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dinajean_gw

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

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.

  • 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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