TN gardeners - good weed? Bad weed? (live, eat)

[CountryGirl2b=]

I have these little purple guys covering about 1/3 of my tiny back yard this year. Should I used weed killer on them or just live with them? In CT we did have 'clover' with white flowers. I see these everywhere. Someone said just mow them and the bottom bits will be green.

Any thoughts as to what they are and how I should deal with them??? Thanks!!

[nashvols]

Not the worst thing in the world, but be careful, they can take over a whole yard. I don't think you need to use Roundup (unless you are one of those pure grass lawn people)...but definitely keep it cut or it can spread pretty rapidly.

[flower54]

Don't know what they're called, but they spread, very fast. I usually just pull them up. The root pulls up fairly easy.

[sfitz]

They are all over this year. Fields of them everywhere

[Reactionary]

Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule).

You can eat it if you want. If you do nothing it will die out when the weather warms up and you start mowing.

You can kill it with 2-4D (used in most weed and feeds like Scotts Turf Builder - but it's too early to feed warm season lawns like bermuda so just use weed killer like Ortho Weed B Gone). You can use Roundup when bermudagrass is dormant (but it's too late to use now - bermuda is about to green up). The best time to kill henbit is in the fall while it's young.

Lamium amplexicaule - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Henbit has been an esteemed vegetable for a long time. Their mild, sweet taste stands in contrast to the crisp leaves usually put in salads. John Gerard, the English herbalist for whom the Geradia is named, wrote of Henbit some 400 years ago: “The floures are baked with sugar as Roses are, which is called Sugar roset: as also the distilled water of them, which is used to make the heart merry, to make a good colour in the face, and to refresh the vitall spirits.”

Henbit: Top of the pecking order | Eat The Weeds and other things, too

[DonCorleone]

Thanks for the question and responses...I've got this stuff too and can attest that it went from a very very minor presence last year to a full blown infestation this year. So bad that I'm going to have to mow it this weekend...which will look weird since the rest of my bermuda yard is completely brown.

[CountryGirl2b=]

Thanks SO much for the info! It is . . . very . . . prevalent. Nice to know it will die out. I think I will see how far I get with trying to pull it up. If not, then I will use Weed B Gone. The lady who lives next door does NOTHING to her yard and I believe that's where they came from. I need to 'nip them in the bud' so to speak.

I can eat it if I want . . do you have a recipe for Henbit Pesto????

(I personally believe they were planted by the cicadas . . . .:eek

[Wartrace]

Originally Posted by sfitz

They are all over this year. Fields of them everywhere

My yard is covered with them. I like the color so I haven't done anything to them. I figure when I do the first cut they will be gone and feed the other grass.

[CountryGirl2b=]

OK, here's what is underneath the purple weeds! Basically my backyard is a weed farm . . . oh, I mean an HERB garden.

Have half the yard free of the purple Cicada plant . . it is slightly easy to pull up - the older taller ones are easiest.

So, what is THIS and I'm guessing I should pull it up also????

Then can I throw some grass seed around and hope for the best?

Weed #2

[BimsBandBooms]

Looks more like Purple Deadnettle to me, but I think that's the same family as henbit anyhoo.