Chickweed

[Ronkie]

Help..... does anyone know how 2 get rid of chickweed.... Have try'd roundup which is supposed to kill all weed's..... but not this one lol..... Try'd digging it up but it come's back with a vengence..... would be very grateful if anyone can hep......

[dublindy]

You might try eating it?

http://sewisewomen.com/articles/chickweed-salad.php

[HappyHunter]

I would not use round-up on my worst enemy. Round-Up is a product of
Monsanto Corp who are producing round-up ready crops (GM0), they have
also caused untold pain and suffering around the world - just google
Monsanto.

Monsanto's development and marketing of genetically engineered
seed and bovine growth hormone, as well as its aggressive litigation and
political lobbying practices, have made the company controversial around the
world
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsanto

Round-up contains glyphosate. glyphosate is an organophosphate.

http://www.panna.org/ops
http://www.pan-uk.org/pestnews/Actives/glyphosa.htm

Having used round-up on the chickweed herb in your garden I would
not regard it as edible now.

Best to keep digging until you get it out and then after a few months once it
begins growing again, if it does, I would contain it and harvest the new crops.

Chickweed
(Stellaric media)
A low-growing, soft plant that grows as a common weed. Can be used as a
vegetable or as a salad green. The whole plant is used to treat cuts, and also
to relieve itching caused by eczema and psoriasis. Chickweed is also reputed
to be good for rheumatism.

Functions / Benefits
Treats cuts, relieves itching caused by eczema and psoriasis (a skin disease
with red scaly patches). Rich in vitamin C. Cooling. Demulcent (forms a
soothing film over a mucous membrane, relieving minor pain and inflammation
of the membrane). Mild alterative (Alterative = corrects disordered bodily
function)
http://www.nutrition-info.com/herbs/herbs-chickweed.php

[bluecurlygirl]

I didn't know any of that HappyHunter. All well worth knowing. Thanks again.

[Ronkie]

IT's a weed not a herb... lol... it is in the grass and as it grows flat on the ground it is killing the grass..... but thank you for going to all the trouble to get that info....

[HappyHunter]

A weed is a plant that is growing where it is not wanted, Chickweed, nettles, blackberries - you name, it are regarded as "weeds" because they grow where people want groomed plants/grass, grown in contained areas. These "weeds" are herbs and contain nutritional and healing value once grown under proper conditions and used by a trained herbalist, gardeners who grow herbs and the likes.

You call it a weed I call it a herb, my grandmother and great grandmother boiled nettles to eat like we eat spinach.

Fresh chickweed can be fed to companion animals to assist in the expulsion of hair balls, and sooth the digestive tract. Chickweed is an effective and gentle laxative. The seeds are food for finches and many other seed-eating birds.

http://www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail149.php

So even if humans don't eat the herb (weed) animals will :)

[kiara]

weed r herb ronkie doesnt want it! id try more round up coz i just asked my dad hes a horticulturist n he says it kills every thing! maybe dig it up then spray d ground?

[paprika]

There are some tips on getting rid of chickweed on this page:

http://www.carrollgardens.com/Lawn_Care/fall_lawn_care.asp
Don't know if it's any use to you.
One of my relatives used to let the chickens onto it.

Good luck!

[HappyHunter]

weed r herb ronkie doesnt want it! id try more round up coz i just asked my dad hes a horticulturist n he says it kills every thing! maybe dig it up then spray d ground?
Yeah, it kills everything - anything that has such an effect on one living thing - whether it is plant or animal - has an effect on everything.

No point in being environmentally friendly in one way and spraying poison on the earth now is there?

Try this for size:

*SNIP*
An epidemiological study in the Ontario farming populations showed that glyphosate exposure nearly doubled the risk of late spontaneous abortions, and Seralini and his research team decided to find out more about the effects of the herbicide on cells from the human placenta.

The French team used human placental cell lines, in which very weak doses of glyphosate showed toxic effects and, at still weaker concentrations, endocrinal disturbances.

