Why do weeds grow faster than plants.

1. 0

   BRIAN SLATERposted 13 years ago

   Why do weeds grow faster than plants.
   
   Perennial weeds seem to 'pop' up over night in places where you don't want them to, why is this.

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2. 61

   rgmitposted 13 years ago

   I'm not sure, but if my vegetables would grow as quickly and frequently as weeds I would have a ton of vegetables in my garden. Instead I have to constantly be pulling out weeds every couple of days.

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3. 76

   tsmogposted 13 years ago

   The only answer I have is more myth than tale. It seems there really are more gnomes than fairies and they work underground. That being said, actually they can work round the clock, since not seen. Hmmmm, I think I will jot that down, maybe a story somewhere there to be told.
   
   I giggle, seems yesterday a notice I received to trim the plants and pull the weeds, here at this mobile home park. A dilemma of sorts. My hope is there will be someone ambitious, having a moment or two, and a dash of determination. Then, that fable, of mythic proportion, some say a canard, while others exclaim boldly "that's a lie" will scientifically disprove it, while earning too.

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   daskittlez69posted 13 years ago

   They suck up all of the water and nutrients faster causing a lot of plants to not grow at all.

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   DrMark1961posted 13 years ago

   Hi Brian I like your question since weeds are plants, just that we have decided they are not the kind we want. Actually the plants that grow fastest are seaweed, about 11/2 meters a day. The reason they are able to grow so fast, and perhaps why the weeds grow so fast in your garden, is that they have all the available nutrients they need. Tells us something is missing from our gardens, right? Seaweed also has a type of hormone that helps it to grow fast, maybe a lot of weeds have the same type or growth hormone. Probably the only way to get it to your tomatoes is genentic engineering, which I do not want to mess with, so I collect seaweed and make an organic fertilizer to use in my garden. It adds some of the growth hormones, as far as we know.

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6. 71

   seh1101posted 13 years ago

   "What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered." - Ralph Waldo Emerson.
   
   A good example is garlic mustard. Highly invasive, but the greens and taproot are edible when cooked properly. I digress, so back to the question at hand...
   
   Weeds are advantageous. Many people excessively water new lawns/gardens in attempt to establish them, but this merely promotes weeds. An established lawn/garden is the best way to prevent weeds. Water only when absolutely necessary.
   
   Disturbed soil is perfect for weeds as well, hence weeds springing up in the garden. Many weed seeds lie dormant for years until they are tilled to the surface. I have had a tough time in my garden this year with velvet leaf. It is not a tough plant to control, but it is a bit annoying when so many pop up after tilling.
   
   Take notice of a lawn when there is a drought. Broadleaf plantains and prostrate spurge (at least in my area)  seem to flourish when grass goes dormant in mid-summer. Thistles also take over when all the native and desired plants struggle. Their deep taproot can still draw moisture during drought, while the rhizomes (underground stems) spread and send up more thistles. Many weeds, like thistles, can be hacked down to ground level but still recover and produce even more vegetation than before.
   
   
   Weeds are a perfect example of natural selection and how resilience pays off.

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7. 60

   CaravanHolidaysposted 13 years ago

   Weeds are merely plants which you don't want.The reason that they grow so well as they are generally native plants, and so more suited to the environment and climate than those which you wish to plant (which may be imported).

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   RavenBikerposted 13 years ago

   Its a matter of survival!  You'd reproduce and grow fast if you were always pulled out!

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