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Weed or seedling identity question
Hello, can anyone tell me what this is? It's literally appearing suddenly and rapidly everywhere in the garden, and has lodged itself into every gap in the flowerbed and rockery and even in between the paving.
Apologies if some of these photos are upside down. I am working off a tablet and at the moment they look as if they are going to post upsidedown!
Also is there a quick way to remove it, or do I literally have to dig every individual one out?
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Plantain. Plantago major. The roots are not that deep, lever them out.
It's a weed wakeshine. A "plantain".
As you have some growing in paving cracks I would use a glyphosate spray to kill them, digging the root out of the gaps would be too difficult. I do this on my driveway.
Just take care not to get any on your other plants.
Great Plantain, Plantago major. the first thing to do is to stop it seeding again.
In the sticks near Peterborough
Thanks all, this made me laugh because in some countries bananas are called Plantain lol. Nutcutlet, how do I stop it seeding again? None of them have flowered yet I don't think - is that what you mean?
How do you stay on top of these weeds? I know this one doesn't root very deep, but still I have to take it out. I was going to lay mini bark all over the flower beds but I wanted to wait til after summer as I haven't finished planting and am still waiting for bulbs to sprout etc. Any advice?
Oh I just looked this up and it says this plant is good for soil regeneration. My soil is very clay and compacted - could it be a good idea to leave this plantain in order for the roots to break it all up? I was going to get clay breaker in Autumn but will thus do it instead? Also where has is it come from? Do these things pop up from seeds in the previous year?
On your knees Wakeshine, weeding with your hands and a small hand fork - every week through the growing season!
One year's seeds make seven years' weeds .......... that's gardening
And yours have flowered ... third picture down - the spike with knobbly bits, that's the flowers turning into seeds.
Last edited: 21 July 2016 21:19:53
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
there are millions of weed seeds in the ground just waiting for the opportunity to germinate.
This is a common one in lawns (with the other species of plantain) it won't do any harm as long as you don't let it seed. Flower to seed to new plant in a weed is very a very short time. I don't really think it would do much to alter your soil
In the sticks near Peterborough
Thank you nutcutlet