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Name That Plant!

aggressive WEED??

dinajean(SCzone7b)

10 years ago

I spent most of the day pulling this up...it settled into a small area of my flowerbed but has become aggressive & has formed a deep mat...I tossed most of my dirt with it, then mulched with thick layers of newspaper & mulch....dont know if that will smother any of whats left, hope so....but can someone ID it for me? I am in upstate SC

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Comments (14)

saltcedar
10 years ago
Sheep Sorrel?

Here is a link that might be useful: Sheep Sorrel
flora_uk
10 years ago
Edible and frequently cultivated - if that helps make it any less annoying.
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Please ID this fairly aggressive weed
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i have had purple leaf plums in MI for ... well... forever.. i never saw a seedling ... but i have seen crabapple seedlings that are red ... is that possible from a botanical view?? ken ps: in fact. the only purple leaf plum.. that ever plummed for me... did the year before it up and died ... i never stopped to wonder why?... MI winters??? .. it flowered reliably.. but never set fruit???? i always assumed it was a last ditch effort at propagating the species... and that was 20 odds years ago .... man.. the flashbacks are going to start again ... lol ...
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Well poo; horse poo that is....
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I think the writer is full of that poop herself. She is perpetuating a common myth without getting out there and gaining her own personal observations from doing her own research. I have been using horse manure for years without the problems that is claimed in the article, I could post many, many pictures of excellent produce from my garden and my worm population has been excellent up until the last drought this past summer which took it's toll on them. However, they are bouncing back now. This following statement is crap too: "Another common problem with horse manure use is that, over time, crops often start showing signs of stunting or slowed growth. Soil tests can explain why. Adding horse manure to garden soil over many years can result in the buildup of toxic levels of magnesium. Because horses have an incomplete digestion system, sometimes large nutrient residues end up in the soil. Non-water-soluble residues such as minerals can be especially troublesome, in part because symptoms of nutrient excess can mimic symptoms of nutrient deficiency. " I just got the results back from two soil tests by a reputable lab and posted the results in another thread on here for all to see. One of them shows the magnesium level as just a bit low and the other one shows it to be medium. Many who have seen some of the many pictures that I have posted would probably agree that I do not have any problems with stunted plants or produce. She probably got her paycheck for the week so all is well, but she should be regarded as a fiction writer. If she is supposed to have credentials as some sort of an expert or knowledgable person, they would be suspect to me. That is my personal opinions, experiences and observations. Bill P.
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Mulching and winter sowing - aggressive weeds
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Comments (5)
Scarlett, heavy mulching and direct sowing don't mix. The mulch is going to prevent weed seeds from germinating, will feed and help to condition the soil, help prevent compaction in your beds with heavy fall and winter rains but its going to inhibit germination of desirable seeds you might sow too. Its not going to smother aggressive or perennial weeds that have already taken hold - no way around it, you're going to need to pull those getting the roots out too so they don't resprout. There are a number of type weed seeds that will germinate in Fall and Winter here so mulch applied before Fall rains begin will cut down on your coming season chores, weeding. It looks like we share our zone. What time of year you apply your mulch isn't as critical here (looking your post in the soils/compost forum)...ground doesn't really freeze to any depth in a normal winter. I will try to do my major cleanup and mulching in Spring but for a number of reasons this year I'm finishing up now. We're still restoring beds (year two in this location) and I've just now finished spreading 8 yards of purchased compost as a top dressing as my mulch for this year.....beds had been long neglected and were overrun run with alder, blackberry, ivy. If you'll look above at FAQs, you'll see that the type of winter sowing done and discussed here is accomplished in pots or recycled containers outdoors in winter....most use recycled, while I use pots (have hundreds over many years). That would work for you with the seeds you would like to start - you could do your bed cleaning and mulching now. In Spring when you have seedlings and young plants, you can pull back the mulch in the areas you are working, plant your perennials from the containers they have germinated in, push the mulch back into place around them. So, my shorter response is, get those weeds under control and your beds and its soil in shape - then concentrate on planting. There really is not a good way to both at the same time, and you'll benefit from doing the preliminary work first more than you can know. Soil and weeds first, permanent plantings later.
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99% of the time it will take, even with the smallest 'hint' of root at the end of the stem. A very hardy plant especially when established. Care needed during 1st sprout / blossom, from frost.
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
it grows on underground runners.. that cant reach feet .. if not yards away..

