Botanical Name

Rumex crispus, Rumex acetosella, Rumex obtusifolius

DESCRIBE YOURSELF

As you can see from my names, I cover a range of weeds that are variously known as Dock, Sheep Sorrel, broad leaf Dock and Curly Dock. As the name suggests I am related to sorrel and I am edible. I have a deep taproot, which keeps me well grounded. My leaves are edible, but if you want to eat me, its best to pick my leaves when they’re young. Older leaves can be eaten lightly steamed as a spinach alternative.

WHAT I’M TELLING YOU

As a weed, I am great in taking advantage of the poor condition of your soil. I like to grow in soils that are acidic with a pH below 6.5. And I really love soils that are deficient in phosphorous and calcium, although my broadleaf variety can be telling you that your soils are high in nutrients. I have a really deep tap root, which makes it hard to dig me out of your lawn. This makes Dock, Curly Dock and Sheep’s sorrel a much despised weed, despite the good I am doing for your soil and the good I can do in your diet. I have tiny yellow coloured flowers and set lots of seeds from each flower, which I happily disperse throughout your lawn.

BENEFITS

I am a beneficial weed, as I am highly nutritious. I have good levels of vitamin A, C and E as well as protein and iron. And I’m high in anti-oxidants, so I’m good for your health. My deep root may annoy you, but I’m actually working on breaking up the compaction in your soil.

CONTROLLING DOCK

I am best controlled by listening to what I’m telling you about your soil condition! I love growing in soils that are acidic and that are deficient in calcium and phosphorous, Try adding dolomite or lime to increase the pH of the soil and I won’t be so happy. Otherwise try hand weeding. Just make sure you do this after it has rained, otherwise my deep root will be difficult to dig out. Another method is to use a sharp knife and cut my leaves from my root. This allows the roots to keep working on your impacted soil. However, you are better off harvesting my leaves and adding them to your diet. If you pick my leaves often enough you’ll weaken me so I’ll leave you alone

I can also be controlled by using a biodynamic pepper ( see Biodynamic Peppers) However, weed peppers work best when combined with a weed tea. Weed teas take the nutrients I have accumulated in my leaves and feed them back to the soil.

If you must spray, use an organic weed killer comprised of vinegar, salt and soap. Other ways of controlling me include using organic herbicides like Slasher and Iron Sulphate which is good for broadleaf weeds. I can also be boiled alive by pouring boiling water on my leaves.

The post Dock appeared first on Delectable Garden.

Botanical Name

Sphagneticola trilobata

DESCRIBE YOURSELF

I am an attractive plant with dark green leaves and bright yellow flowers. I was introduced as a garden plant, but escaped and I’m now a huge environmental weed. And I thrive in all types of soil, which is why gardeners initially loved me! I and am difficult to get rid of because of this fact. Once established, I produce a thick mat of leaves that smothers any plants in my way. And I regularly produce roots at the stem joints as well as having small underground tubers that support me in times of drought. I love drinking any weed killers that you spray on me.

WHAT I’M TELLING YOU

I am an introduced pest that will thrive in most soils, so I’m not telling you how your soils need to be fixed. Some excellent results have been achieved by growing plants like pumpkins which remove my access to sunlight and therefore starve me. You might want to try this and I might go away!

CONTROL OF SINGAPORE DAISY

I can be well controlled by hand weeding. Just make sure you remove ALL of me as I will reproduce from any stem, leaf or root that remains. I can also be controlled by lifting up some of my “mat” and folding it.back on myself. This helps starve me of sunlight.

I can also be controlled by using a biodynamic pepper ( see Biodynamic Peppers) However, weed peppers work best when combined with a weed tea. Weed teas take the nutrients I have accumulated in my leaves and feed them back to the soil.

I do respond to being sprayed repeatedly with organic weed killer comprised of vinegar, salt and soap, but this needs care as I may be smothering a plant that you want to keep!

The post Singapore Daisy appeared first on Delectable Garden.

