Weeds don’t whisper, but they do have a lot to say.
As I begin preparing my garden, I am taking note of the plants that have emerged (or for some, been in residence all winter). In my beds, chickweed and hairy bittercress are the early risers that cover the surface of the soil.
Their presence is more than just a reminder to start weeding the garden. While we may consider them unwelcome intruders that compete with our chosen species, these and other unwanted weeds are really prescient plants that tell us tons if we understand their language.
Soil scientists know how to read the weeds, and you too can become proficient in plant prognostications.
The first step is to learn to identify the species in your yard and garden. While this sounds easier said than done, with technology and some tools, this skill is within reach to folks with a cell phone and the right apps.
Though I have always been a proponent of books, the new apps have so much to offer in plant ID empowerment. Some useful apps include iNaturalist, Seek, Plantnet and Flora incognita, which allow you to snap a photo of the plant and they suggest its ID from a Linnaean lineup with a high degree of accuracy.
Once you know your plants, you can better know your soils. The two plants in my garden beds indicate wet, shady, alkaline soil. Perhaps the husband was right when he suggested trimming some limbs of a nearby overhanging tree.
Other plants have other significance. If you have broadleaf plantain, prostrate knotweed, red sorrel or silvery cinquefoil, your soils are likely acidic. Chicory, common chickweed, and spotted spurge are found in alkaline soils.
Your soils might have high fertility if you discover common lamb’s quarter, henbit or purslane. Low fertility could be a problem if black medic, common mullein, mugwort or yarrow dominate. Compacted soils suggest speedwell, dandelion or wild garlic, which grow enthusiastically in that dense dirt.
Dry and drought-prone soils host black medic, spurge and red sorrel. Alternatively, wet soils are home to chickweed, smartweed and yellow nutsedge; and in poorly drained soils one can find horsetail and ground ivy.
Going even deeper, weeds can even tell tales of your soil’s nutrient deficiencies. The presence of great burdock could suggest low nitrogen and calcium and high potassium. Oxeye daisy thrives in soils with low phosphorus and high potassium and magnesium. Redroot pigweed may mean that the iron and magnesium ration is out of balance, with too much iron and too little magnesium. Lambs quarter signify low phosphorus and high potassium, while knapweed presence professes low calcium and low potassium.
All of this is to say, listen up, those weeds speak volumes! With this knowledge you can adjust your soils, provide nutrients, create more sun, add organics, and otherwise ameliorate your lacking loams. Of course, also be thoughtful as to how to dispose of those wise weeds, as you could be the cause of their spread and domination of other areas. Many of the small leafy greens are edible, and you can have your cake (or salad) and eat it too with their removal.
There is work to be done if you listen to the weeds. While you may not welcome the news they bring, the weeds will always have the last word.
Suzan Bellincampi is director of the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary in Edgartown, and author of Martha’s Vineyard: A Field Guide to Island Nature and The Nature of Martha’s Vineyard.
This article appears in April 3, 2026.