Which "weed" do you dislike the most?

Wayne Mackenzie wrote:

I grew up with poison oak and it had the same effect x 100.
At one point, I had so much of it in my bloodstream, my doctor said my life could be in jeopardy.

I've had a run in with poison oak, and I was about to cast a vote for the poison ivy on my property because I react badly, although now I wear a P100 respirator when unearthing and disposing of it hazmat style,

But seeing the giant hogweed, bindweed problems, bamboo... I am going to try to consider myself fortunate when I tackle the poison ivy again next Spring!

Keeping in mind that "weeds" are really just plants that happened to be in the wrong place for humans needs..
Then I would have to say Canada thistle!!
They're prolific beyond words , almost impossible to kill unless you dig them up, and some have Roots several feet deep.
They spread like crazy, and if you walk into one without proper clothing you'll know it!!
Canada thistle gets my vote.

Tiger Pear, hands down. Opuntia Aurantiaca. Can grow into big clumps, lots of cylindrical sections covered in vicious spines which can hook onto anything- hit it with the side of an axe head and pieces will snap off and cling to the steel! It grows in any type of soil or landscape and is often the colour of the surrounding dirt. If you get it in you you need pliers to get it off. We had a sheep dog jump a fence and land on a clump of it. Yelped in pain and sat down to try to bite it out of his feet- got it stuck all over his butt as well as in and around his mouth. Took two men to hold him down while a third spent ages trying to get the spines out. I hate the stuff- and I'd love to meet the idiot who introduced it here in Australia.

Jay Wright wrote:
Tiger Pear, .... I'd love to meet the idiot who introduced it here in Australia.

🤣

Rich Rayburn wrote:Keeping in mind that "weeds" are really just plants that happened to be in the wrong place for humans needs..
Then I would have to say Canada thistle!!
They're prolific beyond words , almost impossible to kill unless you dig them up, and some have Roots several feet deep.
They spread like crazy, and if you walk into one without proper clothing you'll know it!!
Canada thistle gets my vote.

All of the weeds that plague me have been introduced from Europe:
- Canada thistle
- Yellow toadflax
- Leafy spurge

At my previous property, which had a heavy clay subsoil, Canada thistle was extremely difficult to control and basically impossible to eradicate. It's not from Canada of course -- it came from the Russian steppes, likely through infested seed grain.

At my current property, with a sandy silt subsoil, I have areas infested with yellow toadflax and leafy spurge. Again, both are introduced species. There is no good way to control these deep-rooted plants; all I can do is try to limit the spread. (I also have problems with perennial stinging nettle, also imported, but 9 years of diligent work has brought them more-or-less under control.)

Many of these are only a problem to get rid of in specific places.

If pigs will eat it and you do not mind turning the ground into to pavement fencing hogs on an area will destroy nearly all of them.  Won't work around bushes you want to keep though or small trees.   Quack grass and bind weed will fall before these.  Pigs are far better than goats for these because when something pokes its head up the pig roots down into the ground and destroys it below ground level.  Once the pigs have turned it into and earthen hard pack parking lot till the ground to get more seed to germinate and pig bomb it again.  Goats have their place in the control scheme too

Cheat grass can be controlled with livestock or proper mowing.

The ones that scare me are the ones that need hazmat gear to remove that will kill pigs and goats.

Most weeds are edible so if pigs and goats can eat it so can people.

The two I dislike the most are edible though I prefer to stick with vegetables.

I guess when I think of "weeds" I mean "aggressive, invasive introduced plants that are nearly impossible to control."

There are plenty of unwanted annuals on my property that are a nuisance but can be managed without major problems. They can go in the compost if I cut them before they set seed.

I saw a clump of really attractive tall grass growing on a bank at the local tip. I dug out a chunk and planted it at home next to one of my fish ponds. It grew incredibly well. Turned out to be Johnson Grass- took me three years to eradicate it. I recently watched a video of a young American feller slashing Johnson grass- it had taken over most of the best low lying country on his farm. Good luck mate I thought to meself:)

Jay Wright wrote:I saw a clump of really attractive tall grass growing on a bank at the local tip. I dug out a chunk and planted it at home next to one of my fish ponds. It grew incredibly well. Turned out to be Johnson Grass- took me three years to eradicate it. I recently watched a video of a young American feller slashing Johnson grass- it had taken over most of the best low lying country on his farm. Good luck mate I thought to meself:)

caution on Johnson grass is when it wilts from drought or frost often it forms poisonous nitrates or prussic acids . don't let your livestock graze on the Johnson grass during frost of draught conditions.

I live habitually barefoot, therefore, I put a lot of effort into removing plants that produce seeds with fierce spines: puncture-vine, burr buttercup. In a world with more energy, I might attempt to eradicate Canadian thistle. I often take the time to bury thistles after cutting them off, because I don't mind walking on green thistles, but dry thistles bother me a lot.

Sunroots, and perennial grasses most often cause crop failures for me.

Poison hemlock. Highly toxic, not useful for anything, smells like battery acid and isn't even pretty, spreads like wildfire and is highly resistant to all causes of plant murder I try to inflict on it.

I despise "careless weed" because it grows similar to my direct sowed plants, so can be difficult to catch right away, it's brittle and breaks easily, it can grow back from a tiny bit of root or even a clod of exposed roots and dirt baking in the sun.. and most of all because I hate garden gloves and those stinging thorns are terrible!

A close second is the mutiflora rose the govt told to spread everywhere a few decades ago. I cant get it to die, cutting it to the ground multiple times a year doesn't work, it grows back quickl6 and chokes out everything around it, and the roots are huge and deep and meandering... if i didnt like rose petal tea it would be a complete loss.

Jay Wright wrote:Tiger Pear, hands down. Opuntia Aurantiaca. Can grow into big clumps, lots of cylindrical sections covered in vicious spines which can hook onto anything- hit it with the side of an axe head and pieces will snap off and cling to the steel! It grows in any type of soil or landscape and is often the colour of the surrounding dirt. If you get it in you you need pliers to get it off. We had a sheep dog jump a fence and land on a clump of it. Yelped in pain and sat down to try to bite it out of his feet- got it stuck all over his butt as well as in and around his mouth. Took two men to hold him down while a third spent ages trying to get the spines out. I hate the stuff- and I'd love to meet the idiot who introduced it here in Australia.

I wonder if this is similar to "prickly pear" we have here? Small cactus able to grow in wet conditions with obvious cactus spines, and less obvious hair sized spines and is supposedly edible if you care to wear thick gloves and remove all the skin and rpicka from the pad or fruit.  The thing is quite resilient, and although some people like to eat it i find it a major pain for mediocre small food, with a high risk of fiberglass like pricks in the finger and mouth.