What would you consider your worst weed in your garden or on your property for that matter?
In my garden its is bermuda grass hands down. Any one from the south that has a lawn of it know how much of a pain it can be in the garden. It spread insanley fast, all it takes is one little piece of the runner and it will grow back in a few days, has deep roots and will come up through 8 inches of mulch. I'm always pulling it up.
-
Charlie MV
- Greener Thumb
- Posts: 1544
- Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 11:48 pm
My bermuda is far from the garden and I use an edger where it lays against the flowerbeds but it took years to get it out of where I didn't want it. Know what you mean. My nemesis is good old crabgrass. I spend alot of my life lately on my knees fighting it. Why wont the desirable grasses grow like that?
Glechoma hederacea (Creeping Charlie but I not so fondly refer to it as Creeping Crud). I am convinced I will be hand pulling it until the day I die.
European and Japanese Barberry are almost a tie though. Seedlings keep popping up everywhere and they do a number on my hands when I pull them out. Too afraid to run for gloves when I find one lest I not be able to find where it was growing to get it so I will pull them up by hand when I spot them. Ouch.
Both of these are bringing me to my knees.
European and Japanese Barberry are almost a tie though. Seedlings keep popping up everywhere and they do a number on my hands when I pull them out. Too afraid to run for gloves when I find one lest I not be able to find where it was growing to get it so I will pull them up by hand when I spot them. Ouch.
Both of these are bringing me to my knees.
I only get to pick ONE?
Hmmm. Well, among the oxalis, Bermuda grass, crabgrass, sow thistle, yellow star thistle, and something else with spiny leaves whose name I don't know, I'll have to declare a tie between
(drum roll, please)
Yellow star thistle and crabgrass.
The others I can at least dig out in larger chunks which don't savage my hands. But the YST does savage my hands, even when wearing leather gloves, and the crabgrass (if that's what it truly is) only comes out in small pieces, even when I dig it out w/a trowel.
Not even goats will eat YST if it has flowered; I'm not sure if they'll eat it before then.
That's how bad it is. (Read this somewhere when "non-toxic methods" of controlling/slowing down YST were discussed.)
Yeah, I have dandelions, too, but they don't stab you when you dig them out.
Cynthia H.
USDA Zone 9, Sunset Zone 17
Hmmm. Well, among the oxalis, Bermuda grass, crabgrass, sow thistle, yellow star thistle, and something else with spiny leaves whose name I don't know, I'll have to declare a tie between
(drum roll, please)
Yellow star thistle and crabgrass.
The others I can at least dig out in larger chunks which don't savage my hands. But the YST does savage my hands, even when wearing leather gloves, and the crabgrass (if that's what it truly is) only comes out in small pieces, even when I dig it out w/a trowel.
Not even goats will eat YST if it has flowered; I'm not sure if they'll eat it before then.
That's how bad it is. (Read this somewhere when "non-toxic methods" of controlling/slowing down YST were discussed.)Yeah, I have dandelions, too, but they don't stab you when you dig them out.
Cynthia H.
USDA Zone 9, Sunset Zone 17
Go ahead and vent it all out. I just need to vent about bermuda grass after pulling up a ton of it today. It finally rained here good enough to really soak the ground so it comes up fairly easy.TheLorax wrote:My thoughts exactly! Toms92gp deprived us all of a great opportunity to vent by limiting usI only get to pick ONE?
Well, we had two days of virtually no rain so I was out and about weeding. This afternoon the skies opened up. Thunder and lightening and torrential rains, again. We need more rain around here like we need a hole in the head. It's a slop mess out there fit for a pig to roll royally in. I've been mostly hand pulling seedlings because the ground has been too mushy to use a weed wrench. I've been targeting the following-
Buckthorn seedlings
Asian Honeysuckle seedlings and small plants
Norway Maple seedlings
Siberian Elm seedlings
Siberian Dogwood seedlings
White Mulberry seedlings (bumper crop of those this year)
Deadly Night Shade
Poison Ivy (some I leave, depends on where it is growing)
Euonymus fortunei var. radicans (don't know the common name for this)
Canada Thistle
Barberry
Crown Vetch
Cut-Leaf Teasel (nasty)
Sowthistle
The vines are hand pulling out of the ground quite nicely with all the rain. Little or no effort to getting them. Same deal with the tree seedlings. Their tap roots are coming out much easier with all the rain. If I spot anything else that doesn't belong in an area where I am working, I grab it but the above is what I've been going for.
