Comments on: Wonder Weeds

By: Ross

Ross — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 01:24:35 +0000

Love the info thanks.

By: Debbie

Debbie — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 22:14:09 +0000

Have been drying stinging nettle to store for future use to drink as tea. Wondering if it is normal for the top side of the leaf to go dark or almost black? I hang the plant upside down to dry and the leaf curls in on itself and the inside of the leaf (previously the top of the leaf) goes almost black – need to know that this is not a black fungus? Can anyone help? Thankyou.

By: DrBalu

DrBalu — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:30:46 +0000

Where can I get this plant ? I am around Sydney suburb. Any source to buy them or sample ?

By: Jenn Graham

Jenn Graham — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:43:07 +0000

Scott,
Herbalist Pat Collins has a book titled “Wild Weeds At Your Doorstep” and has a web page, THEcentrewebsite.com.au I think

By: Hamish

Hamish — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 07:19:54 +0000

Im interested to know what sort of net you use to collect azola from your dam. What about duck weed – how does that stack up as a mulch/chicken food?

By: Lost Chief

Lost Chief — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 06:42:53 +0000

Im curious if there is a way to collects weeds and store them to feed your animals over the winter like hay? Would you just bale it or let it sit in a covered area to dry out? Would it mold if cut still green and baled? If so then i guess you would have to cut it and then let it dry?

I have been planning a homestead and my main goal is to feed my animals over winter with weeds and trimmings i collect doing free landscaping for people in the area. On medium to large properties. Free weed removal is a easy way to find animal feed for free. Hard part is storing enough for winter.

An article on this would be great.

Peace

By: Scott

Scott — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 23:58:40 +0000

Do people have any good recommendations on books or articles for identifying weeds and other plants, preferably listing their uses? Or any good websites? I’d love to be able to look at the weeds in my yard, think kindly of them and put them to good use.

By: c-ray

c-ray — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:52:31 +0000

you could let the shoots grow then chip them and turn them into mulch ala brf (bois rameal fragmente)
elm shoots should have lots of calcium

By: Henry Stanley

Henry Stanley — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 17:06:56 +0000

I am looking for articles for the guide to a permaculture, natural building, and community building event in Portland Oregon called the Village Building Convergence. I am the editor/publisher of the guide and was wondering if we could have permission to use this article, I think it is a really informative, useful article, a great alternative to buying soil amendments

Thanks, Henry Stanley, Village Builder Coordinator –
for The 2009 Village Building Convergence
henryindy1@gmail.com

By: Thomas

Thomas — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:53:29 +0000

I liked this article. I generally keep volunteer plants around until I can identify them, or recognize them as harmful (sharp burrs, or invasive). I do this in the PC spirit of considering every input an asset. I am, however, struggling with two very prolific weeds.

Bermuda grass spreads by seed as well as above and below ground runners, and survives long periods of dormancy, popping up everywhere after eight months when the cardboard in my sheet mulching failed to eradicate it. Since it crowds out all other plants, I have to pull it by hand, but this is relatively futile. I am now experimenting with sorghum which supposedly exhibits an allelopathic inhibition on the growth of bermuda. We shall see.

My other input which I’m having trouble seeing as an asset is my elm trees. Each spring they drop about fifty million samara (okay, I didn’t really count them), each sprouting into a rugged, deep rooted baby elm tree. I spend most of my garden time weeding these out, since they are very hard to pull out once the roots have gotten to a certain depth. I know that the samara are edible, but it is an exorbitant effort to extract them. (Thirty minutes of work resulted in a thimbleful of tasty seeds with a flavor reminiscent of pistachio.) Even if I could find an efficient means of processing the samara, the fact remains that the vast majority will still take root, as the samara tend to blanket my entire property.

So, yes, I love the spirit of finding the bright side of weeds and not just removing them indiscriminately. For example, this approach has turned me on to directly edible plants like sow thistle, clover and spiderwort. Other plants are useful for their beneficial influences on the soil or the biota of my garden. While my elm trees provide a number of benefits (shade from the Texas sun, a framework for climbing vines), I’m still struggling, however, to see the benefit of their prolific output. Bermuda grass has no benefits that I can see, whatsoever.

Are there any permaculturists out there with some advice or anecdotes to change my opinion?