Plant & Weed ID Megathread

New Home · 10-07-2020 10:16pm

Could it have been a stray seed in the soil you used?

Pinch Flat · 10-07-2020 10:47pm

New Home wrote: »

Could it have been a stray seed in the soil you used?

Yeah interesting. We do have sunflowers in the house every now and again. My wife loves them. We have a vase that we would keep them in on the window sill near where i hardened them off. Trying to think when had them last in the house. Anyway going to let them grown and see what happens.

looksee · 11-07-2020 8:46am

I agree, on a second look, that sunflower is the most likely option. Another general observation though, your wire tie (aargh wire!) is too tight, it will chop the stem in two very soon! Use soft string, tie it firmly to the cane then make a little loop round the stem, leaving growth space, keep an eye on it. Or you can get elastic/plastic ties that 'give' a bit, but in the current times a bit of raffia or soft string will do.

That has just reminded me, I always had a big, dusty, hairy bunch of raffia hanging from a nail in the wall in the shed for tying purposes, haven't seen any in years, I just spend time looking for the ball of twine.

New Home · 11-07-2020 9:29am

My grandparents used to use willow switches to tie their plants, they were very strong but would break off once the plant they were holding would grow too big for the loop they made. The switches, max 5 mm in diameter but usually thinner, would be cut off the tree, their leaves removed, and would be kept in bunches to dry. When they knew they were going to need them, they'd be soaked in water for a day or so beforehand to make them flexible again. To tie the plant, you'd go once around it, then, holding onto the thin part of the switch, you'd twist the thicker part around the thin twice, (like you see in that pic with the blue wire), but then you'd fold the tick part backwards and upwards towards the stem of the plant. You could also go around the stake first to secure it, like looksee said, but then the procedure around the plant was the same: around, hold, twist, fold back up.

100% sustainable and biodegradable, too.

Harry Palmr · 13-07-2020 12:47pm

Slightly out of focus but fairly distinct looking

CiaranTheGreat · 13-07-2020 12:49pm

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Slightly out of focus but fairly distinct looking

Rose bay willow herb

Harry Palmr · 13-07-2020 1:09pm

Cheers, I don't recall it flowering before but the top end of the garden is being left to it's own devices. I'll certainly leave it to disperse it's seeds in the Autumn.

CiaranTheGreat · 13-07-2020 4:59pm

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Cheers, I don't recall it flowering before but the top end of the garden is being left to it's own devices. I'll certainly leave it to disperse it's seeds in the Autumn.

Personally I wouldn’t as it can be quite invasive and hard to fully get rid off due to its rhizomes. However i come from a conventional cultivated gardener background as opposed to re-wilding. That being said it has a nice flower and bees and insects love it

Harry Palmr · 13-07-2020 5:01pm

That's my plan - I have a mixed garden and the top end is being turned into a pollinator friendly zone.

CiaranTheGreat · 13-07-2020 5:05pm

Harry Palmr wrote: »

That's my plan - I have a mixed garden and the top end is being turned into a pollinator friendly zone.

That’s perfect then. It will make them really happy!!

looksee · 13-07-2020 7:18pm

It will make all the neighbours happy too...the feathery seeds are really pretty and interesting as the pods burst open, but then the seeds fly all around the place!

maxamillius · 13-07-2020 9:08pm

Anyone know what these weird white things are? Didn’t have any last year, grass is full of them now

New Home · 13-07-2020 9:09pm

A better pic would definitely help - those are small, far away and out of focus.

standardg60 · 13-07-2020 9:15pm

New Home wrote: »

A better pic would definitely help - those are small, far away and out of focus.

Lol these ones are small, those are far away!

New Home · 13-07-2020 9:25pm

It's rare to find something that's both, and then some!

standardg60 · 13-07-2020 9:57pm

New Home wrote: »

It's rare to find something that's both, and then some!

You're a hoot New Home!

I'm intrigued to know what they actually are, but if the poster had cut the lawn more often, unless they actually like said flower, then it wouldn't been so prevalent due to seeding around.

New Home · 13-07-2020 10:03pm

White clover would be my first guess (and thank you!

)

maxamillius · 13-07-2020 11:33pm

Sorry ye the photo was pretty bad, I had googled lawn weeds after posting it and results came back with white clover, I’d be pretty certain that’s what it is!

My god I just want green grass, any suggestions?’