Buckthorn seedlings
Asian Honeysuckle seedlings and small plants
Norway Maple seedlings
Siberian Elm seedlings
Siberian Dogwood seedlings
White Mulberry seedlings (bumper crop of those this year)
Deadly Night Shade
Poison Ivy (some I leave, depends on where it is growing)
Euonymus fortunei var. radicans (don't know the common name for this)
Canada Thistle
Barberry
Crown Vetch
Cut-Leaf Teasel (nasty)
Sowthistle
The vines are hand pulling out of the ground quite nicely with all the rain. Little or no effort to getting them. Same deal with the tree seedlings. Their tap roots are coming out much easier with all the rain. If I spot anything else that doesn't belong in an area where I am working, I grab it but the above is what I've been going for.
-
opabinia51
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 4659
- Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 5:58 pm
- Location: Victoria, BC
I think I already posted this but, here is my love hate relationship: Morning Glory. So, darn invasive and so hard to control if you aren't there each week to keep up on it. Drives me nuts. But, then again, it provides lots of good stuff for my compost piles, trench composts and sheet composts so, Iike I say: love/hate relationship.
A friend of mine has a huge problem with bindweed. (Shudder) Glad I'm not in his shoes.
Good thread Lorax.
Hey, if anyone knows the links for the invasive lists from their states, this would be a great place to put them.
I know that goldenrod is a big one in most states and provnces in North America. Thow, I do use it to attract beneficial insects to my garden but, I use it responsibly.
Mint is highly invasive. I love the smell and tastes of the various mints but, one client I have has a yard that is infested with it. Which is what will happen if you let it go.
A friend of mine has a huge problem with bindweed. (Shudder) Glad I'm not in his shoes.
Good thread Lorax.
Hey, if anyone knows the links for the invasive lists from their states, this would be a great place to put them.
I know that goldenrod is a big one in most states and provnces in North America. Thow, I do use it to attract beneficial insects to my garden but, I use it responsibly.
Mint is highly invasive. I love the smell and tastes of the various mints but, one client I have has a yard that is infested with it. Which is what will happen if you let it go.
Yes, it is a nice thread. It's not mine though! Toms92gp started it.
Some states don't have invasive lists at all. Not that they don't have noxious weeds and invasive species, they just don't have any lists.
There are lots of different plants going by the common name of Goldenrod. At least 75. Not all are a problem and quite a few are threatened and endangered. This is one of those times where a scientific name can really help sort out what everyone is talking about. The Goldenrod that seems to be the greatest cause for concern would be Solidago canadensis. It's not only the lower 48 and some Canadian provinces having a problem with this plant, Europeans and Asians are having big time problems with it too. This is a direct result of plants repeatedly escaping cultivation.
Same deal with cullinary mints other than that I can't think of a single cullinary mint that is threatened or endangered-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentha
In fact mints are so highly invasive that we can find all kinds of info articles on line instructing us all how to "keep" them from being invasive-
[url=https://www.ehow.com/how_2131496_keep-mint-being-invasive.html?ref=fuel&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art]How to Keep Mint from being Invasive[/url]
The above site is but one of 1,000's out there that discuss how to keep mint from being invasive but if we read these articles carefully, we find that what they're really doing is instructing gardeners on how to stop it from spreading so easily.
The sad reality is that gardeners haven't been able to grow mint responsibly and because its reproduction is both asexual and sexual, mints easily escape cultivation from even the most veteran gardener and have been doing so repeatedly or... they wouldn't be classified as a such highly invasive species.
Although yards infested with mints and goldenrods are great "wake up" calls that these plants can be extremely destructive, most gardeners don't have the opportunity of seeing this same phenomena playing out in natural areas far away from their parent plants. Birds will eat the seeds and will poop them out as they fly over natural areas.
There are many alternatives to Solidago canadensis that can attract insects equally as well if not better although they will vary based on where one gardens. I can't help but put in a plug for Douglas Tallamy's new book, 'Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens'. This book is to those wanting to attract beneficial insects what 'Gaia's Garden' is to home-scale permaculturists.
Some states don't have invasive lists at all. Not that they don't have noxious weeds and invasive species, they just don't have any lists.
