a transition toward a place
where the discrimination between a weed and a crop become useless.
jean-claude







>
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