skip to main content

Name That Plant!

What is this horrible weed and how do I get rid of it???

11 years ago

We just moved into a new house and trying to learn all of the plants. This weed is growing EVERYWHERE (front yard, back yard, in the grass, between patio stones...) and when I dig it up it has one very thick long deep root. Anyone know what it is and how to get rid of it???

Thanks!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (11)

CaraRose
11 years ago
Pokeweed seedling?
0
missingtheobvious
11 years ago
It might be pokeweed, Phytolacca americana. I can't tell from the photo.

Here's a thread on pokeweed with some photos of a large plant:
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/namegal/msg0816284825135.html?14

Here are photos of younger plants:
http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/weedguide/singlerecord.asp?id=270
{{gwi:251984}}

If you can't remove all the root (which you must do in order to get rid of pokeweed), you can put a few drops of Round-up concentrate (or generic glyphosate concentrate) on it or pour boiling water in the hole with the root. If it sprouts again from the root, repeat.
0
Related Discussions
How Do I Get Rid Of Those Horrible Wild Onions?
Q
Comments (10)
LOL! This brings back memories! When I was about 6 years old I used to pull them up & try to sell them. I made a sign - "Fresh Onions - Just Picked! 5 cents a bunch" & sat in front of my house. Believe it or not, I actually made about a dollar. Of course people bought them because I was "cute" - not because they needed onions. It also helped that I sold 5 bunches to my grandfather. LOL!
...See More
How do I get rid of this horrible wall texture?
Q
Comments (15)
OK, you guys and some folks over in the Old House forum have talked me down off the ledge. We've put the sledgehammers down and are going to get lots of GW advice and attempt to make this little house period-appropriate, within the confines of our budget and my needs for comfort and beauty. The texture stays for now. I'm going to be posting over in Old House to vet our design choices and figure out how to work with a plaster house, since this is our first one. Feel free to join me over there and offer your opinions and advice. And thanks in advance. :-)
...See More
What type of weed is this and how do I get rid of it?
Q
Comments (15)
If the stems are velvety I think you do have Rhus typhina, Stags Horn Sumac. It is a spreading, suckering, clump forming shrub and will continue to pop up unless you can remove all the roots and the original parent. But it is native to the US so you might just learn to live with it to a certain extent. It has brilliant Autumn colour.
...See More
What is this weed and how do I get rid of it?
Q
Comments (1)
Campanula rapunculoides. It is highly invasive, both by spreading or creeping and by the massive numbers of seeds it produces. Dave's list calls for full sun, but it is not fussy, either about soil or exposure. It stands up to weed killers and if dug out, it almost certainly leaves lots of seeds behind as well as any little piece of root forming a new patch. It generally takes years of careful and thorough digging and spraying to clear it and it will still invade off the back alley or from a neighbors neglected flower bed. It gives me headaches here in Minneapolis and has for years.
...See More
Related Professionals
Simpsonville Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Graham Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Saint Matthews Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Eagle Landscape Contractors · Englewood Landscape Contractors · Framingham Landscape Contractors · Harvey Landscape Contractors · Las Vegas Landscape Contractors · Mission Viejo Landscape Contractors · Northport Landscape Contractors · Olympia Landscape Contractors · Tavares Landscape Contractors · Thornton Landscape Contractors · Wickliffe Landscape Contractors · Greenfield Landscape Contractors
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
full strength.. as close to 41% as you can get...

in very expensive applicator at link ...

snip.. and one drop.. and keep doing it for the next few years.. until you use up all the seeds..

i bet you have found out.. that rocks as mulch.. makes it a PIA to dig things out.. eh??/

and that is the beauty of the RU.. no digging ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link
0
torontogal
Original Author
11 years ago
I don't find it looks like that. Here are a few more pictures. What do you think?

Oh and you don't have to tell me about the hundreds of rocks in the garden. I've started getting my 2.5 year old to start "collecting rocks" in a big bin. What a horrible gardening idea.
0
torontogal
Original Author
11 years ago
Another picture
0
lisanti07028
11 years ago
I'm still not sure if it's pokeweed or not, as it also has a long, thick root. Could you show us one that you dug up, with the root?

If it's not pokeweed, it could be a sucker from a tree or shrub, of which there are several to many that sucker freely (lilac, clethra, sumac, sassafras, bamboo, some roses...). If it is almost woody, and if the root starts to head laterally underground, look around for a plant/shrub/tree that has similar leaves,
0
torontogal
Original Author
11 years ago
This house has sumac, lilac, and roses growing in the garden so it could very well be. I will dig one up in the morning and take a picture. They also don't seem to get bigger than this. They just cluster. When I moved in (June) there were tons of them along with dandelions 4.5 feet. So I doubt the previous owners weeded these and not the huge dandelions.
0
missingtheobvious
11 years ago
Could you post a much closer photo which would allow us to see the leaf veins? I'm not sure what I'm seeing, but it might rule out pokeweed -- and might also tell one of the experts exactly what it is.

Were you saying that the dandelions were 4.5 feet tall? If so, probably not dandelions, but wild lettuce, sowthistle, cat's ears, hawkweed, or something along that line.
===

About pokeweed:

I would expect pokeweed leaves to be pointier, but your plant is still young. Pokeweed does grow in Ontario. But the not growing taller would seem to rule out pokeweed.
0
torontogal
Original Author
11 years ago
I just found some large ones on the side of the house (behind a shed within a fence I hadn't been to before). There is one with a flower but no berries.
0
torontogal
Original Author
11 years ago
Pic 2
0
User
11 years ago
Saponaria officinalis?

Here is a link that might be useful: Saponaria officinalis
0

Related Stories

EDIBLE GARDENS Natural Ways to Get Rid of Weeds in Your Garden

By Abundant City

Use these techniques to help prevent the spread of weeds and to learn about your soil

DECLUTTERING Downsizing Help: How to Get Rid of Your Extra Stuff

By Becky Dietrich, Interior Designer

Sell, consign, donate? We walk you through the options so you can sail through scaling down

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING 4 Good Ways to Get Rid of Mosquitos in Your Yard

By Katherine Caviness

Stay safe from West Nile virus and put an end to irksome itches with these tools and methods for a porch, patio or yard

DECORATING GUIDES Lose It: 4 Ways to Get Rid of Your Old Carpet

By Vanessa Brunner

Try one of these earth-friendly tips before stuffing your dingy carpet or rug in the trash

GARDENING GUIDES 5 Weed-Smothering Ground Covers

Let these landscape plants do the dirty work of choking out weeds while you sit back and enjoy the view

GARDENING GUIDES What’s in a Name? See 6 Wildflowers That Aren’t ‘Weeds’ at All

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Dispel the stereotypes of weeds and try these wildlife-supporting native wildflowers in your garden

GARDENING GUIDES Tackle Weeds the Natural Way

By Jocelyn H. Chilvers

Instead of dousing your yard with chemicals to wipe out weeds, let time and nature work their magic via smothering and solarization

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Bugle Weed, a Quick Ground Cover

It’s highly adaptable, suppresses weeds, reduces erosion and provide weeks of bright flowers. Just watch for invasiveness

GARDENING GUIDES 5 Ways to Naturally Win the Weed War

By Jocelyn H. Chilvers

Show irksome weeds no mercy with these tricks for combating them sans chemicals

GARDENING GUIDES Let's Weed Out 4 Native Plant Myths

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Plant wisely for a garden that supports pollinators and requires less work

Sponsored

More Discussions

White & Purple Flowers?

4

I dont know what been up at Houzz

12

What is this Plant??

3

Fargesia rufa in SE Michigan?

2

Please Identify Euphorbia

8