Weeds among the cacti

About weeds -

The term "weed" is a value judgement with no biological correlate. It translates to "I didn't plant it there and I don't want it there." Which is OK to a point. But much as with human interactions, understanding tends to modify and quench hostility.

Several things to understand about weeds -

1). Mother Nature is big on communities. If we shift our gaze towards what Mother Nature is trying to do, we may see that these plants which have volunteered have volunteered to do needed work - some mine nutrients from far beneath the soil, so that as their foliage dies off it returns those nutrients to the topsoil where they are accessible to other plants. Others serve as attractors of beneficial insects such as predatory wasps. Some work hard to bust up compacted soil. etc.

A corrollary of this is that if you want a natural appearing garden, it's good to have a variety of plants growing together. If they are a good fit for one another, all of the plants in the grouping will benefit.

Another corrollary is that if you insist on growing Just One Thing, or Just One Type of Thing, you will be going against Mother Nature, and that road is an uphill road.

2). Some species are non-native and invasive. They can be a problem, because they are decontextualized from the ecosystem which gave birth to them, and may not have the other ecosystem members present that would restrain their proliferation in their native environment. Bindweed is a good example. But other volunteer plants are native, and rather than detracting from a grouping, can add integrity and authenticity, being the same plants that you would find growing around your cacti in the wild. Good to know the difference.

3). Volunteer plants, particularly the pesky ones, frequently have a narrow ecological niche in which they operate - that niche tends to lie in specific suboptimal soil conditions. Bindweed (the weed I love to hate) thrives in compacted, alkaline clay soils which are lacking in calcium and lacking in fungal activity. Burdock suggests your soil is calcium poor and iron heavy. So it is good to identify your weeds and understand what they are telling you. They may well be telling you how to improve your soil so that they will not grow there.

4). Back to the idea that a weed is a weed because I don't want it growing there, some "weeds" are wonderful plants to have around because of their usefulness to humans. For example, purslane, or as we call it here, verdolaga, is an absolutely delicious vegetable and doted upon by those who know of its culinary value. But many gardeners curse it and pull it up instead of rejoicing in a delightful addition to their salads. Similarly, lambsquarters, chenopodium album, or as we call it here in NM, quelites, is a ubiquitous weed in many areas and just absolutely yummy when prepared like fresh spinach.  And some weeds, like snake broom (escoba de vibora) are medicinally useful.

So what kind of weeds are growing around your cacti?