WEED
                                   IDENTIFICATION

 

The study of weeds and their biology is a special branch of agriculture all by itself. A productive harvest crop depends a great deal on weed control because weeds being naturally more aggressive, rob nutrients from the soil that are meant to fatten up our crops.

Here are some photo illustrations of common weeds found in your garden (courtesy of State University of NJ-Rutgers).

 

What is the best method to use for getting rid of the weeds in your garden? The least toxic way may not be the best thing for your back. If your garden is not totally over run with weeds, a simple hand weeder implement, preferably with a long handle, will get the tops, root and all. But for folks with a substantial amount of weeds, choose a chemical that is least toxic to humans and animals, and also one that is least persistent in the environment and soil. It is important to know what kind of weed you are dealing with. Some herbicides will kill certain kinds of weeds only. So it helps to know the name of the weed
you have.

 

Some weeds are locality specific for your region. In general, you can cross reference material from almost any state because weeds are aggressive, hardy, grow under almost any
condition and are hard to kill.

Weed control methods and how to control weeds may be locality specific for your region and state. Be sure to contact your County Extension Agent before you decide to spray for advice. Control by means other than spraying with toxic herbicides is usually preferable.

Want to know what is the name of that weed in your garden?

The sites listed below have excellent photographs of weeds, with plant descriptions, habitat, and information on control. There are excellent photos of the juvenile and the flowering stage; with close-up photos of the flowers and fruit.

 

● http://www.wssa.net/Weeds/ID/PhotoGallery.htm

The Weed Science Society of America has a good identification site with a photo gallery.
 

● http://ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/weeds_common.html has a very useful weed photo gallery.
 

● http://calphotos.berkeley.edu//flora/

has a comprehensive list of weeds with a photo gallery. You can choose a weed from an alphabetic list of scientific or common names and find a photo of the weed you are interested in.
 

● http://www.ppws.vt.edu/weedindex.htm  has an easy to use identification guide. Common weed names are listed alphabetically with their botanical names with excellent photos.
 

● http://weedid.aces.uiuc.edu Identify your weed here based on whether it is broad-leafed or grass-like. If you prefer, you can search based on the characteristics of the flowers, leaves, stem etc.