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Need help with plant identification

ch.azher.ukch.azher.uk Posts: 3
in Problem solving
Hi! Can someone please help identify this plant (images attached)? It has grown very quickly at the front of my house. I would like to get rid of it using appropriate way.

Many thanks
Azee

Posts

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    Stinging nettles. get some good strong gloves, cut down the top growth and dig them up. They have bright yellow roots and tend to be fairly shallow , so usually easy to get rid of at that stage.
    Devon.
  • ch.azher.ukch.azher.uk Posts: 3
    Hostafan1 said:
    Stinging nettles. get some good strong gloves, cut down the top growth and dig them up. They have bright yellow roots and tend to be fairly shallow , so usually easy to get rid of at that stage.
    Great. Thanks a lot!
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    on a plus note, they usually indicate good fertile soil. 
    Devon.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited September 2019
    Hi :)

    Those are Stinging Nettles ... a useful plant for wildlife, but probably not what you want in your front garden.  They do sting so keep small children away from them and you should wear gloves and long sleeves when dealing with them.

    They will die back in most winters, and then you can dig them out with a fork ... you'll find they have matted yellowish roots that you can usually remove quite easily with a bit of digging. 

    If some reappear in the spring you can dig them out again, or if you are happy to use glyphosate you can apply it to the new young leaves and leave them to die back, then dig and remove as before.  There's no point in using weedkiller at this time of year as it works best in the spring when the plants are growing strongly.


    In case anyone gets stung there's some ways of easing the rash here https://www.healthline.com/health/stinging-nettle-rash

    As children growing up in he countryside we were always getting stung ... we used the dock leaf treatment described in the second link ... dabbing with vinegar also helped. 







    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • ch.azher.ukch.azher.uk Posts: 3
    Dovefromabove said:
    Hi :)

    Those are Stinging Nettles ... a useful plant for wildlife, but probably not what you want in your front garden.  They do sting so keep small children away from them and you should wear gloves and long sleeves when dealing with them.

    They will die back in most winters, and then you can dig them out with a fork ... you'll find they have matted yellowish roots that you can usually remove quite easily with a bit of digging. 

    If some reappear in the spring you can dig them out again, or if you are happy to use glyphosate you can apply it to the new young leaves and leave them to die back, then dig and remove as before.  There's no point in using weedkiller at this time of year as it works best in the spring when the plants are growing strongly.


    In case anyone gets stung there's some ways of easing the rash here https://www.healthline.com/health/stinging-nettle-rash

    As children growing up in he countryside we were always getting stung ... we used the dock leaf treatment described in the second link ... dabbing with vinegar also helped. 




    Thanks a lot for the detailed response and links. I will probably leave it to die before taking it out. Fortunately, it is on the side of the house where kids don't usually go. But I know what it is like as I touched it bare handed during my own initial investigation :(


  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Jaggy, aren't they?  :D
    They are very useful for food sources for butterflies/moths, but not so handy when you get a bit 'up close and personal' . They can even get you through clothing too, so be careful when taking them out if one catches you unawares  ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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