Tomatoville® Gardening Forums


Notices

Member discussion regarding the methods, varieties and merits of growing tomatoes.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old March 25, 2012   #1
marc_groleau
Tomatovillian™
 
marc_groleau's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Rhode Island
Posts: 444
Default Can you Identify This Purple Weed (ground cover)

There particular weed dominates my garden annually. It seemed to come about after one particular season when I picked up a load of cow manure. I keep it under control throughout the growing season but once the garden has breathed it's last, this weed takes over. It is the last to die back and the first to emerge. I till it under every spring. It flowers extremely early. It is in full bloom right now. It doesn't seem to hurt the fertility of my soil. In fact, i think it may be a benificial ground cover only because my soil is always rich and I plant the same plants in the same place each year and they always thrive. Of course I amend the soil each season. Can you identify from the photos?



Last edited by marc_groleau; March 25, 2012 at 07:43 PM.
marc_groleau is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 25, 2012   #2
hank
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: winchester va usa
Posts: 106
Default

Looks like henbit to me. Hank
hank is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 25, 2012   #3
marc_groleau
Tomatovillian™
 
marc_groleau's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Rhode Island
Posts: 444
Default

Wow! I think you are absolutely right. When I saw your post I Googled Henbit and found some photos. That's what it is. Would this be considered a benificial ground cover or should I do more to control it during the off- season?

this is what I've found based on your information:

Dead Nettle and Henbit (Lamium )
Plant Type: This is a non-native herbaceous plant, it is a annual which can reach 30cm in height (12inches).
Leaves: The leaf arrangement is opposite. Each leaf is toothed or lobed.
Flowers: The flowers are irregular in shape and are up to 2cm long (0.75 inches). They are purple. Blooms first appear in early spring and continue into late fall.
Fruit: Henbit has tiny black seeds which are launched from the plant when ripe.
Habitat: Fields, fencerows and gardens and lawns.


Thanks for the quick reply Hank
marc_groleau is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 25, 2012   #4
stormymater
Tomatovillian™
 
stormymater's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Pleasure Island, NC 8a
Posts: 1,162
Default

Looks like it has square stems - which would make it a wild relative to mint - we have it too & I would dearly love it to replace the &$^#%@ Florida Betony that rules the roost down here.
stormymater is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 25, 2012   #5
hank
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: winchester va usa
Posts: 106
Default

To me this weed is not too bothersome. It sort of hides my very young Christmas trees at times. It is interesting in that it among the first to arrive in the Spring. Hank
hank is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 25, 2012   #6
RebelRidin
Tomatovillian™
 
RebelRidin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Maryland's Eastern Shore
Posts: 993
Default

Yep. That is henbit. There are worse...
__________________

George
_____________________________

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it’s natural manure."
Thomas Jefferson, 1787
RebelRidin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 25, 2012   #7
jennifer28
Two-faced Drama Queen
 
jennifer28's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital
Posts: 955
Default

I have this in my yard. I kind of like it, it grows around the stump of an old willow tree. I actually enjoy the flowers.
jennifer28 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 25, 2012   #8
livinonfaith
Tomatovillian™
 
livinonfaith's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina
Posts: 1,332
Default

It is all over my yard right now, as well.

Between it, the green onions and the clover, you can barely see the grass! It's very pretty for an invasive weed, though.
livinonfaith is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 25, 2012   #9
puttgirl
Tomatovillian™
 
puttgirl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: SW PA
Posts: 281
Default

I have lots of it, too, and even more ground ivy. I'd much rather have the henbit.
puttgirl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 25, 2012   #10
RebelRidin
Tomatovillian™
 
RebelRidin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Maryland's Eastern Shore
Posts: 993
Default OOPs...

OOPs .... That one is Deadnettle. Apparently it is different than Henbit. I know there are two different ones. Both related to mint but the leaves are differerent. First picture is deadnettle second is henbit. We get both. Deadnettle seems to grow taller.



(See also Henbit)

Purple (or red) deadnettle is a winter annual often confused with henbit (Lamuim amplexicaule). Both weeds have square stems and belong to the mint family. The leaves of purple deadnettle are triangular in shape and less deeply lobed than henbit. The upper leaves of deadnettle are red to purple in color. The leaves of purple deadnettle have petioles with the petioles of the lower leaves being longer than the upper leaves.

The flowers of purple dead nettle are light purple in color. The flowers are arranged in whorls and form in the axis of the upper leaves. Purple deadnettle spreads by seeds.
Purple deadnettle is found throughout the United States and Canada.



(See also Purple Deadnettle)
Henbit, a member of the mint family, is an upright winter annual that blooms in the spring. The leaves are rounded on the end with rounded toothed edges that grow opposite one another on square stems Upper leaves lack petioles. Henbit can grow from 4 to 12 inches tall on weak stems. Although an upright plant, weak stems sprouting from the bottom may lay almost horizontal.

Henbit can be confused with purple deadnettle. The leaves of purple deadnettle, however, are more pointed at the end and are slightly scalloped. The lower leaves of purple deadnettle are on long petioles, the upper leaves are on short petioles.
The flowers of henbit are purple, tubular shaped and form in the whorls of the upper leaves. Henbit spreads only by seed and is generally not a problem in dense, vigorous turfgrass sites.
Henbit is found throughout the United States.
Attached Images
File Type: gif wa_purple_deadnettle2.gif (72.1 KB, 29 views)
File Type: gif wa_henbit.gif (78.6 KB, 28 views)
__________________

George
_____________________________

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it’s natural manure."
Thomas Jefferson, 1787
RebelRidin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 25, 2012   #11
JudsonFrisk
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Logan, Iowa
Posts: 1
Default

This weed looks like what we call "Creeping Charlie" In areas that I can't control such as perennial beds it takes over and crowds out the good plants. I wish I knew how to control it.
JudsonFrisk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 25, 2012   #12
nctomatoman
Tomatoville® Moderator
 
nctomatoman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7
Posts: 10,385
Default

Creeping Charlie is different

http://www.theiowagardener.com/3.0%2...ll2%20copy.jpg

We've got that as well as the Henbit.

But the worst are chickweed (now) and Japanese Stilt Grass (later.
__________________
Craig
nctomatoman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 26, 2012   #13
habitat_gardener
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: California Central Valley
Posts: 2,539
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by nctomatoman View Post
...But the worst are chickweed (now)...
If it's growing in your garden (as opposed to a driveway, near a road, etc.), you can eat it! It's a good and nutritious salad green.
habitat_gardener is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 26, 2012   #14
livinonfaith
Tomatovillian™
 
livinonfaith's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina
Posts: 1,332
Default

The purple deadnettle is prettier than the henbit. It almost looks like something you put there on purpose.
livinonfaith is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 26, 2012   #15
barryla61
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Bedford, VA
Posts: 256
Default

It's the Devin incarnate is what it is. It's in my yard, my raised beds, my flower bed, even in my planting tubs. Can't get rid of it.
barryla61 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:40 PM.


★ Tomatoville® is a registered trademark of Commerce Holdings, LLC ★ All Content ©2022 Commerce Holdings, LLC ★