New Home · 13-07-2020 11:46pm

Astroturf.

magicbastarder · 14-07-2020 8:05am

maxamillius wrote: »

My god I just want green grass, any suggestions?’

yep - try clover. will be nice and green and makes a perfectly serviceable lawn.

looksee · 14-07-2020 8:36am

Yes, just cut off the flowers and you will have green. My 'grass' (I will not dignify it with lawn) is mostly buttercup, but its green, and a couple of days after mowing produces a pretty show of golden flowers. I'm happy, the bees are happy, the buttercups are extremely happy.

maxamillius · 14-07-2020 10:00am

Is it worth putting miracle gro or any of those over the lawn, thee are some areas that are quite patchy ?

dePeatrick · 14-07-2020 12:02pm

maxamillius wrote: »

Is it worth putting miracle gro or any of those over the lawn, thee are some areas that are quite patchy ?

Of course you can or any nitrogen rich fertiliser, possibly scatter some grass seed on the bare patches and rake them in. But why not sow wild flower seeds? Far more interesting to see a lawn with wild flowers than one that looks like astroturf.

maxamillius · 15-07-2020 6:42pm

dePeatrick wrote: »

Of course you can or any nitrogen rich fertiliser, possibly scatter some grass seed on the bare patches and rake them in. But why not sow wild flower seeds? Far more interesting to see a lawn with wild flowers than one that looks like astroturf.

I do like wild flowers but I have young kids and the garden gets a lot of traffic so I think they would just be ruined.

I’m not a huge fan of the look of white clover to be honest, I also have some purple things, a quick google and it looks like it might be dead nettle?!

I’m gonna get some miracle gro and pour that on the grass and see if it has any effect, hopefully it does to some extent.

wildwillow · 15-07-2020 7:47pm

Constant cutting will soon get rid of almost everything bar the grass. but it has to be consistant as in every four or five days, ideally using a Cylinder cut.

If you want a perfect lawn you need to treat it like a golf green. Cut, cut, feed, weed killer, good drainage, dressing with sand and aerating. Personally life is too short and I like a bit of variety in the lawn.

maxamillius · 15-07-2020 8:33pm

wildwillow wrote: »

Constant cutting will soon get rid of almost everything bar the grass. but it has to be consistant as in every four or five days, ideally using a Cylinder cut.

If you want a perfect lawn you need to treat it like a golf green. Cut, cut, feed, weed killer, good drainage, dressing with sand and aerating. Personally life is too short and I like a bit of variety in the lawn.

Absolutely, I don’t want to spend all day every day working on the grass, I’ve enough going on in my life ha, but as long as I can sort out the heavy moss parts and patchy parts I’ll be happy, I got some miracle gro this evening so will give that a lash and see what happens!

dePeatrick · 16-07-2020 11:26am

maxamillius wrote: »

I do like wild flowers but I have young kids and the garden gets a lot of traffic so I think they would just be ruined.

I’m not a huge fan of the look of white clover to be honest, I also have some purple things, a quick google and it looks like it might be dead nettle?!

I’m gonna get some miracle gro and pour that on the grass and see if it has any effect, hopefully it does to some extent.

agreed about the white clover, wonder could you introduce red? It's a nitrogen fixer so will fertilise your lawn.

looksee · 16-07-2020 12:26pm

maxamillius wrote: »

I do like wild flowers but I have young kids and the garden gets a lot of traffic so I think they would just be ruined.

I’m not a huge fan of the look of white clover to be honest, I also have some purple things, a quick google and it looks like it might be dead nettle?!

I’m gonna get some miracle gro and pour that on the grass and see if it has any effect, hopefully it does to some extent.

The purple is probably Self-heal, Prunella vulgaris. I have some in the grass too, I like the look of it.

maxamillius · 16-07-2020 6:12pm

looksee wrote: »

The purple is probably Self-heal, Prunella vulgaris. I have some in the grass too, I like the look of it.

Yes it actually does look like self heal, any tips on how to get rid of it? Not sure I like the look of it

Speedsie · 16-07-2020 6:23pm

maxamillius wrote: »

Yes it actually does look like self heal, any tips on how to get rid of it? Not sure I like the look of it

What do you like the look of? Monoculture grass?

Starting to think New Home's suggestion of AstroTurf is apt.

Pollinators love self seal and clover, along with other native flowering plants.

Wildwillow gave you some advice on how to create a bowling green/golf course style lawn.

Plant & Weed ID Megathread

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