Help weed the newbies.

[kenkew]

Excuse the term 'newbies' but it fits the title slot better than anything else. My point is, as gardeners we sometimes talk about things like couch grass, chickweed, ground ivy, dead nettle and ragwort etc and presume we all know what we're talking about. Well, maybe we do, matbe we don't, but if we publish words of wisdom of how to deal with these terrors, then those who are new to allotments might wonder if they are tackling the right enemy the right way. Does anyone have some decent pic's of common weeds we sometimes mention so that the newer people to gardening will recognise them? And I just got rid of my last bit of couch without taking a pic! - (by careful digging.)

[kenkew]

[gavin]

Hi there - is this any help?

http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/index.htm  - follow the link to Weed Identifier.

All best - Gavin

PS Hope that somebody can come up with something better.

[kenkew]

That's an interesting one, Gavin. The more info the better. Couldn't see mares tail or couch grass there tho.

[Hugh_Jones]

Wonderful idea Ken. Unfortunately (yes, I mean unfortunately) I have to go on holiday tomorrow until after Easter, but when I come back I will gladly dig up some more of the couch grass that`s infesting my herbaceous border and take a photo.

Problem is, ken, what to do with the picture so that it remains always available on demand. Do you think Dan would be prepared to supply a sort of permanent Weed Picture Reference File which would always stay at the top of the Board and to which we could all add photos of the various horrors we dig up.

Thankfully I can`t help with the mares tail

[gavin]

How about this site?  I don't like it, because it seems you have to know what you're looking for (preferably in Latin!) BEFORE you look.

But Marestail - http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/T42201.HTM

And Couch Grass - http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/T49869.HTM

I used it for a bit, until I found out that the Latin names change with the seasons!

Another one - http://theseedsite.co.uk/weeds5.html.  Not great - sorry.  Doesn't match what I see on the plot!

All best - Gavin

[gavin]

Eeeh, I'm too slow typing - that's a good idea, Hugh.  If it can't be done as part of A4A, one of us could easily put together a basic website with pics - as a link?

All best - Gavin

[Hugh_Jones]

Mind you, by the time that everyone has finished taking pictures of their favourite horrors it`s going to be a pretty big file, Gavin.

[gavin]

Don't panic, Hugh - if we're thinking of the basics and common weeds and pests, it's not a big job choosing a few photos, producing a little bit of text, and arranging (at a guess) 20-40 pages.  

Beyond that, I'm guessing we'd be getting into arcana - beyond the beginner's needs, and better dealt with by a link to the botanical sites that already exist?

All good wishes - Gavin

[tim]

I'll willingly photograph my Celandine for you!!!

Why don't Aconites spead as fast?? = Tim

[Hels_Bels]

Oh boy.

If someone can tell me how to post a piccie (STILL haven't worked it out ???) then I'll put u[ a photo of my plot when it was still over run with couch. Doesn't have the glripus root structure though - would a photo pf a whole piece be better do you think?

Also have a new, unidentified weed which I might take a pic of too!

HB

[kenkew]

A good pic of couch would be to carefully hand fork the soil away from the roots and take a pic of the monster lurking beneath.

PS: If you use the search facility you'll find quite a lot of how to post a pic. If you copy and paste into Word what there is and then print it out you'll be able to follow it as you do it.

[Garden Manager]

I am sure I can oblige you with some pics.

How about some creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens)?

Or perhaps some bind weed (yuck)?

Dandelions available too: in flower, out of flower and pulled up showing root.

Hows that for starters?

(Photos available as soon as I can take them!)

[Hels_Bels]

Will photo the couch grass at the weekend - but perhaps a before and after shot too, so people won't be too put off as I was at the beginning!

HB

[kenkew]

Well, at least I seemed to have hit a popular 'topic'. Gavin and Hugh, thanks for the positive input. Tim, HB & RicF...thanks for the offers, the more the better. Must be easy to recognise pic's me thinks. How to deal with it could follow later, suffice I think to start off with just the recognition thing first, eh?