What Can Weeds Teach Gardeners?

The NY Times had an article on how weeds might solve the climate crisis. Seems with expanding levels of Co₂  plants especially weeds grow faster, bigger and adjust quickly to the new environment.  Lewis Ziska a weed ecologist with the Agricultural Research Service has been studying the effects for the past five+ years.

Interestingly, he used an urban gardening setting as one of his test labs.  He found Baltimore MD summer conditions were similar to those predicted for the future with global warming. The urban  temperature was several degrees warmer, and the CO₂ levels were above current conditions. Choosing two other locations one rural setting, the third was a suburban setting.; Ziska compared results.

The weeds in the hot, high CO₂ gardens grew dramatically faster and also produced more pollen. The other interesting outcome was the normal growing pattern of a cleared area (from weeds to wooded area) changed in the urban setting. Weed trees took over the plot in five years with ailanthus, Norway maples and mulberries. These trees grew as if on steroids. The ailanthus grew in the rural setting to 5 feet, but in the urban setting was 20 feet in only 5 years. Talk about adaptive gardening!

Weeds have been growing and changing with the environment throughout time. With commercial farming and our demands for perfect fruit and vegetables, gardening has been promoting a lack of genetic diversity. The uniformity is better for our mass markets, but is not helpful for resistance to insects, fungus and other creatures of nature.

No where is this more evident than in the banana. The yellow elongated bananna has come to be known as the perfect food. In fact it is on most weekly grocery lists. It seems after so many years of cultivation the Cavendish bananna is in danger of extinction. It is currently being attacked by a fungus called Panama disease Race 4.

This isn't the first time bananas have been threatened with extinction. In the 1920's another type of bananna called Big Mike was popular. It was wiped out by a fungus infection. The 1920's popular song, "Yes, We Have No Bananas" was a description of the times.

The bananna growing dilemma is being addressed on two fronts. Some scientists are attempting to develop hybrid banannas with resistance to the fungus. While other growers are focused on development of new varieties to replace the Cavendish. The Panama disease Race 4  has already ruined bananna plantations in Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia and Taiwan and is now spreading throughout most of Southeast Asia. (Source: Popular Science  ) It is estimated that remaining crops in Africa and South America will be infected within the next five years.

As gardeners, we need to be aware of our demands for perfect plants with perfect flowers and  perfect vegetables.  Our demand for perfection lead to plants which are less resistant to bugs and infections.  As the weeds learn to adapt to changing conditions, so also do our 'non-weeds' need to learn to adapt. 

With each garden seed we plant, we need to look at our own demands for growing perfection. Sometimes weeds provide good lessons.

All in a gardener's day,

Photo by Jyn Myer