Most of us who have tried to grow plants are sure to have encountered these ‘troublemakers’. They have often ‘spoilt’ our well-laid plans for the garden, or harassed us into spending extra time, clearing them from the garden. In fact it has become such a habit, that even while walking through or sitting idly in the garden, we can catch ourselves picking them off the soil.
I am talking here about what we all refer to as ‘weeds’. Only of late, have I tried to change my lens for viewing these plants. And it’s been a great learning.
Contrary to what we may believe, weeds are there for a purpose – and its not just to annoy us! So instead of instantly thinking of controlling them, we need to understand why they are there and what they are trying to tell us.
Why are weeds useful?
For one, weeds are actually an important indicator of the quality of soil. For instance, the clover or hulichikku soppu is something that grows prolifically in my garden. And guess what – apart from being told not to pluck it by my 6 yr old because she and her friends loves to eat it (its tangy I believe!), and finding out that it has medicinal properties (see edible weeds section below), I discovered that this plant actually indicates a low level of nitrogen in the soil. If you have observed its root, you would see the nodules thus, telling us of the nitrogen-fixing bacteria that reside inside.
Similarly different types of weeds favour soils that are acidic, compacted, dry or hard and heavy.
Weeds also usually have a long root system that penetrates through the soil and enables better aeration and drainage of the soil. It also allows our domesticated plants to penetrate more easily.
If it were not for the weeds, we would have lost most of our top soil by now. They are a vital link in the soil fertility and food chain. Due to their various properties, weeds are much hardier than our domesticated plants. They are often called pioneer plants as they are resilient plants with unique qualities that allow it to easily grow in soil otherwise unsuited for edible or domesticated plants.
Over time as they grow and decay, they improve the soil by providing it necessary nutrients; thus preparing it for other species that will follow. These pioneer plants usually have either a bitter taste, thorns, or some are even poisonous, so that they are uneaten by animals and are left to do their work of soil building and improvement. So while we may look upon these plants as robbing the soil of nutrients, they are in fact only borrowing it to make the soil healthier and more fertile.
And yet, this is not to say that one can let weeds take over the primary plant. What is critical is to observe the plants and soil and take necessary steps to improve the soil so that the primary plants thrive and the weeds don’t necessarily become too numerous. As you might have noticed, in a fertile soil, that is alive (with microbes) and rich in humus, weeds are not such a problem because the rich soil will decompose and digest some of the weed seeds, preventing them from sprouting. So if they are not needed (i.e. if the soil is rich enough), weeds will not propagate. When looking at ‘controlling these plants, we can make sure that we use only organic methods such as mulching and hand-weeding.
It is interesting to pause and consider that even today a lot of the plants we call weeds are cherished by many as delicacies. And that, many plants that we eat today were once considered weeds – before they were domesticated!
Speaking of edible weeds, Shanti Nayak and Savita Nayak of the Buda folklore centre (Honnavar, Uttara Kanara) have done tremendously useful work to document and share the use of many of these plants that we otherwise discard as weeds. They have shared their work as a presentation here.
Looking at my own garden, I could easily identify a couple of the plants mentioned in their document.
The most prolific seemed to be the clover / hulichikki soppu. While I had known it was not poisonous, I hadn’t known about its edible value! I learnt later from an article by Shanti Nayak that these plants are actually rich in vitamin C, with a lemony taste.
Similarly the nelanelli soppu. In appearance, much like the drumstick plant, it has medicinal value.
Hongone soppu that grows tall with alternative leaves and white flower.
Ganke/kaasi soppu with black berries. This was probably the only plant that I recognised as having edible properties, since I remember eating some of my grandmother’s tasty preparations using the black berries.
Daglaare / Keere soppu
Mullu harive soppu – with thorns
I think as a start, perhaps we all could stop using the general term ‘weeds’. Instead trying to find out more about the particular plant that has appeared in the garden – its name, its properties and what it is indicative of. Not only would this help us in improving our soil accordingly, it would also help in documenting the nature of different plants for the growing community of home gardeners in our city. Who knows – one might even (re)discover a new edible plant to add to the table!
