Fitzgerald leads weed workshop at Maine Farm Days, Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel reports
The Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel reports Caragh Fitzgerald, an associate extension professor of agriculture with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, led a workshop on identifying weeds Aug. 22 at Maine Farm Days in Clinton. “You’ll manage weeds differently depending on what they are and how they grow,” said Fitzgerald. “You’ll need to know, does it live for a single year? Does it live for multiple years? Does it grow low to the ground?” Many features can be used to identify weeds, including the number of petals, form of the flowers, whether the plant grows vertically or horizontally, how the roots grow, the characteristics of the stem, and the size, shape and texture of the leaves, the article states. Visitors at Maine Farm Days who participated in the workshop were asked to identify more than 20 types of weeds based on these characteristics. This information can help farmers and gardeners decide how to approach weed management, with solutions including planting a cover crop, mowing or using herbicides. “Anybody who is trying to manage weeds, or any plants in their landscape, will benefit from knowing exactly what it is they’re working with. In the case of weeds, we want to discourage them from growing, so we want to know what conditions they don’t like. In the case of landscape plants, we want to encourage them to grow, so we want to set up the environment to be positive for them,” Fitzgerald said. Maine Farm Days is held annually at Misty Meadows Farm, typically drawing about 3,000 people over two days and focusing on education as well as serving as an agricultural trade show, according to the article.