There are lots of different plants going by the common name of Goldenrod. At least 75. Not all are a problem and quite a few are threatened and endangered. This is one of those times where a scientific name can really help sort out what everyone is talking about. The Goldenrod that seems to be the greatest cause for concern would be Solidago canadensis. It's not only the lower 48 and some Canadian provinces having a problem with this plant, Europeans and Asians are having big time problems with it too. This is a direct result of plants repeatedly escaping cultivation.
Same deal with cullinary mints other than that I can't think of a single cullinary mint that is threatened or endangered-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentha
In fact mints are so highly invasive that we can find all kinds of info articles on line instructing us all how to "keep" them from being invasive-
[url=https://www.ehow.com/how_2131496_keep-mint-being-invasive.html?ref=fuel&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art]How to Keep Mint from being Invasive[/url]
The above site is but one of 1,000's out there that discuss how to keep mint from being invasive but if we read these articles carefully, we find that what they're really doing is instructing gardeners on how to stop it from spreading so easily.
The sad reality is that gardeners haven't been able to grow mint responsibly and because its reproduction is both asexual and sexual, mints easily escape cultivation from even the most veteran gardener and have been doing so repeatedly or... they wouldn't be classified as a such highly invasive species.
Although yards infested with mints and goldenrods are great "wake up" calls that these plants can be extremely destructive, most gardeners don't have the opportunity of seeing this same phenomena playing out in natural areas far away from their parent plants. Birds will eat the seeds and will poop them out as they fly over natural areas.
There are many alternatives to Solidago canadensis that can attract insects equally as well if not better although they will vary based on where one gardens. I can't help but put in a plug for Douglas Tallamy's new book, 'Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens'. This book is to those wanting to attract beneficial insects what 'Gaia's Garden' is to home-scale permaculturists.
-
opabinia51
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 4659
- Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 5:58 pm
- Location: Victoria, BC
Yes, Solidago Canadensis is the same species that I was talking about. It is quite invasive if you don't keep up on it. However, is it not native to somewhere in North America?
Not to put light on invasive species, they are a huge problem when gardeners use them and don't use them responsibly. Take for instance; broom; two plants planted on Vancouver Island sometime in the early 1900's by a scotsman who was lonely for his homecountry have now covered the entire Island.
Another highly invasive species would be the Jerusalem Artichoke aka Helianthus Tuberosa which is also a native to North America but, very opportunistic
For Washington:
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/unitedstates/wa.shtml
For Oregon:
https://www.oregon.gov/OISC/
https://oregonstate.edu/dept/nurspest/invasive_species.htm
For California:
https://www.cal-ipc.org/ip/management/ipcw/index.php
https://www.cal-ipc.org/
For Idaho:
https://www.biodiversitypartners.org/invasive/factsheets/ID.pdf
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/unitedstates/id.shtml
For Nevada
https://www.biodiversitypartners.org/invasive/factsheets/NV.pdf
For Arizona:
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/unitedstates/az.shtml
For Montana:
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/unitedstates/mt.shtml
North Dakota:
https://www.biodiversitypartners.org/invasive/factsheets/ND.pdf
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/unitedstates/nd.shtml
South Dakota:
https://www.biodiversitypartners.org/invasive/factsheets/SD.pdf
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/unitedstates/sd.shtml
Utah:
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/unitedstates/ut.shtml
Wyoming:
(This is a really neat one) https://plants.usda.gov/java/noxious?rptType=State&statefips=56
https://www.biodiversitypartners.org/invasive/factsheets/WY.pdf
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/unitedstates/wy.shtml
Colorado:
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/resources/lists.shtml
https://www.biodiversitypartners.org/state/co/invasive.shtml
Hmmm, I wished I would have noticed this one earlier:
All 48 contiguous states:
https://www.biodiversitypartners.org/state/co/invasive.shtml
Not to put light on invasive species, they are a huge problem when gardeners use them and don't use them responsibly. Take for instance; broom; two plants planted on Vancouver Island sometime in the early 1900's by a scotsman who was lonely for his homecountry have now covered the entire Island.
