The Cornell University Garden Mosaics program is developing a database of urban weeds and weed control practices.

Dr. Toni DiTommaso, a weed scientist in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at Cornell University, plans to use weed data collected by gardeners, youth, and other volunteers to develop an integrated weed control program for urban gardens. He will make this information available through his Organic Weed Management website.

Anyone who has access to an urban vegetable garden can contribute, including gardeners, youth groups, biology classes, and other interested individuals.

The data forms are posted on the Garden Mosaics website http://www.gardenmosaics.cornell.edu. Click on Program Manual, then on Investigations and finally click on Weed Watch. If you cannot access the materials through either web address, email or call us and we will send you an attached copy file of the Weed Watch data forms and instructions for filling them out. Garden Mosaics is funded by the National Science Foundation Informal Science Education program and by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University.

www.gardenmosaics.cornell.edu

or email us at: gardenmosaics@cornell.edu

or call at 315-568-9710

MEET GARDEN MOSAIC WEED SCIENTIST: DR. ANTONIO DITOMMASO

Antonio "Toni" DiTommaso was born in southern Italy. He immigrated with his parents to Montreal, Canada, when he was 9 years old. In Montreal, Toni watched his father and the other Italian immigrants create beautiful home and community gardens, incorporating practices from the different regions in Italy where they had grown up. Toni's father was able to grow fig trees in the cold Canadian climate by turning the trees on their side and burying them during the winter. Currently, Toni is an assistant professor of weed science in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at Cornell University. He helps farmers with their weed problems and hopes to be able to help urban gardeners control weeds in the future. But first he needs to learn more about vegetable garden weeds in cities. You can help Toni by taking measurements of weeds in urban gardens.

THE SCIENCE BEHIND WEED WATCH

Research Objective:
    The overall objective of this research is to gather baseline data on the abundance and diversity of weed species, and the practices used to control weeds, in urban vegetable gardens across the US.

Hypotheses:
    Dr. DiTommaso has the following hypotheses about urban weeds. Perhaps you can add some of your own hypotheses!

Fertilized garden plots will have a greater number of weeds than unfertilized garden plots.

Weeds will be most abundant and troublesome in plants grown from seed compared with plants transplanted from "starts."

Shaded sites will have fewer weeds and/or more weeds that tolerate shade.

Weed diversity will be greatest in gardens with the greatest diversity of crops.

Weed diversity will be greater in gardens located near to other green spaces than in gardens surrounded by asphalt and buildings.

Annual and biennial weeds will be more abundant and troublesome than perennial weeds. (An annual weed grows for one year, produces seeds, and then dies. Biennial weeds grow two years, and perennial weeds grow many years.)

Weeds will be less abundant in perennial crops than in annual crops.

Why Is Weed Watch Research Important?
    Weeds are "plants growing where they are not wanted" or simply "plants out of place." Weeds compete strongly with crops for essential resources such as nutrients, light, water, and space. As such, weeds can be a major problem for growing crops, including vegetables in home and community gardens. Knowledge about the biology and ecology of weeds is very important because it allows us to develop ways to manage these "unwanted" plants. To develop ways of controlling weeds, scientists need information about the number, types, growth, and reproduction of weeds within specific crops grown in gardens. Weed scientists can use these data to answer questions such as:

Which weeds are most troublesome in which crops? For example, are weeds that are in the mustard family (such as wild mustard, wild radish, shepherd's purse) more often found with crops in the mustard family (such as broccoli, cabbage, Brussel sprouts, and radish)?

Are weeds more troublesome in fertilized plots than in non-fertilized plots? Are weeds more of a problem in plots fertilized with compost and other organic fertilizers than inorganic fertilizers?

Which weed control methods work best?

Dr. DiTommaso plans to use the data you collect to help develop new ways to control urban weeds.