Botanical Name

Silver leaf Desmodium

DESCRIBE YOURSELF

I am known as Velcro weed because my seeds stick to your clothes like velcro and are hard to remove, I am a long-lived creeping weed with mauve flowers. And I regularly produce roots at the stem joints. I love drinking any weed killers that you spray on me.

WHAT I’M TELLING YOU

As a weed, I am great in taking advantage of the poor condition of your soil. I like to grow in soils that are high in nitrogen but deficient in calcium and phosphorus. And I really love soils that are constantly moist! I can also be telling you that your soils are high in potassium, boron and iron but low in organic matter. So, add more compost and humus and I might go away!

CONTROL OF VELCRO WEED

I am best controlled by listening to what I’m telling you about your soil condition! And I can be well controlled by hand weeding. Just make sure you remove ALL of me as I will reproduce from any stem, leaf or root that remains. As I like to grow in moist.soils that are high in nitrogen, but deficient in calcium and phosphorus, you can change the soil by adding more humates. Try adding lots of compost! You can also buy liquid humates to add to your soil. Otherwise try hand weeding. Just make sure you do this before I flower and set seed.

I can also be controlled by using a biodynamic pepper ( see Biodynamic Peppers) However, weed peppers work best when combined with a weed tea. Weed teas take the nutrients I have accumulated in my leaves and feed them back to the soil.

I do respond to being sprayed with organic weed killer comprised of vinegar, salt and soap, but this needs care as I may be smothering a plant that you want to keep!

The post Velcro Weed appeared first on Delectable Garden.

Botanical Name

Indigofera spicata

DESCRIBE YOURSELF

I am a short-lived perennial plant. My leaves can go a sort of pinky purple during summer, hence my name. I set a lot of seeds when I flower and my seed heads look a bit like an arrowhead. And I have a really deep tap root, which makes it hard to dig me out of your lawn. All of this makes Creeping Indigo a much despised weed, despite the good I am doing for your soil. I have pinkish red coloured flowers and set lots of seeds from each flower. These seeds develop into prickles so make walking on your lawn unpleasant.

WHAT I’M TELLING YOU

As a weed, I am great in taking advantage of the poor condition of your soil. I like to grow in soils that are dry and alkaline. And I really love soils that are deficient in nutrients including nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus.

BENEFITS

My deep roots may annoy you, but I’m actually working on breaking up the compaction in your soil.

CONTROL OF CREEPING INDIGO

I am best controlled by listening to what I’m telling you about your soil condition! I love growing in soils that are low in nitrogen, calcium and phosphorous, which can be helped by adding organic matter. Otherwise try hand weeding. Just make sure you do this after it has rained, otherwise my deep root will be difficult to dig out. Another method is to use a sharp knife and cut my leaves from my root. This allows the roots to keep working on your impacted soil. Add the leaves, minus seeds to your compost heap.

I can also be controlled by using a biodynamic pepper ( see Biodynamic Peppers) However, weed peppers work best when combined with a weed tea. Weed teas take the nutrients I have accumulated in my leaves and feed them back to the soil.

If you must spray, use an organic weed killer comprised of vinegar, salt and soap. Other ways of controlling me include using organic herbicides like Slasher. I can also be boiled alive by pouring boiling water on my leaves. All these actions should be taken before I flower and set seed!

The post Creeping Indigo appeared first on Delectable Garden.

Botanical Name

Hypochoeris radicata

DESCRIBE YOURSELF

Most people confuse me with the true Dandelion! I also have a seed head that you can blow, but its not as big as the true dandelion. As the main imitator of the Dandelion, I am also a broad leaf flatweed. I can grow a dense centre that smothers any plants around me. I also have a deep taproot which keeps me well grounded. My leaves are thicker and hairier than Dandelion leaves but they are still edible. If you want to eat me, pick my leaves when they’re young. Older leaves can be eaten lightly steamed as a spinach alternative.

