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monjolijardin

In need of a weed identification...

monjolijardin
14 years ago

Hello,

Does anybody what is the weed represented by the picture below?

I am spending about one hour a week pulling out new shoots. Yet they keep coming back. Should I use RoundUp instead?

Comments (15)

  • Kimmsr
    14 years ago

    My experience with any of the glyphosate products is that the "weeds" sprayed with it grow back in about 6 to 8 weeks. That looks like a member of the Chrysanthimum family and if it keeps coming back after you pull the roots out you probably are not getting all of the root. If a good heavy mulch, or newspaper laid down over that area and covered with some mulch material does not stop new growth you may need to dig more to find the roots, all of them.

  • monjolijardin
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    I have never been able to get to the roots of the plants. It's almost as if it was an underground vine that sends out shoots all over the place.

  • Beeone
    14 years ago

    If it is a perennial, it can take several applications of Round-up each time the new growth appears before you get all the roots.

    But, find out what it is first if you can. It might be an annual weed and you just have a very large seedstock in the soil, which will take time to eliminate by hand weeding, mulching, or Round-up. A pre-emergent herbicide (like Preen) could reduce your applications to once a season if it is from seed, but you need to identify it is to find what what method or pesticide will be most effective.

    Try taking one or two of the plants to your county extension agent or local weed and pest district office for ID.

    I agree it looks like a mum leaf.

  • Kimmsr
    14 years ago

    I have never found any of the glyphosate products to work as advertised and they are very expensive. Every "weed" sprayed with the proper mixture of one of the glyphosate products has grown back in about 6 to 8 weeks and needed more. I'd not spend my money on them.

  • monjolijardin
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Today (as suggested by 'beeone' [thanks for the tip]), I dropped a plant sample at my county extension agent.

    I should have a written answer from them within the next couple weeks. I'll post the results at that time as they might be helpful to someone else.

  • hortster
    14 years ago

    I'd gamble on common ragweed...
    hortster

    Here is a link that might be useful:

  • maifleur01
    14 years ago

    Most of the ragweeds do not have the dark stem.

    Although it is not, my original thought was one of the heirloom tomatoes.

  • hortster
    14 years ago

    My first thought was one of the wormwoods, but it does have a resemblence to ragweed. It will be interesting to see what the agent says.
    hortster

  • jean001
    14 years ago

    Roundup works well if applied at the correct stage of growth. One must ID the plant to determine when the timing is correct. Many times it's just as the plant begins to bloom.

  • Kimmsr
    14 years ago

    Research at Iowa State University, and other places, indicates that not only are many "weeds" developing immunities to the glyphosate products but that to control even "weeds" that do not more and more of these products are needed every year. USDA numbers tell you that to control "weeds" on the same amount of land much more glyuphosate is needed today then 10 years ago, because the "weeds" are regrowing because the poison does not work.

  • monjolijardin
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    On Saturday, I got an answer from my county extension agent. Even though they are not 100% certain of their response without the presence of flowers, they believe that it is, as suggested by hortster, Ambrosia artemisiifalia (or common ragweed).

    Because my garden is small, they suggest simply pulling them out. Somebody else suggested spraying with clove oil. I guess I'll continue pulling them out but I might also try clove oil.

  • maifleur01
    13 years ago

    Sorry but whoever gave you that identification was pulling your leg. I have linked to a USDA weed and invasive plant site. You can click on the picture to see the leaf structure of common ragweed. Even as a seedling common ragweed leaves are hairy. Your picture shows no evidence of hairness on the leaves. Pull the leaf off one of the plants and smell. The suggestions I have are tomato plant, Motherwort which is an artemesia, or mum seedling. You should be able to eliminate by the smell.

    Here is a link that might be useful:

  • nonmember_gw
    13 years ago

    Looks like Ambrosia psilostachya

  • theonlysong
    13 years ago

    ugh! ragweed, is that what that is? I have a ton of that coming up... last year there was a bit and i kept cutting it down because i couldn't pull it out and this year it came back so i just dug up my tulips daffodils and iris and dug a good foot and a half to get out as much of the root as i could hopefully i got it all i'm going to re plant everything if i have to and put a nice thick layer of mulch and hope that takes care of it!

  • beckb
    13 years ago

    I'm so glad that I found this sight. I think that is my problem plant/ weed in that picture. At least it looks an awful lot like it. I hear you on the constant weeding of it and its never ending root system. If it is the same weed my seems like they are very skinny tuber type daisychained roots. Whitish in color. Some of them come up very easily and then others not so much, you can actually here them "snap" in the soil. My main issue with these is that I made the mistake of tilling the soil in the beds not realizing the root system that they had. So basically I just chopped up the roots into smaller pieces which gave it a transplanting effect, I have them everywhere and no matter how much weeding I do they are endless. Has anyone had any luck with alternative ways of getting rid of them. Did the clover oil work??? Any help would be great. I want to try to nip this in the bud before I get too crazy into my planting season. I'm on the East coast.

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