How many of us Hoe

[Farhan Ahmed]

My question is how many of us practice Hoeing regularly in their garden/plants.

Advantages Vs drawbacks.

I think Hoeing is in practice since man started agriculture. But recently with the availability of very good media (weed free/porous/fertile), hoeing has been forgotten especially in west. Hoeing has many claimed benefits such as
1. Weed removal
2. Aeration of soil
3. Disturbance of roots which promotes further deep rooting
4. Mixing of soil/fertilizer, hence nutrients being more available
5. Crust breaking (thereby improving water penetration etc.)
6. Cleaning/Overall good look of the border
7. Maybe more

And there could be some disadvantages as well
1. Too much root disturbance
2. Breakage of plant if not done carefully
3. Lot of man Hour

What do members have to say, Those who don’t as well as those who can’t keep without it?

[Hamad Ahmed Kisana]

in my view hoeing is very dificult for anuual beds because they are planted narrow so they are often disturbed and few annuals like calendula,messemberry,dahlia etc grow laying on earth so they are often uprooted during hoeing..i do hoeing for prennials regularly and for annuals very rare...but in my experiance hoeing gives very good results and the annuals which pass throuh hoeing grow vigoursly..as in images both calendula beds were sown same time in same conditions diffrence is hoeing only..so i think hoeing is very use usefull although difficult.another point we cant rely on untrained malis because they uproot plants brutly while hoeing.

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

Basically it is for removal of weeds (in my opinion), but there is an old saying JITNI GODI OTNI DODI .

[Munir]

Basically it is for removal of weeds (in my opinion), but there is an old saying JITNI GODI OTNI DODI .

I agree;though the other benefits are also valid, but to a lesser extent. In my view, therefore,hoeing should preferably be done, otherwise a suitable mulching may be used, if possible.Mulching minimises the need of weeding ,reduces the requirement of water by retaining moisture for longer time & in case of veggies/strawberries protects the fruit from spoiling due to contact with soil/water.

[Farhan Ahmed]

@ hakraza.....if its only because of hoeing...than its a remarkable difference.

@ Sir Arif.......if we keep the weed aspect aside as i have now few weeds coming up. Do you recommend it as per your experience as i do it quite frequently. It can save me man hours.

[UMARKHANMARDAN]

Farhan hoeing is very important in order to remove weeds.it also provides good air circulation & helps water to penetrate in better way.godi after chatta is very good in order that the granular fertilizer does not float with the water.the granules remains in its place hence every plant gets its own nutrition in full aspect.i even hoe beds after the application of old manure to mix well the manure into the soil,so it does not go way with watering.weed killers are good choice but hoeing has its own benefits.

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

Farhan hoeing is very important in order to remove weeds.it also provides good air circulation & helps water to penetrate in better way.godi after chatta is very good in order that the granular fertilizer does not float with the water.the granules remains in its place hence every plant gets its own nutrition in full aspect.i even hoe beds after the application of old manure to mix well the manure into the soil,so it does not go way with watering.weed killers are good choice but hoeing has its own benefits.

There you are, HOEING FOR AN OBJECTIVE rest is ....

[Farhan Ahmed]

Hmmm so to say, as members said, its conditional. Dependent on soil condition. In our poor garden soils, factors like when we are adding fertilizers, weeds coming up and soil making crust it becomes a must.

Some other benefits i can think of:-

In case you over water or after heavy rain, hoeing helps water to evaporate reducing risk of root rot.
Close inspection of plants once hoeing, lets you know of disease/pest etc
Helps you break fungus which accumulates at the base of plant, this can be symbiotic specie or more harmful fungus. In both cases its removal will benefit plant.

and lastly its a way of PAMPERING your plants...LOL

Caution:- Don't Hoe your plants if you are expecting Heavy Rain or High wind. It will weaken the soil and plant can fall over.

[Izhar]

Hoeing benefits a lot... in Karachi we have a loose soil compared to the bhal so the air circulation is excellent in fresh soil/ newly formed bed, but with time the particles start to compact due to watering and gravitational pull and it becomes so obvious in many common shrubs like motia, raat ki rani and roses that the plants are merely surviving ... bud count reduces to almost zero.. a simple hoeing will stimulate root growth and the plant starts producing new leaves and blooms.. I recommend a monthly hoeing of perennial bed along with some well rotted manure or compost to keep plants healthy and blooming...

[khabbab]

Is it true that Rose dislikes hoeing? I read zahrah nasir of dawn write that, cannot find that article though.