Ergonica Presents Poetry and Inspiration to Groom Your Garden 

Zen Weeding: The Art of Managing Misplaced Plants

by Ray Cruz ... Introducing Dr. Yucca (humorous interlude?)

New Mt. Washington Species Weeds of Steel  

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Most of us spend a significant portion of our gardening hours removing and controlling misplaced plants (weeds).  Do we enjoy these hours or do we dread them?

Any plant species that has survived the hundreds of millions of years it took to arrive at the present era has acquired some very ingenious and aggressive strategies for disseminating it's seeds and flourishing wherever the winds or tides may take it.  With all the efforts humans take to eliminate many of these plants, it stands to reason that the successful species of the future may be even more aggressive and adaptable to a variety of threatening situations.

In addition to agricultural corporations that spend millions of dollars on noxious chemicals to kill noxious weeds, there are university scientists whose entire careers are devoted to finding and destroying the green invaders.  Now, I have learned, even NASA has joined forces with government agencies to pinpoint the locations of invading plants from satellites and predict their movements.  Next, I expect our Homeland Security efforts are likely to add alien plants to the list of security threats.  Notwithstanding all the above, none of the experts have ever published a statement indicating that the War On Weeds will be won during our lifetimes.

Zen Weeding:  At Peace with Weeds...

To get into the Zen attitude of weeding, we should observe that, whereas agriculture has to be efficient, ornamental gardening does not.  There is no product and no harvest in gardening.  We don't take our dead leaves and grass clippings to market and bring home a check for our labors.  Zen weeding is the art of understanding that when we take the efficiency concept and urgency out of gardening, all that's left is the beauty of enjoying the time we allow ourselves to be so close to nurturing favored plants and understanding how things grow and die.  Much like painting a still life art object, the enjoyment is in the act of painting itself and the concern for efficiency is irrelevant.   Clipping a branch is a brush stroke.  Twisting a weed is a brush stroke.  Planting a new rose bush is a brush stroke.  Take your time and enjoy the moment, the scene, the event.  The topic of gardening versus farming efficiency is discussed in more detail in the Weed Twister website on the use of postemergent herbicides.   Reading some of the beautiful poems we have selected on weeds will also help you develop a calming and appreciative attitude towards weeds.

Outlaw Weeds

Legislation to outlaw the movement of specified noxious weeds has been enacted by the U.S. federal government, most states and numerous counties. Under the Federal Noxious Weed Act of 1974 , the Secretary of Agriculture has the authority to prohibit the importation and interstate transportation and sale of species that the Secretary has deemed noxious through actions such as inspection and quarantine. The Secretary is allowed to seize, treat, destroy and dispose of items that have been contaminated with a noxious weed.

Similar laws also exist in many other countries in all parts of the world.  In at least one country, the jacaranda tree has become the subject of state control for political reasons.  Recently, the local government of Pretoria has  sent out weed inspectors to impose $900 fines on those who fail to rip out jacaranda seedlings, although large adult trees will be allowed to remain. Pretoria is a squat, uniform city with streets on a grid pattern, but it is spectacularly beautiful in spring when the streets are purple with petals from jacaranda trees.  It is known as the "city of jacarandas," but that is another aspect that may eventually be expunged, because the trees are not a native African species.  The government is also planning to change the name of Pretoria to a more pre-colonial name.  Are there any politically incorrect trees in your town?

Thinking of weeds and agriculture, I recently got inspired to write an essay about the impact of agriculture on the evolution of species.  There seems to be two conflicting philosophies about saving native plants.  It's OK to remove every native plant and erase the related ecology wherever we care to grow the monoculture crops we eat and feed to our livestock and ship around the world as food or ornamental plants or building materials.  But, it's NOT OK to remove or endanger our native flora and fauna in the areas where agriculture has no interest.   If you care to dwell on this issue, read the essay On the Semantics of Evolution available from the free downloads page.

Aerobic Gardening

There's been a lot of talk, here and there, about speed gardening and high speed gardening.  I imagine one changes gears to advance to the higher speed version.  There's even reference in one page about  "lunging and weeding": using a hand weeder you lunge forward, keeping one leg straight back and the other leg bent with the knee in front.  This sounds kind of dangerous to me, but, I seldom bend down when weeding because I use my trusty Weed Twister.  Perhaps some of our Ergonica friends may start their own trend by focusing on high speed weeding? 

Now, I'll have to try to think of a speedy weedy way of removing weeds with my Weed Twister, in order to keep up with the latest trends in gardening.  Or, I could let the work crews on farms in California and other states show me the way they do it!  Anything I've seen done by farm workers has been done most rapidly and efficiently.  We have recently introduced an industrial model of the Weed Twister which has stronger and thicker steel, sharpened tines and three models with lengths of 36, 42 and 48 inches.  We could try to train the workers on the best techniques we know on using the tool, or we could just put it in their hands and video their progress.  In one day, we will probably have world records on speedy weed removal with the Weed Twister!  For suggestions on speedy techniques of weed twisting, see the Weed Twister website Rapid Sweep Hoeing drill. 

It's the randomness of misplaced plants that can be a cause of frustration.  I've come to accept this randomness as a playful challenge: "... It's fun to randomly attack ... The weeds that thrive on happenstance."  This is a passage from my poem Herb Keeper in which I relate my gardening experience.  

