Tag Archives: weed identification

Weeds Have Jobs – #5

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Our weed this time is a much maligned weed that is actually a good food that foragers look for!

Chenopodium albus (Lambs quarters)

The name, Chenopodium, refers to the shape of the leaves – “goose foot.”  Lambs quarters grows where there is very low calcium and phosphorus, very high potassium and magnesium, high sulfur and copper, low humus, good drainage of the soil.

Lambs quarters is another edible, and is in the amaranth family of plants; the seeds are gathered and used similar to quinoa (a relative).  It is wind-pollinated and so it does not have showy flowers to attract pollinators.  But it is a food source for various insects, caterpillars and wildlife. It can grow to be nearly 2 feet tall, and is often removed from vegetable beds because it is considered a “weed.”

Recognize it? Now you know it’s not a weed, but can be an indicator of soil needs and a source of food.

Weeds Have Jobs #4

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Stellaria media (common chickweed)

Chickweed grows where there is a need for calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and manganese in the soil.  It also indicates that the soil has high levels of magnesium and iron, and high sulfur and copper in the soil.  It indicates that there is low porosity (the soil is tight). 

Chickweed is another edible and is in the carnation family of plants.  It also has a history as a medicinal herb for a variety of ailments.  As the name implies, chickens like it.

The flowers are small, and star-like.  It is a plant that attracts trichogramma wasps, that prey on tomato hornworms – a great natural insect predator for the garden!

Stellaria media – common chickweed

Weeds Have Jobs #3

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Continuing our conversation about weeds I’m finding in my garden beds in Tulsa, Oklahoma…..

Lamium amplexicaule (henbit) is common and easy to identify.

This plant tells us the soil is low in calcium, has low porosity, low humus, and low bacteria. It can also indicate poor drainage and sandy soil (the two go together because sand doesn’t hold water very well!). Its job is to provide erosion control by its roots. It likes moist soil and often is in shady places.
Henbit is edible and was brought to the Americas for chickens to eat. But wild food foragers say you can eat all of the plant. It’s a member of the mint family, and has lovely purple flowers that bees love.

If you want to read more about weeds and their jobs, I love two great references: John Beeby’s Test Your Soil with Plants (Willits, CA: Ecology Action, 2013); and Jay McCaman’s Weeds and Why They Grow (Sand Lake, MI: Jay McCaman, 1994.

Weeds Have Jobs #2

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This week we’ll talk about spurges, also called sandmats. There are two types that seem to be prevalent in the gardens I’m tending in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The first, Euphorbia maculata, with purple spots on the leaves.

Spurge – Euphorbia maculata

The second is Euphorbia prostrata, that tends to have a spreading, spiderlike, form.

Euphorbia prostrata

The third type is the Euphorbia serpens, or creeping spurge.

Euphorbia serpens

So what is this about spurges? What are they all about and why do they grow where they are? In other words, what is their job?

Euphorbias are prostrate and spread.  They can have a taproot up to 2 feet.  They are not edible (and are toxic – the milky latex sap contains diterpene estersin, which can be irritating to the skin). 

Spurges tell us that the soil is clay, loam, and sand. Which can be good. But …

Generally spurges indicate low calcium, very low phosphorus, very high potassium and magnesium, high sulfur, high copper, and a hard layer in the soil (thus the long taproot to break up the soil).  They also grow where there is poor drainage, which is a symptom of a hard soil layer.

So when you see a lot of spurges in your garden or in your lawn, think about having the soil tested for mineral content, and dig down a bit to see if there is a hard layer just under the top soil.

Want to read more? My favorite references are John Beeby’s Test Your Soil with Plants (Willits, CA: Ecology Action, 2013); and Jay McCaman’s Weeds and Why They Grow (Sand Lake, MI: Jay McCaman, 1994.

Weeds Have Jobs

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Weeds as soil indicators

I’ve recently taken a deep dive into weeds that I’m finding in the garden. I’ve skimmed over this subject for the last few years, but now I want to really understand why weeds are growing in my garden. Each “weed” is actually there for a reason – to bring a mineral to be used by other plants, to cure a mineral deficiency in the soil, or use long roots to open up compacted soil. Weeds have jobs and if you know how to read the weeds, you can find out more about your soil – sort of a DIY soil test with plants! I’m going to post some of my discoveries here in the next few weeks. We’ll start with Wood Sorrel.

Oxalis stricta (common yellow wood sorrel)

This plant grows in sandy soil.  It is perennial and thrives in slightly alkaline soils with a pH of 7-8 (an indicator that we would need to work on acidifying the bed if we want to grow strawberries or spinach, which like a lower pH soil).

According to Weeds and Why They Grow (Jay L. McCaman, 1994), wood sorrel grows where there is very low calcium and phosphorus, but very high potassium and magnesium.  The flowers are visited by bees, ants, and butterflies. 

Wood sorrel is edible (in small amounts, because it contains oxalic acid) and is a source of vitamin C, and is regarded as a medicinal plant.  The yellow flowers also can be boiled to produce a yellow to orange-red dye.

Okay …. I’ll add another “weed” in the next week or so.