Weeds

Q: I already have weeds growing in my vegetable garden and flowerbeds. I am not fond of working at weed control, but I don't want them to take over either. What is the easiest way to prevent weeds from growing or to kill them after they are growing? A: There are several weed control methods. I will list some and you can decide which is easiest for you. Weeds can be annuals or perennials. They can be grasses, plants that look like grasses - such as sedges or rushes - or broad leafed.

Spring is here and so are the weeds. With our unusually early warm weather, it seems the unwanted and out-of-place plants have doubled their population this year. Within the last few weeks, there have been many lawns in Washington County that have been plagued with weeds. There have been some weeds with small white flowers such as Hairy Bittercress and Shepherd's Purse, and others with purple flowers such as Henbit or Deadnettle.    All of these weeds, as well as others, have done well this year because of droughts from previous years and a mild winter this year.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- As debate continues about a Sharpsburg-area man's right to turn his yard into a "natural grassland habitat," a Washington County attorney has drafted an amendment to the county's weed-control ordinance that would allow such habitats under certain circumstances. The Washington County Commissioners are scheduled to review the proposed amendment during their meeting Tuesday and decide whether to proceed to a public hearing on it. The amendment is intended to "address aesthetic concerns raised by unkempt weeds while protecting the use of grasses for agriculture, pollution and sediment control, game habitat, etc.," according to a written report from Assistant County Attorney Kirk C. Downey.

The dandelion is an example of how one man's weed is another man's salad. Or tea. Or medicine. Known technically as taraxacum officinale, dandelions are classified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as weeds, the generic term for wild plants that grow in unwanted places. Dandelions are unwelcome because they are a little too good at spreading their seeds, ultimately pervading lawns and garden beds, said Annette Ipsan, horticulturist and educator with the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension's Washington County office.

Ann Whisner of Beechwood Drive in Hagerstown weeds her garden Sunday morning.

Be careful with compost Don't add homemade compost when it's not fully composted, says Steve Bogash, with the Penn State Cooperative Extension. Compost needs to be well-mixed and broken down as opposed to just raking vegetable scraps into the soil. Be careful not to over-till Something that often surprises and frustrates beginner gardeners who have created a new garden plot is the abundance of weeds that sprout up, Bogash says. When soil is tilled, millions of weed seeds are exposed to fresh air and sunlight and start germinating.

tarar@herald-mail.com The Maryland Department of the Environment issued the Western Maryland Hospital Center a citation last week charging the chronic-care hospital with spraying herbicide that killed thousands of fish and crayfish in Hamilton Run, a state spokesman said Tuesday. State Department of the Environment spokesman Rich McIntire said 2,000 to 3,000 minnows, dace and sculp were killed, along with 6,000 crayfish and four salamanders. Hamilton Run, a tributary of Antietam Creek, runs behind the Western Maryland Hospital Center on Pennsylvania Avenue.

The problem: “This is the CSX bridge at Burhans Boulevard at the railroad museum,” Aubrey and Clara Claggett of Williamsport wrote. “It is a beautiful bridge with the mural painted on it. The thing is you can't see the mural because of the vines and weeds on it. Whose job is it to cut the weeds and vines so that this beautiful mural can be seen?” Who could fix it: CSX Railroad What they say: Contacted Friday about the issue, CSX spokesman Robert Sullivan said the railroad was looking into the questions of the ownership of the bridge and responsibility for trimming the vegetation.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. -- Borough of Greencastle officials are politely asking residents to comply with the borough's sign and nuisance ordinances this spring, in the hope that doing so can avoid policing complaints for overgrown weeds, sandwich-board signs and trash. Borough Manager Ken Womack said in the spring, residents start to complain about nuisance and sign ordinance violations. Often those complaints go directly to the Greencastle Borough Police, expending valuable public safety resources on minor issues, he said.

Week of April 10, 1955 The City of Hagerstown will enforce the anti-weed ordinance this summer. City Engineer Claude Williams was advised that when complaints are received of weeds over 12 inches high in the city, the police department will notify property owners to cut them. If property owners do not take immediate action to cut the weeds, the Street Department workers will then cut the weeds and bill the property owners at an hourly rate or a minimum of $10. Frank Carbaugh, now of 329 Central Ave., brought to this newspaper office a commemorative coin which he found 12 years ago when he lived with his parents on Roessner Avenue in Halfway.