If the weeds can surprise me by popping up in unexpected places, I can also surprise them by yanking them out with my bear fingers upon first sight.  Sometimes I think they hide from me when I'm carrying my Weed Twister.   Whether I'm in the mood for a speedy weeder or a Zen weeder, my twister is like an extension to my hand and fingers.

Do I hate the misplaced plants?  Absolutely not.  In fact, I've developed much of my garden by throwing water in uncultivated areas and waiting to see what pops up.  If it's a clover or a broad-leafed ground cover, I might let it thrive and nourish it.  But it's my garden, and I'm the Herb Keeper, so, as I say in my poem: 

But I admit, I need the green.
I need the yellow, red and brown.
I pull and kill a plant or two,
To make a place for newer friends.

Even though I enjoy using my fingers from time to time to feel the soil and the texture of the leaves, I also recognize that the right tool can often get the job done more efficiently and gracefully.  For us weeding procrastinators who wait till weeds grow large and deep before we address the problem, a tool to handle bigger weeds is always good to have around.  In agriculture, the limitations of cultivation, herbicides, flaming and hand weeding often leave behind large weeds, such as mallow, for example, that resists Roundup and is most difficult to remove with ordinary tools or by hand.

This is where the art comes in.  I don't claim to be a surgeon or a perfectionist, but I usually wield my hoe, my Weed Twister and my dandelion weeder in deft maneuvers as I assess each new situation. 

Since my home in the Highland Park area of Los Angeles is surrounded by wild grass on three sides, I've had many opportunities to hold the line using many different strategies and tools.  Actually, I've contained the weeds in back of my house, using primarily my Weed Twister over the past several years, so now I have wild weeds on only two sides.  These hillsides are my weed laboratories.

The hoe and the short handled dandelion remover are indispensable pieces of equipment.  I have also experimented with other tools like my Weed Twister, that all promise to save your back and eliminate stooping and kneeling while effectively removing individual plants.  Of course, I'm not as objective as you may be, but, if you think a tool of this type may enrich your gardening experience, I would urge you to try out one or more of these tools.  Take a look at the Weeder Features Chart to help you classify the various types of weeders available on the web market today.

For persons with physical limitations, I have found some interesting books to aid in planning a garden and working with limited strength and mobility.  For example, a couple of very readable books are The Enabling Garden : A Guide to Lifelong Gardening by Gene Rothert and Accessible Gardening for People With Physical Disablilties : A Guide to Methods, Tools, & Plants by Janeen R. Adil.  There are also several good suggestions in an article Aerobic Gardening for Seniors from Ritecode.  More weeding tips for all types of people have been noted in the Weeding Tips page.

In my experience, the Ergonica Weed Twister beats all the competitors hands down.  It's a graceful tool, with no moving parts that effortlessly penetrates the soil as you twist the coiled tines.  The weeds remain in the coil allowing you to dispose of them without having to stoop down to the ground.

HIGH SPEED WEEDING - You can do it!  (Carefully)

Ray Cruz Poetry

Casa Blanca Gardens Tree of Life

Despite the urban din of noisy airplanes and construction crews, a few finches in this video clip find a comfortable feeding environment in the Casa Blanca gardens.  The bountiful jacaranda tree also invites a beautiful fat cat and a squirrel. This is why we garden, Que no?

What kind of Weeder do you need?  Take a look at the Weeder Features Chart to help you classify the various types of weeders available on the web market today.

Does your Roundup need a Boost?

WEED POETS WANTED!

Words of Peace
An inter-faith prayer for peace in the Middle East
and in all parts of the world

Weed Poetry Contest Winners

The Ergonica Weed Poetry Contest. began originally in April, 2001.  We are now inviting submissions of original poetry about weeds.  To qualify for competition, your poem must include the word 'weed' or 'weeds' at least twice.  No mention of any illegal or distasteful activities will be acceptable.  A winner may be accepted each month, if qualified entries are received.  Each winner will have his or her poem published on this site and will be awarded a free WEED TWISTER model of his or her choice.  Please submit your entry by e-mail to weedpoetry[AT]ergonica.com.  Do not attach any files with your e-mail.  Your poem should be included in the message and your full name and mailing address must also be included. 

New Poetry Contest Option

If your poem is not accepted in the current month, it may be considered for subsequent months or possibly as a Weed Poem Contest Reject! Is there anything lower than a Rejected Weed Poem?  If your poem is rejected for the main monthly prize, as many are, you may be awarded the option of a Rejected Weed Poem prize consisting of a discount of $3.00 on any Weed Twister model.  If you accept this rejected status and decide to use your discount offer on a new Weed Twister purchase, your rejected poem will also be published on a special page for Rejected Weed Poetry.  You can then brag to all your friends that your weed poem was officially rejected by Ergonica!  Only if you accept the offer for the rejected poem discount will your poem be published on the special Rejected Weed Poetry page.  Poems that are accepted for the main monthly poetry contest will be published on separate pages for each poem and will be awarded a free Weed Twister model of their choice.  Not all submitted poems will be awarded either prize.  Most poems are rejected because they are too short or too simple or, frankly, boring.  We invite you to use your imagination!

More Poetic Inspiration by Ray Cruz

		Herb Keeper
		A Valentine to Pick
		I Wash Your Feet
		Just Wink to See (Wink to Weeds)
		Fish Hooks Hurt
		Thank You
		Winter Wishes

You can also download several poems in a PDF or Word file.