Knowledgebase

weed identification #791629

Asked May 19, 2022, 11:39 AM EDT

We have many of these weeds growing in the church's community garden. We're trying to identify so we can learn more about them and how they are spreading. They seem to be getting worse this year. Thank you for your time. Gretchen Hitchcock

Wake County North Carolina

Expert Response

It really helps when identifying a weed to know what color the flower is, how tall it grows, and whether it has a basal rosette of leaves.  I couldn’t tell from your close up photo some of those details.  However,  Virginia Tech has a great weed ID key where you put in the details you know about your weed and it narrows the field and then you can compare with the photos they provide.  Using it, I came close to some kind of thistle, but there was a lot a couldn’t see in the photo.  The link is below.  I often don’t try to ID a weed if I know that it is either a summer weed or winter weed, as they set seed at different times.  The best weed control is to cut off the flowers before they go to seed.  Most weeds are annuals and only come back from seeds that are in the ground.


weedid.cals.vt.edu

An Ask Extension Expert Replied May 20, 2022, 12:05 PM EDT

Loading ...