WHAT I’M TELLING YOU

As a weed, I am great in taking advantage of the poor condition of your soil. I like to grow in soils that are acidic with a pH below 6.5. And I really love soils that are deficient in phosphorous, potassium, calcium and iron. I have a really deep tap root, which makes it hard to dig me out of your lawn. This makes Cats Ears or False Dandelion a much despised weed, despite the good I am doing for your soil and the good I can do in your diet. I have yellow coloured flowers and set lots of seeds from each flower, which I happily disperse throughout your lawn.

BENEFITS

I am a beneficial weed, particularly in pastures as sheep and cows love to eat me and I am highly nutritious. I have good levels of vitamin A, C and E as well as the B vitamins. And I’m high in anti-oxidants so I’m good for your health. My deep root may annoy you, but I’m actually working on breaking up the compaction in your soil.

CONTROLLING CATS EARS

I am best controlled by listening to what I’m telling you about your soil condition! I love growing in soils that are acidic and that are deficient in potassium, calcium, iron and phosphorous, Try adding dolomite or lime to increase the pH of the soil and I won’t be happy. Otherwise try hand weeding. Just make sure you do this after it has rained, otherwise my deep root will be difficult to dig out. Another method is to use a sharp knife and cut my leaves from my root. This allows the roots to keep working on your impacted soil. Add the leaves, minus flower-heads to your compost heap.

I can also be controlled by using a biodynamic pepper ( see Biodynamic Peppers) However, weed peppers work best when combined with a weed tea. Weed teas take the nutrients I have accumulated in my leaves and feed them back to the soil.

If you must spray, use an organic weed killer comprised of vinegar, salt and soap. Other ways of controlling me include using organic herbicides like Slasher and Iron Sulphate which is good for broadleaf weeds. I can also be boiled alive by pouring boiling water on my leaves.

The post Cats Ears appeared first on Delectable Garden.

Botanical Name

Medicago Hispida Syn M. polymorpha 

DESCRIBE YOURSELF

I am an annual plant of the legume family. This means I am great at fixing nitrogen in your soil. And I have a really deep tap root, which makes it hard to dig me out of your lawn. All of this makes Burr Medic a much despised weed, despite the good I am doing for your soil. I have yellow coloured flowers and set lots of seeds from each flower. These seeds develop into prickles so make walking on your lawn unpleasant.

WHAT I’M TELLING YOU

As a weed, I am great in taking advantage of the poor condition of your soil. I like to grow in soils that are dry and alkaline. And I really love soils that are deficient in nutrients including nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus.

BENEFITS OF BURR MEDIC

My deep roots may annoy you, but I’m actually working on breaking up the compaction in your soil.

CONTROLLING BURR MEDIC

I am best controlled by listening to what I’m telling you about your soil condition! I love growing in soils that are low in nitrogen, calcium and phosphorous, which can be helped by adding organic matter. Otherwise try hand weeding. Just make sure you do this after it has rained, otherwise my deep root will be difficult to dig out. Another method is to use a sharp knife and cut my leaves from my root. This allows the roots to keep working on your impacted soil. Add the leaves, minus seeds to your compost heap.

I can also be controlled by using a biodynamic pepper ( see Biodynamic Peppers) However, weed peppers work best when combined with a weed tea. Weed teas take the nutrients I have accumulated in my leaves and feed them back to the soil.

If you must spray, use an organic weed killer comprised of vinegar, salt and soap. Other ways of controlling me include using organic herbicides like Slasher. I can also be boiled alive by pouring boiling water on my leaves. All these actions should be taken before I flower and set seed!

The post Burr Medic or Burr Clover appeared first on Delectable Garden.

Botanical Name

Bindii weed’s botanical name is Soliva sessilis

DESCRIBE YOURSELF

I originally come from South America so I am an exotic pest! I am bright lime green in colour and I produce prickles or burrs each spring. These prickles contain seeds that develop into next year’s crop of bindii weed. I am a creeping plant forming quite a flat groundcover that makes me easy to remove by hand. Just make sure you dig out my roots, and do this before I set seed. Many novice gardeners try and kill me using herbicides, which are generally applied after I have set seed. This is when you become aware of my presence, as I make walking on the grass unpleasant.

