Any ideas what this is?

[Bszweda]

Anyone know what this is. It’s fairly common see it all over, but not sure what it is.

 

[Honker]

purple deadnettle (Lamium purpureum)

 

[PatinPA]

That's been growing up in my yard like crazy the last few years. It rips my sinuses apart when I mow it overt.

 

[Bill]

That stuff is all around me also. See it in lots of crop fields in the spring.

 

[b116757]

Have it in my German Bearded Iris beds pretty heavy hate the stuff myself. My mother in law likes to feed it to her chickens in the spring as it’s one of the earliest plants to green up. Latter in the summer it seems to just go dormant and you don’t see it any longer until the next spring.

 

[PatinPA]

The leaves have medicinal properties. Anti-inflammatory amongst other things. It's really been spreading at my house.

 

[Bszweda]

Thanks everyone … It grew so well in my neighbors farm field I didn’t know if it was planted by the farmer or not.

 

[Mortenson]

Up here the purple winter annual is usually henbit which is a relative to deadnettle. Is the farmer a no-tiller? Grows well in those fields.

 

[Bszweda]

yep he's a no till soybean farmer

 

[Barndog56]

I assume it's a dynamic accumulator like stinging nettle, in which case it makes some top notch liquid fertilizer.

 

[FarmerDan]

Up here the purple winter annual is usually henbit which is a relative to deadnettle. Is the farmer a no-tiller? Grows well in those fields.

This ^^^^^^^^^

 

[birdog]

What do you use to get rid of it in a clover plot?

 

[FarmerDan]

What do you use to get rid of it in a clover plot?

I don't think you do. It seems relatively harmless. Its a winter annual (I think) and really provides little competition for the clover. It grows fast, flowers quickly, produces seed for the next cycle - and gets out of the way - if it is what I think it is...

 

[Troubles Trees]

Purple Dead Nettle is one of those beneficial weeds that can be both eaten and used for medicinal purposes. I had some of it growing around my house a few years ago and looked it up to ID it. I'll see if I can find the bookmark.

Oh it can help identify Phosphorous levels in your soil by how much of the plant is purple.

Foraging & Uses for Purple Dead Nettle

Purple dead nettle is not just a weed. It's an easy to forage edible and medicinal herb that may be right outside your door. Both delicious & beneficial!

www.lonelypinesfarm.com

 

[bigboreblr]

I got a good bit grwoing in my yard. When I spray roundup around tree stumps or rock walls, thats the predominate weed. Doesn't appear to be browsed.

Do wildlife eat it? Easy for a critter to be picky in june........

 

[PatinPA]

I got a good bit grwoing in my yard. When I spray roundup around tree stumps or rock walls, thats the predominate weed. Doesn't appear to be browsed.

Do wildlife eat it? Easy for a critter to be picky in june........

It typically dies out pretty quickly in the beginning of summer. More of a spring weed.

 

[bigboreblr]

It typically dies out pretty quickly in the beginning of summer. More of a spring weed.

Grows about 6 inches around the apple trees, so no complaints there.

There is more of it in my clover plot this year. Wasn't sure where to go with the clover plot. Milpa garden or let it go till late summer and hit it with rye / oats and more clover seed. Sprayed the plot last august and put clover and tillage raddish. One spot was really doing well with raddish, clover didnt grow there and had a bald spot. Tossed some clover and fertilizer on that spot 2 weeks ago while I was seeding a drainage channel I cleaned up and some rleased chokeberry trees from the yard edge.

 

[PatinPA]

Grows about 6 inches around the apple trees, so no complaints there.

There is more of it in my clover plot this year. Wasn't sure where to go with the clover plot. Milpa garden or let it go till late summer and hit it with rye / oats and more clover seed. Sprayed the plot last august and put clover and tillage raddish. One spot was really doing well with raddish, clover didnt grow there and had a bald spot. Tossed some clover and fertilizer on that spot 2 weeks ago while I was seeding a drainage channel I cleaned up and some rleased chokeberry trees from the yard edge.

Ya it's pretty harmless. Absolutely kills my sinuses when I mow it though.