Is it better to get rid of the grass under the trees in the orchard or let it grow?
It is a common thing to have grass growing in orchards, but whether to get rid of the grass may be a problem that often troubles fruit farmers. Most people may think that removing the grass in the orchard will make the orchard look clean and tidy. Some people also believe that if weeding is not carried out, the grass will compete with the fruit trees for nutrients and water, affecting the growth and development of the fruit trees, so the grass needs to be removed in time.
Is this actually the case? In the past, in the management of orchards, we would clean up all the weeds in the orchards. This kind of orchard management is not only limited to orchard management, but also includes farmland. Every year when preparing for spring plowing, the farmland and even the weeds will be removed. The weeds on the field ridges are removed so that, on the one hand, weeds will not compete with the crops for fertilizer and water, and on the other hand, it also shows that the contractors of this farmland are very hard-working. But in fact, this is not advisable. Of course, weeds in farmland can be removed, but weeds on the ridges of the fields are not necessary.
Why? Letting weeds grow naturally in the orchard, or even planting some grass, actually has many benefits. Please read below:
A Weeds covering the surface of the orchard can prevent the water in the soil from evaporating too quickly. During the dry season, weeds can play a role in retaining moisture and maintaining a good ecological balance.
Weeds can provide habitat for beneficial insects that are beneficial to fruit trees. Of course, this issue must be viewed dialectically. While providing a habitat for beneficial insects, it also provides a place for pests. However, in this natural environment that maintains ecological balance, the two are interconnected and restrict each other. In the end, as long as we can Just provide a good ecological environment for the growth of fruit trees.
C Weeds can absorb carbon and release oxygen. The surface of the orchard is covered with a layer of weeds. Under sunlight, photosynthesis occurs, absorbing carbon dioxide and emitting oxygen.
D weeds can conserve water sources and prevent the loss of soil nutrients. If the surface of the orchard is shoveled bare, the soil nutrients will be blown up by the wind and washed away by the rain, causing loss.
E weeds can prevent landslides in orchards. Landslides are common in some mountainous areas, and most of our orchards are on mountains. If weeds are removed cleanly, it will not be conducive to wind protection and sand fixation, and will also cause landslides.
FLast point, this is what everyone likes, it means you can be lazy. In other words, since weeds have so many benefits, there is no need to get rid of them, which can save effort and money on herbicides.
Weeds have so many benefits, but do all weeds have benefits? No, we cannot let weeds grow wildly naturally. Management must be strengthened and intervention measures must be taken. Because some grasses are not conducive to the growth and development of fruit trees, especially some rhizome weeds, such as Cogongrass, Cyperus rotundus, etc. Therefore, these weeds that are not conducive to the growth and development of fruit trees need to be removed in time to provide a good growth environment for fruit trees. The purpose of getting rid of some harmful weeds is to leave more nutrients to the fruit trees and not to provide a place for pests to live. The larvae of some pests will specifically use some weeds as hosts. For example, the fruit-sucking moth will feed on wood. Beware of being the host.
As for mature orchards, in fact, most of the weeds do not need to be removed, as long as attention is paid to preventing the growth of malignant weeds. The presence of weeds does more good than harm to fruit trees, so there is no need to intervene too much. Not only cannot we get rid of it, but we also need to plant grasses in the orchard, such as azhi grass, molasses grass, broad-leaf hoeweed, etc., which will not cause nutrient loss to the fruit trees, but will also provide necessary nutrients to the fruit trees.
But for young fruit trees, the intensity of artificial intervention against weeds will be increased. However, it is not necessary to remove the grass in all places. At this time, weeding is very technical. The main purpose is to remove the weeds around the roots of the trees to provide sufficient sunlight for the growth of the fruit trees and to prevent the loss of nutrients.
After removing the weeds around the fruit trees, you must wait for the grass to dry up and cover the grass around the tree roots. The purpose is to retain moisture, stabilize soil moisture, increase fertilizer and improve soil, improve soil fertility, and prevent fertilizer spillage. loss, promote the growth of fruit trees, etc.
Before covering the weeds, you need to do enough work to build a short mud bank around the roots of the fruit trees to prevent fertilizer loss after rain. There should be no gaps in the covered weeds, and if there are gaps, more weeds should be added. After the coverage is completed, in order to prevent termites, beetles and other pests from harming the fruit trees, corresponding pesticides need to be sprinkled.
When the fruit trees grow up, you don’t need to spend more manpower, material and energy to get rid of the weeds. You just need to get rid of some of the weeds that are not conducive to the growth of the fruit trees in time.