Quote:
Originally Posted by drew51
I don't see weeds as valuable either unless nitrogen fixers. They take 100% of nutrients from your soil, so you may break even composting them back, but you're not gaining anything. You're putting back what was already there.
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Plants create soil with exudates. They also have different specialties in root systems, some deep tap roots and some fine sod making roots and many variations in between. Then through mycorrhizal fungi they share what they have excess for what they are lacking.
Now to be clear, this depends how the crop gets its plant nutrients. If you feed your plants with outside nutrients, (whether chemical ferts or manure) then yes, eliminate the weeds. But if you use biological processes for the bulk of the plants' nutrition, then no, as biodiverse as possible is best, because that creates soil.