From his modern home, it pains Henry Stiles to look a few hundred yards down Reno Monument Road and watch the deterioration of the historic farmhouse where he was raised. The overgrown yard and wild-weed fields around it have alarmed neighbors Tim Vittetoe and Jimmy Hartle for nearly two years. Sheri Anne Stewart, who bought the old house, barn, outbuildings and their 8.63-acre site a few rural miles south of Boonsboro in 2007, moved out in 2010 after she stopped paying on the mortgage.

Spring is here and so are the weeds. With our unusually early warm weather, it seems the unwanted and out-of-place plants have doubled their population this year. Within the last few weeks, there have been many lawns in Washington County that have been plagued with weeds. There have been some weeds with small white flowers such as Hairy Bittercress and Shepherd's Purse, and others with purple flowers such as Henbit or Deadnettle.    All of these weeds, as well as others, have done well this year because of droughts from previous years and a mild winter this year.

The problem: “This is the CSX bridge at Burhans Boulevard at the railroad museum,” Aubrey and Clara Claggett of Williamsport wrote. “It is a beautiful bridge with the mural painted on it. The thing is you can't see the mural because of the vines and weeds on it. Whose job is it to cut the weeds and vines so that this beautiful mural can be seen?” Who could fix it: CSX Railroad What they say: Contacted Friday about the issue, CSX spokesman Robert Sullivan said the railroad was looking into the questions of the ownership of the bridge and responsibility for trimming the vegetation.

Complaints about overgrown lawns and other weed ordinance violations in Washington County are coming in at such a high rate that the county is considering hiring a contractor to mow those lots, officials said. Since April 12, the county has had 179 weed ordinance complaints, Permits and Inspections Director Daniel F. DiVito said Tuesday. "This is something that is not going away, especially with the number of foreclosures, the properties that are being owned by banks and companies that are not around here," DiVito said.

The dandelion is an example of how one man's weed is another man's salad. Or tea. Or medicine. Known technically as taraxacum officinale, dandelions are classified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as weeds, the generic term for wild plants that grow in unwanted places. Dandelions are unwelcome because they are a little too good at spreading their seeds, ultimately pervading lawns and garden beds, said Annette Ipsan, horticulturist and educator with the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension's Washington County office.

Last week, Beth Nichols, 4-H educator, ag tech Doug Price, myself and several 4-H and FFA volunteers were engaged in a project called "Kids Growing with Grains. " Don't let the title fool you; this program is aimed squarely at elementary- age youngsters to reunite them with where their food comes from. It's what I like to call agriculture literacy. Why is it important to know where your food comes from? Well, that's an easy one to answer. Ignorance is far from bliss. Knowing where your food comes from helps you make informed decisions when it comes to things like responsible land use and zoning.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- The Washington County Commissioners are closer to approving a revised weed control ordinance after hammering out some of the remaining questions Tuesday during a workshop session. When the commissioners first tackled the ordinance more than two months ago, discussion revolved around the broad question of where tall grasses and vegetation were, and were not, appropriate. By Tuesday's meeting, that question largely had been resolved, leaving only smaller details for discussion.

As you know, a plant can be the apple of one person's eye and the bane of another. One needs to remember that a weed is simply a plant out of place. When it comes to livestock producers, whether a plant is a weed will depend on what type of animal the producer is raising. To a dairy farmer, fescue can be a weed, but to a beef producer, it is high- quality winter feed. When it comes to small ruminants such as sheep and goats, the weed designation gets even more unclear.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- The Washington County Commissioners discussed Tuesday what types of properties should be required to have buffer zones, screening or both, as a condition of being permitted to grow tall grasses. The question came up during a workshop to discuss changes to the county weed control ordinance. The commissioners agreed that the ordinance needs some changes, but have not finalized the details of the revised version. The biggest change under consideration is a new section that would allow grass and other vegetation taller than the standard 18-inch limit if the property is part of a program to mitigate storm-water runoff, control pests or reduce pollutants in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- As they considered potential changes to the county's weed-control ordinance Tuesday morning, the Washington County Commissioners heard feedback from people with two very different visions for the future of residential subdivisions. One side values the suburban tradition of neat, weed-free lawns with carpets of 2 1/2-inch grass. The other, promoted by Washington County Soil Conservation District Manager Elmer Weibley, predicts a future in which tall, native grasses are not only permitted, but could be required in parts of new residential subdivisions as an environmental management strategy.