Weed identification
- Thread starter H80Hunter
- Start date
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Giant Ragweed.
j-bird
Moderator
Oh it's not that bad! I have common and giant ragweed on my place and the deer will browse it in certain growth stages even though I have acres and acres of green soybeans for the taking as well as other plots. That tends to be when it's actively growing and the pic shows it in a flowering stage so it won't be of much use for the deer now. I know it can be a struggle with it in plots but typically mowing will address it if needed. The pollen can be a bear if you have allergies. I have even left it alone on purpose in soybean plantings to give the plot a sense of security later in the fall.
j-bird
Moderator
Lots of folks have issues with pollen in general and ragweed pollen seems to be a bad one. I have had it so bad that it plugs the screen on my tractor when mowing it to the point it causes the tractor to get overly warm and I have to address it.
S.T.Fanatic
5 year old buck +
Anyone have an id on this and how to combat it? It is gaining more ground every year in a past clover plot. Bottom ground shaded for half the day.
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SD51555
5 year old buck +
Anyone have an id on this and how to combat it? It is gaining more ground every year in a past clover plot. Bottom ground shaded for half the day.
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Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
Giant chickweed is what PictureThis app came up with.
g squared 23
5 year old buck +
Ragweed is fine, high protein content and all, but it shades out my plots and seedlings, and it’s worthless in fall when I need food the most. It’s also like hors€$h!+ as it’s everywhere, so I’ll see it browsed here and there, but I have way more of it than the deer can use. So I have no problem mowing or spraying it, especially before it goes to seed.
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Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Yes, that’s burn weed. Mow it down before it seeds.
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Howboutthemdawgs
5 year old buck +
I think the ragweed hype is a bit excessive. I know grant woods and some folks talk it up but I swear I’ve seen little to no use. I live in a neighborhood with 350 acres of open undeveloped space. There are deer everywhere and very poor habitat. They are malnourished for sure yet we have ragweed everywhere from a lot of disturbance from construction. They would rather pick through a fescue hay field than touch the ragweed
SD51555
5 year old buck +
There's definitely a browse vs gorge preference on that, and many species. I planted a pound of ragweed last year across an acre and a half for sh*ts and giggles. My theory is that it will not be able to take hold. I did end up with maybe one plant every fifteen feet or so in one of my two plots, and none were browsed. Still, I don't mind the big root from it. I'm growing on pond dig spoils and need the fiber to make some pilot holes. It's all been mowed off as of a week ago.
I've seen some crazy stuff get browsed a little on my place, and some things really get hammered after a couple seasons to get used to it. The first year I had lots of tag alder regen, there was zero browse anywhere. Now, I bet they get about 5-10% of it. Not nearly enough to keep it down, but interesting nonetheless. First year I had diamond willow regen, it wasn't touched either. I thought for sure i'd have to keep on this if I was to get a good release on my desirables. They've come to really put a hurtin' on the diamond willow browse in subsequent years.
I have to speak up for my friend, ragweed (Common ragweed, not giant). The deer hammer it on my place and while my habitat could stand some improvement, it certainly isn't lacking. At times its hard to find a plant that hasn't been hit. It's 18% protein ( Genus Ambrosia or food of the gods), has very high calorie seeds for the turkeys and quail, and the cover it provides for young poults is second to none. of course, that cover also shades food plot growth so I love it only for old fields or along the edge of plots. I haven't had patches big enough (until this year) to give fawning cover, but supposedly it's good for that. Obviously, the deer hit it hard when it's young, but I'll have some stalks hit when they are over 12 inches in height. When I see it, I quit spraying. I have a lot of grass to get rid of still, but I'm gonna be sure to spray it next year before the ragweed shows up or use clethodim over gly.
j-bird
Moderator
I see deer use the ragweed when it is young, tender and actively growing in the late spring early summer. I have seen the deer walk the edge of a fresh soybean field and still nip the top off of every ragweed plant they can find along that edge. Like many browse plants, once it matures it's not as desirable to the deer. I keep it out of my plots and the like, but I don't worry about it in my buffers and the like. I mow it in my plots and the deer still like the new growth, as mowing it high only tends to set it back and not actually kill it.
Nightvision
5 year old buck +
Just because a deer eats it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good plant to have. I’m in middle Georgia and they eat pigweed down here. If I could snap my fingers and do away with that mess, it would be gone. I think satan himself sent it up from the depths of hell.
