My asparagus bed became very weedy and I found it very difficult to weed without breaking off the shoots. It is now getting weedy again. Do you think I can mush the whole bed up with a layer of straw?
No experience what so ever growing asparagus. Do not like it so have not given it space.
Yes you can mulch tehm...particularly the straw mulch is good as it allow air around stems.
Usually you either do it early on before the growth have started and use something more composted material so once the growth comes through you are still able to harvest the spears. After the cropping season straw is good as you don't need access to the lower stems but you don't want to bury them neither with heavy mulches.
I would give the asparagus little feed before putting the mulch on..something like sprinkling of BFB. They will now take up all the nutrients to fatten themselves for next year.. ;)
Many thanks for this. I really do want to cover the ground so they do not need weeding between the plants in the spring. The weed situation is getting worse, several plots have lots of milk thistles.
Feeding them sounds good too. With lots of things I put the BFB on top of the mulch so it washing in gradually when it rains.
What do you mean as a heavy mulch. My current choices are straw and partly composted grass clippings usually still hot.
What do you mean as a heavy mulch. I mean literally the weight of the mulch. Straw itself is quite light..but if its spent straw and with animal droppings it will become very heavy and will 'rest' against plants like 'ton of bricks'.
I would use plain straw just around the plants and use added grass clippings bit further away from the crowns.
How do you stop straw blowing away when it dries out?
Actually most of my straw at the moment is partly decomposted and a bit soggy. Maybe when it is spreadout it will dry out a bit and lighten up.
It would seem to be a trade off between the mulch and the weeds. Asparagus seems very brittle if you touch it is seems to break off.
My straw seems to stay put but leaves are a nightmare.
I spent some time yesterday weeding my asparagus bed and staking the plants. I always hand weed around the plants and between the stalks so as not to damage them or their roots. Almost all the weeds are annuals - or so small they come out quite easily. I prepared the bed very thoroughly before planting some years ago to remove any perennials and to make the soil soft, friable and free-draining. When the leaves go yellow I cut them back to 2-3 cm but I leave the canes in so I know where the plants are. I weed every couple of months during the growing season and then, very early in spring, put down a mulch of well-rotted manure on the bed - leaving the area immediately round the plants free. This feeds them as they start growing and putting up tasty shoots but also acts as a mulch to keep the weeds at bay.
How do you stop straw blowing away when it dries out? I've never had problem with straw blowing away, though when I've mulched and tried to make really tidy job about it..birds usually come afterwards and start digging amongst it.. ::)..resulting it being all over the paths and surrounding areas ;D
The hedgehog tends to throw my straw about a bit.
My asparagus is now fed and tucked up with about four inches of straw. Looks a lot better.It does not have to fight with the weeds.
Just an update. The straw is working well. The feed is having a good effect and most of the plants have put up a new shoot which had not problems coming up through the straw. When then die down I will add some more straw because a few weeds are making it too.
The whole bed looks so much better now it is more or less weed free. Many thanks for the advise,
This year we had a good crop from the asparagus although a bit late. The foliage is still there and, turning yellow and the weed is still there too. I would like to cut the foliage and do the weeding in the same time. Cover the beds with straw with manure and leave in during wintertime. In early spring I would like to cover the beds with black plastic to warmen up the soil a bit quicker and get an earlier crop. Two years ago they planted about 60 new asparagus plants but there are only a few left. I would like to take the a few young ones from this bed to the beds of the older (almost elderly) ones.
Any suggestions from you experienced guys to do things different?
I have had a asparagus bed for about 5 years and this years crop has been the best ever. Even the relatives got fed up with it. I have about 30 crowns and each winter when the stems have died off and I have cut them back I cover the whole bed with manure. I am confused why you have so many weeds at the moment as I have very few because the stalks themselves are 5 foot high and stopping the light getting to the floor of the bed. In fact it is like a thick forest in there. Straw may be fine but I think on my plot it would either blow away or something on 2 wings or 4 legs would disturb it. Anyway best of luck
Plot 22: same over here: in totall 650 feet of bush! Only weed on places alongside the asparagus and on places where light gets between the plants.
I seem to remember putting seaweed on the asparagus bed last year, after cutting down the foliage.