Weeds are just like any other type of plant.
They grow where conditions are right to support them. One of those conditions is the type of soil. Here's a short, handy guide to the type of weeds that thrive in different soils.
My experience:
When we moved into my home, our yard was filled with chicory, thistle, buttercups and sorrel. All of these weeds indicate clay content. A soil test confirmed it and also that the soil was quite poor, having been robbed of nutrients by the overwhelming weed growth.
I first decided to loosen and amend my huge back yard a little at a time for garden usage. Then, I decided to incorporate raised beds and containers with prepared soil from a local, trusted greenhouse.
Got ground ivy?
If so, your soil is likely wet and well drained. Ground ivy isn't very common here in Denver for good reason. Denver isn't known for wet weather or good drainage without soil amendment. Summers are hot and dry.
Cattails indicate wet, marshy or boggy soil.
You don't see many marshes here in Denver either, but they do exist. Usually they're found in parks at the edge of ponds. There are a few Denver properties with cattails, but it's pretty uncommon.
Hawk-weed loves dry soil.
Whatever type of soil you have, if it lacks water, hawk-weed may grow there. Still, it's less likely in clay soil. Sandy soil attracts hawk-weed because it dries out rapidly after the rain. This makes it an ideal home for hawk-weed at all times.
Clover thrives in low nutrient, heavily compacted soil.
If your clay soil has been neglected, or infrequently aerated, it will support clover and bindweed.
It's not often people consider the benefits of weeds.
Most of the time, we're just trying to annihilate them from our lawns and gardens. Before you do that this year, take the time to see what kind of weeds are growing in your garden. Weeds are the ultimate free soil test kit.
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