i doubt you got it all.. and i doubt the mulch will stop it...

i would go full bore round up in a windex bottle on this thing.. and it will still take a year or two of diligent hunting.. to win the battle ..

you will NOT win.. pulling it up.. you will just piss it off.. and it will come back stronger ...

ken
fatamorgana2121
10 years ago
I find sheep sorrel rather short-lived. If you pull it (and keep it from flowering and dropping seeds), it will vanish in a year or two.

Of course, you could find an herbalist who wants it and they will harvest it away for you. ;)

FataMorgana
crscra
10 years ago
wow! so that is what that plant is.... I have been getting it for about three/four yrs now. I have never seen it flower & they are right about the roots & runners. I just keep digging & destorying it. I also have horse hair plants... how does one rid of them? besides keep tearing out as much as possible and young until the deep root dies.
fatamorgana2121
10 years ago
Horse tail plant, maybe? Pull it or find an herbalist to take it away. *grin*

FataMorgana
vall3fam
10 years ago
Horsetail, too? My, you are cursed!
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
horsetail is severely set back by round up

never quit disappears.. and usually pops up a foot or two over ...

but it never considers itself healthy ....

ken
dinajean(SCzone7b)
Original Author
10 years ago
Okay, sounds like a monster. Doubt a herbalist would want it knowing how many times my dog pees on the spirea bush it is under. Ken - if I round it up when it re-emerges (as you said it would) , will that kill my other plants in that bed? It is a flower bed along with irises, daffodils, azaleas, daylilys & forsythias.
kitfoxdrvr
10 years ago
The old salts say you need lime if this grows. Get your pH checked and see what it says. I would love to tell my grandpa he was right!
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
round up becomes inert on teh soil

it only kills green it hits..

the trick to spraying is VERY LOW PRESSURE...

practice with a tank sprayer ... adjusting the tip... and handle pressure..as well as water pressure.. until it sprays out big drops ..NOT A FINE MIST..

and big drops fall to the ground .. not drift in the wind..

practice for an hour in the driveway.. until you can see and learn how to spray properly ...

and the last trick.. is to spray only as long as you have HIGH CONCENTRATION ...meaning when you get tired.. you make mistakes.. shoot for a 75% kill.. and come back in a week.. and touch up the space ... the stuff will last quite a while in the tank.. presuming you dont have any idiot kids who will mess with it..mine know better.. though they are still idiots .. lol ...

ken
dinajean(SCzone7b)
Original Author
10 years ago
Haha...okay...I understand....i will wait till this stuff re-emerges.....spray the leaves (preferably on a non-windy day)....dont fret about what hits the dirt...and wait...and if it emerges agian...hit it once more??
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
it will be a lifetime job....

keep hitting it.. until it is gone...

BUT NEVER LET IT GO TO SEED .... which are easy to see with the red color .. but by then.. you missed your window of opportunity ...

and a good layer of mulch.. will cover the millions of dormant seed ..

see.. thats the problem .. its not only a prolific seeder.. its on those darn runners.. and that is why pulling them doesnt give a cure ...

good luck ... and be safe

ken

ps: and i told you .. large droplets fall to the earth.. wind is irrelevant if you have the right droplet size ... but having that.. and no wind.. does make it more failsafe....
fatamorgana2121
10 years ago
I seem to recall reading a while back that horsetail was round-up resistant. You may wish to check that out before wasting money and poisoning your lawn and gardens needlessly.

FataMorgana

This post was edited by fatamorgana on Fri, Apr 26, 13 at 10:16

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