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The War on Weeds

noemamag.com

21–30 of 52 posts

Re: The War on Weeds

#21

I view my lawn the same way as the author, in that I do want there to be a good amount of biodiversity there. I let everything grow in the yard sections and even have parts that I leave almost totally wild without even cutting. But I also don't want weeds growing in the cracks between my paving stones, or poison ivy growing anywhere, and there's not a whole lot that works on knotweed! So I don't use a ton of Roundup…

I love clovers, I love some weeds. But there are weeds in Australia that stick to your shoes, your hair, your feet and are painfully hard to get rid of. There are also painful bindis that stick razer sharp spikes into your feet as you walk. There are itchy, hairy weeds that sting you.

Without these, it's just ugly. But obviously with these is a waste of a backyard.

Re: The War on Weeds

#22

Here's what I want: - take a soil sample and put it in a cup, add solvent/water and shake - insert testing strip, or even drip into vials with reagents - compare color to back of the box to determine what adulterants are in the soil If I something like this were available locally, I'd see a price of 100 or less selling well for people interested in growing their own produce or simply gaining more insight into what's…

You can buy a soil test kit at your local hardware store. The analysis is not done by the kit though, it's just a collection kit that you send off to an analysis lab. But this basic concept already exists. Farmers do this extensively. https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/a-gardeners-guide-to-soil-testi...

You can also look into your local State University's Extension department. Most of them offer soil testing, along with a wealth of other knowledge.

Re: The War on Weeds

#23
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why? As far as personal anecdotes go for an article against humans controlling natural growth and the normalized casual cruelty of it, it's pretty dang on the nose. Color me not shocked that an author that is against killing "weeds" and resents the label grew up in an environment where her own flourishing was someone else's pest to be controlled. No clue why that idea resonated with her.

Not going to solve many problems by alienating half of your audience right out of the gate.

Why would they be alienated? And in any case, why should the writer be aiming to please an imagined demographic audience?

Re: The War on Weeds

#24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a colloquial term. A more precise term is volunteer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volunteer_(botany)

Also "non-endemic", "non-indigenous", "pest plant", "invasive". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endemism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasive_species

No, invasive species are a type of weed; not all weeds are invasive (i.e. non indiginous)

Re: The War on Weeds

#26
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also "non-endemic", "non-indigenous", "pest plant", "invasive". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endemism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasive_species

No, invasive species are a type of weed; not all weeds are invasive (i.e. non indiginous)

> not all weeds are invasive (i.e. non indiginous)

I believe you are mistaken or confused. You also misspelled indigenous.

Invasive typically refers to the propensity of a non indigenous species (~= "plant that comes from somewhere else") to spread and replace or out-compete for resources such as light, nutrients, water, etc. other species that are indigenous species. At least in my travels, it is exceptionally rarely used in a broader sense to mean "any non-indigenous plant" (as adopting this sense would, for example, include pretty much every single garden plant ever, every food crop ever, etc. and thus be of dubious to zero utility).

An endemic (~="was always here and here only") species is not a weed, to a botanist, by definition, because it was always there and there only.

An indigenous (~="was always there") species is not a weed, to a botanist, by definition, because it was always there.

We often substitute the word "native" for indigenous in Australia and New Zealand, but in Australia this has an alternate meaning which is "comes from anywhere in Australia (not necessarily this specific area)" and therefore in an Australian context a "native" can be non-endemic, non-indigenous, and even invasive. An example of an invasive native would be Acacia longifolia when found in its non-indigenous range in Western Australia.

A weed in common use as a botanical pronoun by the general public most usually refers to any plant which is both invasive and non-indigenous. Any plant which is non-indigenous (but not significantly invasive) may also often be referred to as a weed by environmentalists, ecologists, and botanists (or anyone else), depending upon their mood, company and character.

I hope this helps clear up any confusion.

Sincerely, card carrying member, Australian Plant Society.

Re: The War on Weeds

#28

[flagged]

Sometimes I wonder about how the atomic nature of the web breaks down the relationship between publication and audience.

I have no idea what Noema Magazine is, never heard of it before. Maybe every article is written in the way that you dislike. Maybe… that’s fine. Maybe a diversity in the way people express themselves is a good thing, even if you think specific examples are awful.

I’m quite sure the author didn’t write this for a Hacker News audience. Fine by me.

Re: The War on Weeds

#29

[flagged]

Full context on your first quote:

> My father was a Vietnam veteran and a lifelong Republican. He liked to say that women belong in the kitchen. I had become an environmental studies professor, a member of the East Coast liberal elite, a daughter he was ashamed to introduce to his friends at the Post.

What, precisely, do you take issue with there?

Re: The War on Weeds

#30

Here's what I want: - take a soil sample and put it in a cup, add solvent/water and shake - insert testing strip, or even drip into vials with reagents - compare color to back of the box to determine what adulterants are in the soil If I something like this were available locally, I'd see a price of 100 or less selling well for people interested in growing their own produce or simply gaining more insight into what's…

You can buy a soil test kit at your local hardware store. The analysis is not done by the kit though, it's just a collection kit that you send off to an analysis lab. But this basic concept already exists. Farmers do this extensively. https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/a-gardeners-guide-to-soil-testi...

We’ve got free soil tests in Seattle, but they only test for nutrients, and I’m more interested in heavy metals.
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