Its popularity with poultry earned it the name chickweed, and some people agree, touting Stellaria media as another weed that makes a tasty salad ingredient. For many gardeners, however, this creeping annual is first and foremost an aggressive lawn and garden weed. Partial to nutrient-rich soil, chickweed plants mature quickly. In less than six weeks, chickweed can progress from seedling to flowering to seed-setting, with each new plant capable of producing up to 15,000 seeds in one season.
Chickweed is a low spreading plant that continues to throw out new roots that allow it to hold tenaciously to the soil. The density and spread of the roots make it a difficult weed to pull.
Weed preventers like trifluralin (Preen) stop weed seeds from sprouting, effectively preventing new weeds from happening. Used in combination with mulch, pre-emergence herbicides form an effective barrier against new weed growth.
12/21/2011 2:08:10 AM
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