WHAT I’M TELLING YOU

As a weed, I am great in taking advantage of the poor condition of your soil. I like to grow in dry.soils that are nutrient deficient. I really love soils that are slightly acidic (ie pH of 6) so try adding Dolomite or lime to the soil and I will find it much less favourable to grow here! As I love growing in your lawn, increasing the pH will give the lawn a much more competitive advantage over me!

CONTROL OF BINDII WEED

I am best controlled by listening to what I’m telling you about your soil condition! I like to grow in dry.soils that are nutrient deficient. What I really love are soils that are slightly acidic (ie pH of 6). Adjust the pH by adding lime or dolomite. Otherwise try hand weeding. Just make sure you do this before I set seed.

I can also be controlled by using a biodynamic pepper ( see Biodynamic Peppers) However, weed peppers work best when combined with a weed tea. Weed teas take the nutrients I have accumulated in my leaves and feed them back to the soil.

If you must spray, use an organic weed killer comprised of vinegar, salt and soap. Other ways of controlling me include using organic herbicides like Slasher. I can also be boiled alive by pouring boiling water on my leaves. All these actions should be taken in winter before I flower and set seed!

If I have set seed, my seeds need to be destroyed otherwise I will grow into a new crop next spring. Poisons and weedkiller will NOT destroy my seeds. An effective way of removing my seeds is to walk over your lawn wearing rubber thongs. My seeds will stick to the thongs and can then be scraped off. Do not compost my seeds! Rather drown them in a bucket of water for at least 3 weeks. I can then be added to the compost heap.

See also my blog on Bindii Weeds on the rise!

The post Bindi weed appeared first on Delectable Garden.

Botanical Name

Solanum nigrum

DESCRIBE YOURSELF

I am tall with dark green leaves. As a nightshade I have small white flowers and black or blue berries, which contain the seeds for next year’s crop of weeds. I have a strong root system which can make me hard to remove by hand. Just make sure you dig out my roots and try and do this before I set seed. I am related to potatoes and other members of the nightshade family, but my berries can make you very sick if you eat them before they are ripe. However, my berries create a lovely snack once they are ripe. Just be careful not to confuse them with deadly nightshade! This is easy in Australia as we don’t have deadly nightshade growing here.

WHAT I’M TELLING YOU

As a weed, I am great in taking advantage of the poor condition of your soil. I like to grow in soils that are high in nitrogen but deficient in calcium and phosphorus. And I really love soils that are constantly moist! I can also be telling you that your soils are high in potassium, boron and iron but low in organic matter.

CONTROL OF BLACKBERRY NIGHTSHADE

I am best controlled by listening to what I’m telling you about your soil condition! I like to grow in moist.soils that are high in nitrogen, but deficient in calcium and phosphorus. What I really love are soils that are low in humates. This means you haven’t been adding enough organic matter to your soils. Try adding lots of compost! You can also buy liquid humates to add to your soil. Otherwise try hand weeding. Just make sure you do this before I set seed.

I can also be controlled by using a biodynamic pepper ( see Biodynamic Peppers) However, weed peppers work best when combined with a weed tea. Weed teas take the nutrients I have accumulated in my leaves and feed them back to the soil.

If you must spray, use an organic weed killer comprised of vinegar, salt and soap. Other ways of controlling me include using organic herbicides like Slasher or Iron Sulphate which kills broad-leaf weeds. I can also be boiled alive by pouring boiling water on my leaves. All these actions should be taken before I flower and set seed!

The post Blackberry Nightshade appeared first on Delectable Garden.

Botanical Name

Cyperus rotundus

DESCRIBE YOURSELF

I am called Nutgrass as I am tall grass-like plant with a deep-rooted nut. However, I am not actually a grass but a sedge. I have triangular leaves instead of flat blades like grasses do.

As a weed, I spread mainly through underground runners, which connect a network of nuts. However, I also flower and disperse seeds through wind dispersion and by sticking to clothes or animal fur. I can be very difficult to eradicate. If you just pull me up by my leaves, I release the leaves, but leave the underground nut. Unless you also dig out this nut, I will replace those leaves and grow stronger in the process.