Wengi wetu ambao wamejaribu kukuza mimea ni uhakika wa kuwa alikutana na hawa 'troublemakers'. Mara nyingi wametuharibu mipango yetu iliyopangwa vizuri kwa ajili ya bustani, au kututesa ili tutumie wakati wa ziada, kuondoa bustani. Kwa kweli, ni tabia ya kawaida sana kwamba hata tunapotembea au kukaa kimya katika bustani, tunaweza kujikamata tukichukua kutoka ardhini. Mimi nina kuzungumza hapa kuhusu kile sisi sote rejea kama <unk> magugu<unk>. Hivi majuzi tu, nimejaribu kubadilisha lensi yangu ya kutazama mimea hii. Na imekuwa ni kujifunza kubwa. Kinyume na kile tunachoweza kuamini, magugu yapo kwa kusudi <unk> na si tu kutusumbua! Kwa hiyo, badala ya kufikiria mara moja juu ya kuwalinda, tunahitaji kuelewa ni kwa nini wako na wanataka kutuambia nini. Kwa nini magugu ni yenye manufaa? Kwa mfano, magugu ni kiashiria muhimu cha ubora wa udongo. Kwa mfano, mti wa clover au hulichikku soppu unakua sana katika bustani yangu. Na nadhani nini <unk> mbali na kuambiwa si kuokota ni na umri wangu wa miaka 6 kwa sababu yeye na marafiki zake anapenda kula ni (ni tangy naamini! "Kama vile, kwa sababu ya sifa zake za dawa, mimea hii inaonekana kuwa ""mimea ya chakula"" na kwa hivyo inaonyesha kiwango cha chini cha nitrojeni katika udongo." Kama wewe ni kuangalia mizizi yake, unaweza kuona nodules, hivyo kutuambia ya bakteria nitrojeni-kufunga kwamba kuishi ndani. Vivyo hivyo aina tofauti za magugu hupendelea udongo wenye asidi, uliofungwa, kavu au mgumu na mzito. Kwa kawaida magugu yana mizizi mirefu ambayo huingia ndani ya udongo na kufanya iwezekane kupeperusha na kuondoa maji vizuri. Pia inaruhusu mimea yetu ya kufugwa iingie kwa urahisi zaidi. Kama isingekuwa kwa ajili ya magugu, tungekuwa tumepoteza sehemu kubwa ya udongo wetu wa juu kufikia sasa. Wao ni kiungo muhimu katika uzazi wa udongo na mlolongo wa chakula. Kwa sababu ya sifa zao mbalimbali, magugu ni yenye nguvu zaidi kuliko mimea yetu ya kufugwa. Mimea hii inaitwa mimea ya upainia kwa sababu ni mimea yenye nguvu na sifa za kipekee ambazo huiruhusu kukua kwa urahisi katika udongo ambao haufai kwa mimea inayokula au iliyopandwa. Baada ya muda, zinapokua na kuharibika, zinaiboresha udongo kwa kuupa virutubisho vinavyohitajika; hivyo kutayarisha udongo kwa ajili ya spishi nyingine zitakazokuja baadaye. Mimea hii ya kwanza huwa na ladha kali, miiba, au hata sumu, kwa hiyo wanyama hawaiishi na huacha kufanya kazi yao ya kujenga na kuboresha udongo. Kwa hiyo, ingawa huenda tukaona kwamba mimea hiyo huondoa virutubisho kwenye udongo, kwa kweli inaweka virutubisho hivyo ili kuifanya udongo uwe na afya na uzazi. Hata hivyo, hilo halimaanishi kwamba mtu aweza kuruhusu magugu yaangamize mmea wa msingi. Ni muhimu kuchunguza mimea na udongo na kuchukua hatua muhimu za kuboresha udongo ili mimea ya msingi ikue na magugu yasije kuwa mengi sana. Kama vile ulivyoona, katika udongo wenye rutuba, ambao una viini na una humus nyingi, magugu si tatizo kubwa kwa sababu udongo wenye rutuba utavunja na kumeng'enya mbegu za magugu, na hivyo kuzuia magugu hayo yasitokee. Kwa hiyo kama wao si zinahitajika (yaani Ikiwa udongo ni mzuri, magugu hayawezi kuenea. Wakati kuangalia ‘kudhibiti mimea hii, tunaweza kuhakikisha kwamba sisi kutumia tu mbinu za kikaboni kama vile mulching na mkono-weeding. Ni jambo la kushangaza kuona kwamba hata leo, mimea mingi ambayo tunaita magugu, ni chakula cha kupendeza. Na kwamba, mimea mingi ambayo tunakula leo wakati mmoja ilionwa kuwa magugu - kabla ya kufugwa! "Shanti Nayak na Savita Nayak wa Kituo cha Folklore cha Buda (Hononvar, Uttarakhand) wamefanya kazi muhimu sana ya kurekodi na kushiriki matumizi ya mimea mingi ambayo kwa njia nyingine tunatupa kama magugu. """ Wamegawana kazi yao kama maonyesho hapa. Nilipotazama bustani yangu mwenyewe, nilijua kwa urahisi mimea michache iliyotajwa katika hati yao. Mti wa kawaida unaojulikana zaidi ni mti wa clover, hulichiki. Ingawa nilikuwa najua kwamba haikuwa na sumu, sikuwa najua kuhusu thamani yake ya kuliwa! Katika makala ya Shanthi Nayak, alitoa maelezo ya juu juu ya jinsi mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea. Vivyo hivyo na soppu ya nelanelli. Kwa kuonekana, kama vile mmea wa fimbo, una thamani ya kitiba. Hongone soppu ambayo hukua kwa urefu na majani mbadala na maua meupe. Ganke/kaasi soppu na matunda meusi. Hii ilikuwa ni mimea pekee ambayo nilitambua kuwa na mali ya kula, kwa kuwa nakumbuka kula baadhi ya maandalizi ya nyanya yangu ya ladha kwa kutumia matunda meusi. "Kama vile ""Dagla Keere soppu"" na ""Mulu Harive soppu"" na ""Michongoma"" na ""Michongoma"" na ""Michongoma"" na ""Michongoma"" na ""Michongoma"" na ""Michongoma"" na ""Michongoma"" na ""Michongoma"" na ""Michongoma"" na ""Michongoma"" na ""Michongoma"" na ""Michongoma"" na ""Michongoma.""" Badala ya kujaribu kupata zaidi kuhusu mmea maalum ambayo imeonekana katika bustani <unk> jina lake, mali yake na nini ni kiashiria cha. Hii haitafanya tu kuboresha udongo wetu, lakini pia itasaidia kurekodi asili ya mimea tofauti kwa jamii inayokua ya wakulima wa nyumbani katika mji wetu. Ni nani anayejua <unk> mtu anaweza hata (kurudisha) kugundua mmea mpya unaoweza kuliwa ili kuongeza kwenye meza!