Author Topic: The top grower in my garden.... identify??? (Read 1881 times)

tinkster · « **on:** January 15, 2007, 07:54:07 AM »

yep,,, its a weed

its everywhere and we are in battle.. since it is mostly confined to the new area I am working on that is just dirt, think I will jsut cover him with black plastic, mulch and throw some rocks around and let it set for a season before planting.. whatever it is it is sure prolific. anybody know? I kind of let it take over this area last year as I thought it was the creeping jenny that livetogarden sent me last year... now I see its nothing like it.

tink

gander · « **Reply #1 on:** January 15, 2007, 11:03:37 AM »

Kind of looks like chickweed when its first gets started.

Joyce · « **Reply #2 on:** January 15, 2007, 11:49:59 AM »

It is definitely NOT chickweed.

I have it in my garden too, and it can bloom and seed in 2 weeks.

It's called Cardamine hirsuta aka Bittercress.
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/nursery-weeds/weedspeciespage/bittercress/bittercress_page.html

pondmary · « **Reply #3 on:** January 15, 2007, 01:55:04 PM »

Joyce is right

Jerry · « **Reply #4 on:** January 15, 2007, 01:56:56 PM »

Yeah, I knew that!

gander · « **Reply #5 on:** January 15, 2007, 05:33:49 PM »

I was first thinking it looked a lot like a radish or wild turnip my book does not list bitterweed/ I have them also but when my chickweed starts it looks a lot like that too. I was going to go out and take a pic of mine but it was covered in ice.

Esther · « **Reply #6 on:** January 15, 2007, 06:06:40 PM »

Have you been at my house? I have it too. It must be pretty prolific.

tinkster · « **Reply #7 on:** January 15, 2007, 06:34:21 PM »

Thanks!

On the web it says its in the mustard family and eatible. At the rate its growing I might not have to buy produce for years to come.

tinkster

Joyce · « **Reply #8 on:** January 15, 2007, 06:54:15 PM »

Cardamine hirsuta is very prolific.
A seedling in less than 2 weeks can flower,
have seedpods and spray seeds in every direction.
And it does not resemble chickweed at all.
Even as a seedling, it starts out with heart shaped leaves,

not pointed ovate leaves like chickweed. (Stellaria media)

Cardamine hirsuta has ferny, almost lacy, frond-like divided leaves.

Not single opposing pointed ovate leaves like chickweed.

No way to confuse the two...except that they both have green leaves and white flowers.
Cool website to ID weeds.
http://www.theseedsite.co.uk/weeds2.html

tinkster · « **Reply #9 on:** January 15, 2007, 07:19:14 PM »

esther.. I bet it came in the nice stuffie you gave me.... or livetogarden or someone.. I am sure KY would never have such a weed invading its tobacco fields

Yes it sure is prolific joyce.. the fact I let it grow last year cause I thought it was jenny didnt help either. Glad I dont have it mixed in other stuff yet. gonna get it covered very quickly with the plastic.

tink

Monica · « **Reply #10 on:** January 16, 2007, 01:16:26 PM »

I have that stuff too. It can get pretty big and it is hard to pull out sometimes.

Esther · « **Reply #11 on:** January 16, 2007, 06:31:59 PM »

Mine is in the rock garden in the back along with that other awful stuff with the yellow flowers. It picks up where the yellow flowers leave off.

The Ajuga you have is from the pots in the front yard. They don't have any weeds. In fact nothing much seems to grow up between the spreading Ajuga. Grass blades hardly grow there. In fact Ajuga if given the right conditions seems almost invasive. Mine loves the shadyish areas along the pond. It grew right onto the rocks and sent it's roots down into the water.

Hey, isn't tobacco a weed?

SheilaJ · « **Reply #12 on:** January 16, 2007, 08:34:43 PM »

So why does my ajuga always die? Everyone says it's rampant, bordering on invasive.

LeeAnne151 · « **Reply #13 on:** January 17, 2007, 05:07:45 PM »

Ajuga dies for me too.

I have that same weed here. I hate it. When it sets seeds they fling all over when you touch it. I try to get it out before it seeds but am never totally successful.

tinkster · « **Reply #14 on:** January 17, 2007, 05:53:57 PM »

LOL Esther. I was just kidding with ya. I think most of KY plants are weeds and that on in particular grows here everywhere... I dont know if tobacco is a weed or not, tobacco crops are pretty susceptible to lots of things so if it is, its not that prolific.

The ajuga Esther sent me is doing wonderful.. Sure hope I dont lose it. I think its going to be a very valuable ground cover for me since I have so much room to cover and such bad dirt. it seems to love it.

tinkster

Esther · « **Reply #15 on:** January 17, 2007, 07:48:22 PM »

Well if the Ajuga in the four big pots survive the winter, I'll have a whole bunch more for you. I didn't know what to do with the excess when I did the extension to the pond this summer. So I potted it up and set the pots around the extension. They all had grown so much it was touching the ground by the end of summer. Now the pots are sitting on the front porch steps. So the other day Smokey barks to go out and it's real cold. So he lifts his leg to pee on one of the pots and I yell at him not to do that. So I don't know how much pee actually went in the pot or maybe just on the stuff hanging down the side. I don't know if the plants in the pot will survive the winter anyway.

tinkster · « **Reply #16 on:** January 17, 2007, 08:33:01 PM »

That would be great.. I would love to have anything people have excess off

I am a beggar at this point especially for ground covers

tinkster