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Is this a weed?

susananwmssusananwms Posts: 213
in Plants
Found this growing in a pot in which I have a geranium and I think a dahlia. 
It looks like cabbage. 
I did not think that weeds had big leaves like this but think it must be a weed.  Should I just pull it out? it does not look very healthy anyway

Posts

  • ShepherdsBarnShepherdsBarn Posts: 401
    It looks, to me, like cauliflower. 🙂
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    Looks like an interloper whatever it is. If a brassica seedling it will have a murky sulphurous smell if you rub the leaves. I can see the dahlia at the back and the geranium/pelargonium just peeking out bottom left.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    Is it near a bird feeder? Looks like the rapeseed I get germinating from my bird food. It gives me a lovely display of yellow blossom in the spring and the leaves keep the cabbage whites away from my brassicas :)
  • susananwmssusananwms Posts: 213
    Thanks for your comments, it is indeed near my birdfeeders.  I know I only planted 2 things in that pot so sure it must be a weed, will pull it up I think, may even put in another pot to see what happens but at the moment it is crowding out the 2 flowers I planted.  Thanks for your help
  • Red mapleRed maple Posts: 1,138
    whatever it is, it will be robbing your geranium and dahlia of nutrients, so will be better removed.
    I’d suggest that you separate out the dahlia and geranium into different pots, too, if you can, as the pot does not look very big (unless the angle of the photo makes it look smaller than it is). Dahlias grow quite large, and are hungry plants. Also I think as it continues to grow, it could smother your geranium.
  • susananwmssusananwms Posts: 213
    Have removed mysterious plant and its roots did resemble the thin roots that I have seen on other weeds so I discarded it. 
    Thanks for your advice red maple, I had to remove a geranium from next to a fuchsia which was smothering it. 
    I still underestimate how big plants grow and have got an overloaded long planter despite removing 3 plants from it.  Am still learning and it will never stop I think
  • Red mapleRed maple Posts: 1,138
    I think we all have things to learn  :). That’s the beauty of this forum - we can learn from and support each other. I agree with you that it can be hard to know how large a plant may grow - I’ve had a good few surprises myself. I think with gardening, there will always be something to learn, no matter how long we’ve been doing it.
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