*SNIP*
'The most shocking insight coming out of this was that Roundup, something designed to kill plants, was extremely lethal to amphibians,' Relyea, who conducted the research at the university's Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology, said in a statement released by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. 'We added Roundup, and the next day we looked in the tanks and there were dead tadpoles all over the bottom.'

*snip*
In 2002 a scientific team led by Robert Belle had shown that Roundup acted on one of the key stages of cellular division, which can potentially lead to cancer in the long term

Belle is from the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) biological station in Roscoff (Finistere, Brittany, France) and his team has been studying the impact of glyphosate formulations on sea-urchin cells for several years. They used a recognised model for the study of early stages of cancer genesis, which had earned Tim Hunt the 2001 Nobel Prize in medicine.

The team has recently demonstrated in Toxicological Science (December 2004) that a 'control point' for DNA damage was affected by Roundup, while glyphosate alone had no effect. 'We have shown that it's a definite risk factor, but we have not evaluated the number of cancers potentially induced, nor the time frame within which they would declare themselves,' Belle acknowledges.

There is, indeed, direct evidence that glyphosate inhibits an important process called [/B]'RNA transcription'[/B] in animals, at a concentration well below the level that is recommended for commercial spray application. Transcription was inhibited and embryonic development delayed in sea urchins following exposure to low levels of the herbicide and/or the surfactant polyethoxylated tallowamine. This means that sprayers who inhale the chemical are exposed to health hazards.

There is also new research that shows that a brief exposure to commercial glyphosate caused liver damage in rats, as indicated by the leakage of intracellular liver enzymes. The research indicates that glyphosate and its surfactant in Roundup were also found to act in synergy to increase damage to the liver.
http://www.biosafety-info.net/article.php?aid=267

Further reading:

http://www.dbc.uci.edu/~sustain/global/sensem/burry298.html

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2005-10-01/Hazards-of-the-Worlds-Most-Common-Herbicide.aspx

Monsanto's Roundup Herbicide Threatens Public Health
http://www.organicconsumers.org/Monsanto/roundup92502.cfm

Homemade Pet Friendly Weed Killer
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/organic/homemade-pet-friendly-weed-killer.htm

[Bettybooboopbedoop]

Wow, deadly stuff. Have never used it, but i certainly wouldn't touch it after reading this. Sorry Ronkie about your infestation of chickweed. I would probably keep digging if i were you and sooner or later you will manage to get it. Don't imagine it will be too easy though.

[Ben888]

i use a mixture of nail varnish and turps... Works every time...

[Back Stabbath]

I reccommend pulling up some of the plants you can see. Then plant an aggressive grass like perrennial ryegrass, hopefully it should take over. Could plant some white clover as well, it does take over a bit, but its pretty and its good for the soil. It adds nitrogen.

The salt may work, but its not good for the soil. Only use in small area's on the base of the plants.

DO NOT USE ROUND-UP! Theres absolutely no need for that poison under any circumstances.
Some weeds have become resistant to chemicals, chickweed being one of them.

Just keep at it and make sure you get the roots when you dig. Pull them up and plant some of the grass mix in its place. You should get it eventually.
Collect the seed capsules BEFORE they are ripe and dispose of them (not in compost bin obviously), even cut off the flowers when you see them.

The best way would be to plough the ground a few times and reseed with the perennial ryegrass mix each time. This may not be practical though.
Covering the emerging plants with sand heaps may help to eradicate them, and cutting larger plants low and covering with sand.

You could eat the leaves of the ones you pull up. They are very good for you. Give some leaves to pigeons/ducks/chickens/pigs if you have any. All wild veg is more nutrient rich than cultivated veg. Wild animals are healthier than the linebred domestic breeds too.

Anyway, good luck and I hope you sort it out!

[LadyA]

Definitely -get some chickens and turn them loose on it! Why d'ye think it's called "CHICKweed?" :D They will tear the lot out and devour it! Of course, you won't have any grass left either - but you will have wonderful eggs!

[cavalin]

think l,ll get some of that chickweed it might be enough of an excuse to get chickens