The ground in my woods is literally covered with chickweed. Part of the woods is landscaped.
Any suggestions as to how to get rid of it? Can one spray now? I am in zone 5. Supposed to get close to zero tonight. Or can I sprinkle a dust around now.
My thinking is that the chickweed is actively growing. Not much else is. And I need to get rid of it before it takes over the whole place.
Thank you.
Pixi
Chickweed is what I consider a "winter weed". It grows actively this time of year and into early spring, then it sets seed (abundantly) and dies out, for the most part. I've never used chemicals on it, but it is very quick and easy to pull.
I pull it in flower beds and other places where it is obvious, then don't spend much time worrying about it. I figure, like the poor, it will always be with us.
Cheers, Sue
Where I have chickweed - I pull it out and lime the area. That is the best way to slow it down. When it starts growing again you will know your soil needs some more lime. Works for me. Susie :-))
Have at least an acre of chickweed so pulling it out is not an option. It is in the woods so I can not use mechanical means to get rid of it. Wonder if I could lime it when it is dormant.
In my files I have some items regarding chickweed from various persons that may be of interest to you: Chickweed is one of my favorite wild vegetables. It has a mild flavor and the whole plant is edible and highly nutritious. It contains enough Vitamin C to be considered antiscorbutic (treats scurvy), and is also high in the B vitamins, iron, and the somewhat rare trace mineral copper. You can harvest it by cutting or pulling at ground level. If you want it to grow back, though, pinch off the tops only. The stems are as good as the leaves. You can also eat the flowers and seedpods. Like I said earlier, the whole plant. Eat it raw in salads -- my favorite salad is chickweed and watercress -- or cook it for 2-5 minutes. It cooks almost instantly. Euell Gibbons (in Stalking the Healthful Herbs) tells about a very healthy family he knows that eats chickweed every day. They eat it raw in salds and make it into a "Green Drink" by mixing it in a blender with water and whatever other greens are available. You can cook it into quiche (cook first, then drain thoroughly, even rolling it between two paper towels to get out as much liquid as possible). Throw it into chicken broth instead of or in addition to noodles or rice. It's available year roud hereabouts, and can be found growing under the snow. Medicinally, it is diuretic (mildly) and some people swear it speeds up the metabolism if eaten daily and will help in weight loss. I tried it and it didn't work for me, but trying it will do no harm. Externally, it is used in poultices and ointments. Some experts claim it to have mild antibiotic properties. Latin name: Stellaria media, member of the Pink Family, related to carnations. --Deborah Duchon ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chick weed Stellaria media, also known as star weed or herbal slim. This contains saponins which have anti-inflammatory effects similar to cortisone according to many herbalists, but is much milder and without side effects. It is used to treat skin irritations and rashes. Some use it for Eczema ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ regarding Chickweed for eczema: Chickweed oil/salve sometimes seems to exacerbate both the itchiness and the extent of rashes on me, no matter what the cause--bug bites, food reaction, my keratosis pilaris--so I know it's not just fungi eating the oil. These days I keep the chickweed for the itch of almost-peelable scabs. -- Persi M. snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com
---leo/lee
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