What kind of weed do I got here?
- Thread starter Neal
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I think that is the London rocket weed.. Not 100% sure though..
That's what I think too. Its edible.
Here's a nice list, however short, of common edible Arizona weeds:
http://www.gardeninginsights.com/html/articles/edibleweeds.htm
Here's a nice list, however short, of common edible Arizona weeds:
http://www.gardeninginsights.com/html/articles/edibleweeds.htm
http://www.desertmuseum.org/invaders/invaders_saharamustard.php
I would start pulling them as soon as they are large enough to fit in your hand ....and when you pull them be sure to not jiggle them around too much---you want to pull them and then confine them to an enclosed place (like a solid bag or burn barrel) so that you can burn them/destroy them.
Please take a look at the attached...these are a horrible invasive weed, I know that we all love the weeds for our tortoise...however, if we let the wrong ones take root they will kill out any of the preferred weeds and plants..and rather quickly.
The mustard plant has attacked here and are a rapid invader....I have a section of my property that I have reduced them down to...and this year I will attack that left over section and pull them slowly so to not miss any of their nasty root system...but it is best to get them after they have reached about 9 - 10 inches and are still in that juicy growing stage...also pay alot of attention to not jiggle that yellow bloom as it will sprinkle a powdery type seed (so tiny) and that will blow and set and take hold in a new spot....
Ok, so apology for my rattling on about this...but they are a bad creature... I'll stop now
I would start pulling them as soon as they are large enough to fit in your hand ....and when you pull them be sure to not jiggle them around too much---you want to pull them and then confine them to an enclosed place (like a solid bag or burn barrel) so that you can burn them/destroy them.
Please take a look at the attached...these are a horrible invasive weed, I know that we all love the weeds for our tortoise...however, if we let the wrong ones take root they will kill out any of the preferred weeds and plants..and rather quickly.
The mustard plant has attacked here and are a rapid invader....I have a section of my property that I have reduced them down to...and this year I will attack that left over section and pull them slowly so to not miss any of their nasty root system...but it is best to get them after they have reached about 9 - 10 inches and are still in that juicy growing stage...also pay alot of attention to not jiggle that yellow bloom as it will sprinkle a powdery type seed (so tiny) and that will blow and set and take hold in a new spot....
Ok, so apology for my rattling on about this...but they are a bad creature... I'll stop now
That is a mustard. There are some native mustards, but that's not one of them. It is edible, but as Angela says, it's highly invasive and it's one of the scourges of the native plant community. I'd also identify it as London rocket. What you do with it is up to you, of course, but there are some pretty active campaigns in support of eradicating it by the means that Angela suggests. As I have several tortoises inside, I might feed some to them while destroying the rest, but I wouldn't feed it to outdoor tortoises who could spread the seeds.
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weed.....<perk>
Wrong kind of weed.
Lulu said:
I'm a little confused...are you saying the London Rocket is a type of mustard?
I could not identify it as the Sahara Mustard from the link that ascott shared. After doing some research, it is definitely London Rocket.
At any rate, the tortoises don't eat it which is why it is growing like crazy. I see them nibble at it here and there so that's why I let it grow, but ascott makes a good point that I'd be better off getting rid of it so the better stuff that they like to eat can grow.
Thanks for the info. Looks like I'll have a busy Saturday. Anyone wanna help?
London Rocket is a type of mustard. So is Sahara Mustard. There are lots of different kinds.
It's bitter, so not all tortoises like it. Whole crews of volunteers spend days clearing mustards from the nature center, so you'll be in good company.
So is Sahara Mustard. There are lots of different kinds.It's bitter, so not all tortoises like it. Whole crews of volunteers spend days clearing mustards from the nature center, so you'll be in good company.
LOL. Not in Arizona, I'm not.
I've always called that one hawksbit or hawksbeard. It grows a lot here too. My torts have been eating it for years with no ill effect. Just fed them some two days ago. I grab handfuls of it and throw it in the adult pen.
Internet searches are not answering my question about it, and it may be ANOTHER one that I have had the wrong name for all these years.
Internet searches are not answering my question about it, and it may be ANOTHER one that I have had the wrong name for all these years.
They look very similar. The primary difference is the flower. Hawksbeard has a fuller, more dandelion-like flower.
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plants_19.asp?mode=main&catID=146
Mustards tend to have flowers that are groups of smaller blossoms. Also, the hawksbeard that grows in my yard has rough leaves and mustards tend to have smooth. However, it's easy to see why they would be mistaken for each other, and it's difficult for me to tell the difference sometimes, especially in seedlings, and most especially in pictures. It's made more difficult by the fact that there are so many different kinds of mustard. I just looked through my book of coastal native plants for San Diego and there are about four different native mustards, all with very different leaf shapes and flowers. These are just native/coastal/San Diego mustards, so a very small subset. I'm not a horticulturalist, BTW. I'm just learning as part of my volunteer work. It's pretty daunting, and this tension between native and invasive is pretty interesting and directly wound up in what we do as tortoise keepers as we plant nonnative food sources appropriate for exotic tortoise species. But that's a topic for another thread.
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plants_19.asp?mode=main&catID=146
Mustards tend to have flowers that are groups of smaller blossoms. Also, the hawksbeard that grows in my yard has rough leaves and mustards tend to have smooth. However, it's easy to see why they would be mistaken for each other, and it's difficult for me to tell the difference sometimes, especially in seedlings, and most especially in pictures. It's made more difficult by the fact that there are so many different kinds of mustard. I just looked through my book of coastal native plants for San Diego and there are about four different native mustards, all with very different leaf shapes and flowers. These are just native/coastal/San Diego mustards, so a very small subset. I'm not a horticulturalist, BTW. I'm just learning as part of my volunteer work. It's pretty daunting, and this tension between native and invasive is pretty interesting and directly wound up in what we do as tortoise keepers as we plant nonnative food sources appropriate for exotic tortoise species. But that's a topic for another thread.
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