Early Weeds - Part 3
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- Howie
- Marge_Talt
- mikey703
- Marge_Talt
- mikey703
- Marge_Talt
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» Howie - Speedwell
<img src="http://www.suite101.com/files/topics/319/files/BlueEntoloma3a.jpg" width="100" height="130" alt="Blue Entoloma, Photographed by Lake Matheson, New Zealand, 3,255 bytes" align="left">Thanks for your article.
I have been pulling the stuff out of my garden and lawn for years but never knew that this insidious weed had seed pods running down the stem even when the first flowers were just visible on top. I had not realized that leaving them in place was merely aiding their propagation. Every year they prospered. I guess I had better remove them and the seeds to some far off place.
-- posted by Howie
» Marge_Talt - Speedwell
Hi Howie,You're most welcome - glad you found it useful. To tell the truth, I didn't realize they formed so many seeds and so early until I really examined them closely for the article. They are so durn tiny, it practically takes a microscope to see what the insidious little rascals are up to.
Yep, leaving them lie after pulling just lets them mature that seed and drop it to return the next year. This is true with so many weeds - Poa annua really comes to mind in this case. That dratted plant seems to set mature seed immediately and when its so tiny you can barely get your fingers around it.
-- posted by Marge_Talt
» mikey703 - This has got to be a common weed, I just can't find it!
I've tried taking it into a nursery, but the people I've talked to don't recognize it.It sends up green stalks from 1" to 6" high, with a pod of tiny seeds at the top. When the seed pods mature, just touching the pod launches tiny round seeds everywhere. The stronger the plants, the more stalks.
The leaves stay flat to the ground and they're almost round. They're tiny leaves, too: 1/8-1/4". They also have tiny white flowers.
The weed appears in early spring and like the shade. They disappear when it gets warm (80's: I'm in northern Virginia).
Does anyone have any idea what this is? It's taking over my lawn and nobody's got an idea what it is.
-- posted by mikey703
» Marge_Talt - Re: This has got to be a common weed, I just can't find it!
In response to message posted by mikey703:Hi mikey703, Welcome to Gardening in Shade!.
Well, I'm surprised your nurseries can't ID that one as it is a real pest in nurseries and is acquired by those fortunate enough not to have it already as a freebie in nursery pots.
I am about 100% certain what you have there is Bitter Cress, Cardamine hirsuta or C. Pensylvanica, It is one of Three Winners of the ‘Most Hated Weed’ Award (where I describe it, but written b.s. [before scanner]) and I have some scans of it in my article, Spring - Beauty and Beast - Part 2 - Beast - scroll down to find them.
It's flowering now, drat it, and so hard to keep in check, as you need to either mow it or pull it right now and there are so many other spring chores screaming to get done.
It's a cool season weed and if you look next fall, you'll even see it germinating around. Those little rosettes of leaves will winter over...and, of course, more seeds will sprout in very early spring to join them.
-- posted by Marge_Talt
» Marge_Talt - Re: This has got to be a common weed, I just can't find
In response to message posted by mikey703:You're most welcome. Happy pulling! A friend told me about a nursery where the rule is "if you see it pull it immediately"...no matter what the person is doing; in the middle of writing up a sale ticket or what! Best of luck!
-- posted by Marge_Talt
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