Another highly invasive species would be the Jerusalem Artichoke aka Helianthus Tuberosa which is also a native to North America but, very opportunistic
For Washington:
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/unitedstates/wa.shtml
For Oregon:
https://www.oregon.gov/OISC/
https://oregonstate.edu/dept/nurspest/invasive_species.htm
For California:
https://www.cal-ipc.org/ip/management/ipcw/index.php
https://www.cal-ipc.org/
For Idaho:
https://www.biodiversitypartners.org/invasive/factsheets/ID.pdf
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/unitedstates/id.shtml
For Nevada
https://www.biodiversitypartners.org/invasive/factsheets/NV.pdf
For Arizona:
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/unitedstates/az.shtml
For Montana:
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/unitedstates/mt.shtml
North Dakota:
https://www.biodiversitypartners.org/invasive/factsheets/ND.pdf
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/unitedstates/nd.shtml
South Dakota:
https://www.biodiversitypartners.org/invasive/factsheets/SD.pdf
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/unitedstates/sd.shtml
Utah:
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/unitedstates/ut.shtml
Wyoming:
(This is a really neat one) https://plants.usda.gov/java/noxious?rptType=State&statefips=56
https://www.biodiversitypartners.org/invasive/factsheets/WY.pdf
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/unitedstates/wy.shtml
Colorado:
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/resources/lists.shtml
https://www.biodiversitypartners.org/state/co/invasive.shtml
Hmmm, I wished I would have noticed this one earlier:
All 48 contiguous states:
https://www.biodiversitypartners.org/state/co/invasive.shtml
I know this is not exactly a weed but the worst for me is suckering bird cherries.
They are coming up in my lawn all over the place. There are two growing alongside my boundary fence on common land. They are very pretty and the birds love the cherries and I love watching the birds enjoying the cherries but I do not want a forest of them in my garden! They must be quite shallow rooted and coming my way because I look after my lawn which means there is more moisture this side of the fence. At some point the roots have lifted the lawn enough for me to have scalped a bit off and now they are growing! How on earth do I deal with this?
I have noticed more of them lately as I have left my lawn to grow longer allowing the clover (not a weed in my book) to flower for the bees. (I know they love it and it is my little offering to help them increase in number seeing as I use no chemicals in my garden at all.)
This has meant that the suckers from the cherries are really visible and there must be at least 50 in the grass nearest the fence.
Any ideas anyone?
They are coming up in my lawn all over the place. There are two growing alongside my boundary fence on common land. They are very pretty and the birds love the cherries and I love watching the birds enjoying the cherries but I do not want a forest of them in my garden! They must be quite shallow rooted and coming my way because I look after my lawn which means there is more moisture this side of the fence. At some point the roots have lifted the lawn enough for me to have scalped a bit off and now they are growing! How on earth do I deal with this?
I have noticed more of them lately as I have left my lawn to grow longer allowing the clover (not a weed in my book) to flower for the bees. (I know they love it and it is my little offering to help them increase in number seeing as I use no chemicals in my garden at all.)
This has meant that the suckers from the cherries are really visible and there must be at least 50 in the grass nearest the fence.
Any ideas anyone?
-
MaineDesigner
- Green Thumb
- Posts: 439
- Joined: Thu Nov 09, 2006 11:17 am
- Location: Midcoast Maine, Zone 5b
Worst weed is very situational. I would have a hard time limiting myself to one offender. Big problems here in Maine include:
Rosa muliflora
Celastrus orbiculatus Oriental bittersweet
Berberis spp. Barberry
a long list of grasses
Rumex acetosella Red sorrel/Sheep sorrel
Glechoma hederacea Ground ivy/Creeping Charlie
Solidago canadensis Canadian goldenrod
Vicia spp. Vetches
but I also see issues with field horsetail, thistles, hawkweed, honeysuckles and their close relative snowberry, Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), Polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese knotweed - known locally as "bamboo"), brambles, Oxalis stricta (Wood sorrel), nettles, etc. Ajuga is also is sometimes a nasty weed.
Rosa muliflora
Celastrus orbiculatus Oriental bittersweet
Berberis spp. Barberry
a long list of grasses
Rumex acetosella Red sorrel/Sheep sorrel
Glechoma hederacea Ground ivy/Creeping Charlie
Solidago canadensis Canadian goldenrod
Vicia spp. Vetches
but I also see issues with field horsetail, thistles, hawkweed, honeysuckles and their close relative snowberry, Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), Polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese knotweed - known locally as "bamboo"), brambles, Oxalis stricta (Wood sorrel), nettles, etc. Ajuga is also is sometimes a nasty weed.
-
NewjerseyTea
- Senior Member
- Posts: 143
- Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2008 10:14 am
- Location: Piedmont Area, Northern NJ