WHAT I’M TELLING YOU

As a weed, I am great in taking advantage of the poor condition of your soil. I grow best in acidic, compacted.soils that are deficient in calcium. And, as a Sedge, I really love soils that are constantly moist! Correct your soils and I will no longer be a problem.

BENEFITS

My deep root may annoy you, and I can’t claim to being a beneficial weed, however my nuts are actually highly nutritious. I have good levels of protein and iron. And I’m high in anti-oxidants! If you can be bothered digging up my nuts, you can roast them. They taste a bit like hazelnuts.

CONTROLLING NUTGRASS

I am best controlled by listening to what I’m telling you about your soil condition! I like to grow in compacted.soils that are deficient in calcium. What I really love are soils that are acidic (ie pH of 5 to 6.5). Adjust the pH by adding lime or dolomite.

Otherwise try hand weeding. Just make sure you dig deep enough to remove all my underground nuts, as I can reproduce from any corm left behind. This can be a difficult job as the nuts can be 20cm or more below the surface. I am very good at releasing my leaves to trick you into believing you have killed me, but return even stronger.

I can also be controlled by using a biodynamic pepper ( see Biodynamic Peppers) However, weed peppers work best when combined with a weed tea. Weed teas take the nutrients I have accumulated in my leaves and feed them back to the soil.

I do not respond to being sprayed with any weed killers.

The post Nutgrass appeared first on Delectable Garden.

Botanical Name

Taraxacum Officinale

DESCRIBE YOURSELF

Everyone knows me from childhood when they blew my dandelion seed heads to make a wish! Although as a gardener you wish I wasn’t in your garden! I am the original broad leaf flatweed, although I have several imitators. I can grow a dense centre that smothers any plants around me. My bright yellow daisy-like flowers turn into a puffball of seeds, and kids love blowing me, helping to disperse my seeds far and wide. I also have a deep taproot which keeps me well grounded. My young leaves can be eaten fresh in salads or lightly steamed as a spinach alternative.

WHAT I’M TELLING YOU

As a weed, I am great in taking advantage of the poor condition of your soil. I like to grow in soils that are acidic with a pH below 6.5. And I really love soils that are deficient in phosphorous, potassium, calcium and iron. I have a really deep tap root, which makes it hard to dig me out of your lawn. This makes Dandelion a much despised weed, despite the good I am doing for your soil and the good I can do in your diet. I have yellow coloured flowers and set lots of seeds from each flower, which I happily disperse throughout your lawn.

BENEFITS

I am a medicinal plant and should really be considered a herb. I have high levels of vitamin A, C and E as well as the B vitamins. And I’m high in anti-oxidants so I’m good for your health. My deep root may annoy you, but I’m actually working on breaking up the compaction in your soil.

CONTROLLING DANDELION

I am best controlled by listening to what I’m telling you about your soil condition! I love growing in soils that are acidic and that are deficient in potassium, calcium, iron and phosphorous, Try adding dolomite or lime to increase the pH of the soil and I won’t be happy. Otherwise try hand weeding. Just make sure you do this after it has rained, otherwise my deep root will be difficult to dig out. Another method is to use a sharp knife and cut my leaves from my root. This allows the roots to keep working on your impacted soil. Add the leaves, minus flower-heads to your compost heap.

I can also be controlled by using a biodynamic pepper ( see Biodynamic Peppers) However, weed peppers work best when combined with a weed tea. Weed teas take the nutrients I have accumulated in my leaves and feed them back to the soil.

If you must spray, use an organic weed killer comprised of vinegar, salt and soap. Other ways of controlling me include using organic herbicides like Slasher and Iron Sulphate which is good for broadleaf weeds. I can also be boiled alive by pouring boiling water on my leaves. However, you are better off picking my leaves for your salad and, if you pick often enough, you’ll starve me!

The post Dandelion appeared first on Delectable Garden.