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Help identifying these weeds in central california coastal valley

 
Posts: 44
Location: Central Coast, CA
4
trees building homestead
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Hi everyone,

Doing some work with a plot of land in central california coastal valley filled with coastal live oak. Cleared a thick layer of leaf litter to remove some big rocks underneath, and these three plants have sprung up in place of the removed leaf litter pretty rampantly.

Trying to identify so I can get some idea as to current soil condition. Second question, how can I tell when these are about to go to seed so I can cut them down and mulch with them beforehand?

Thinking this one might be sonchus of some type?


And this one maybe anthriscus of some type? or perhaps hemlock?


And this looks similar to a long growing grass to me, but no idea what it might be. Interspersed among the top two.


Much thanks for the help!
 
Posts: 130
Location: Northern California
2
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I'm terrible at identifying plants, but no one wiser has chimed in, so I'll try. The top one looks like thistle, though I couldn't tell you which one-- maybe sow thistle. We have plenty of that on our property, though a lot less than we used to. Chickens love it when it's young, but leave it be when it gets older and spiky.

We have lots of the other one-- the one that looks like carrot greens-- too. It's a lovely plant until it dries up and leaves its bur seeds. In my head I call it wild carrot, but it's probably chervil.
 
Wes Cooke
Posts: 44
Location: Central Coast, CA
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trees building homestead
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Mountain,

Thanks for the reply. I'm thinking you're right, with both. Not sure if the second one is wild chervil or bur chervil, but seems like a chervil of some sort.

Come spring I'd like to plant an area currently containing these young weeds with annual vegetables. Recommend chop and drop for these weeds a little bit before planting? Or will that thistle cause any problems if I wait too long?

Thanks,

Wes
 
Mountain Krauss
Posts: 130
Location: Northern California
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Chop & drop should work fine with the chervil. In my experience, thistle gets spiky well before chervil goes to seed, so how to handle it depends on your willingness to get scratched up. Our chickens manage them for us, but if I didn't have chickens, I'd chop & drop both whenever the thistle got too spiky for my tastes. When ready to plant, I'd do a final chop & drop, cover with compost, then plant into the compost.
 
Posts: 14
Location: Mariposa, California, USDA zone 7b
6
chicken greening the desert
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The second one looks like hemlock.
 
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