!! SEPP to Boot: Stephen's Experience (BEL)

Phil Stevens wrote:Does it have milky sap? Then it's some sort of lettuce or perhaps sow thistle (puha). I've found that the more prickly the leaves, the less bitter they tend to be. Worth a taste?

I'll have a closer look at it tomorrow (there's still plenty to spare that we haven't plucked-out yet), and maybe video-record a taste test.

Stephen B. Thomas wrote:Here's fellow Boot JP doing the dirty deed.

Do you suppose in Australia they would say it was done dirt cheap?

Stabby fern...prickly lettuce...y'all are cracking me up.  That's definitely a thistle - I can never remember Russian versus Canada thistle, but it doesn't matter...perennial, long tap root.

Also, Suzanne's most hated weed, so you're in good company.

After having searched the font of knowledge, I'd suspect it is Canada thistle (which is native to Europe, not Canada and is considered invasive in many places...sigh).  Here's a decent looking ID guide:  Thistle Identification.  It has a bit of a decision tree that can help confirm an ID.  There was also a decent looking page from Oklahoma State U Extension including some native thistles.

Good luck.

Stephen B. Thomas wrote:The auger does a good job at this task, breaking up soil and kicking out large rocks. One curious thing we observed is that smaller rocks are basically tumbled round in the hole being drilled. This is the view after a prolonged drilling session. That's some of the cleanest gravel I've seen come out of the ground here at the Lab. In this run, there was probably a good seven or so inches of gravel remaining at the bottom.

That looks pretty ideal for setting a wooden post into - gravel sock?

I'm in agreement with the others about your 'stabby fern'. It looks like what I would call 'creeping thistle'; spreads by underground runners (as well as seed if you have unrelated plants). https://pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?LatinName=Cirsium+arvense Yours looks rather more stocky than mine, so it may be something slightly different, or just climate dependant growth. No easy solution I'm afraid, cut it before it flowers to stop it setting seed. Repeated cutting/pulling will weaken it, but it seems to tolerate a fair amount of shade even here. I suspect drought might kill it, so it will spread more as your soil there improves! I suspect that the root is probably the best edible bit, as the stalks are pretty thin.

Derek Thille wrote:Stabby fern...prickly lettuce...y'all are cracking me up.  That's definitely a thistle - I can never remember Russian versus Canada thistle, but it doesn't matter...perennial, long tap root.

Also, Suzanne's most hated weed, so you're in good company.

After having searched the font of knowledge, I'd suspect it is Canada thistle (which is native to Europe, not Canada and is considered invasive in many places...sigh).  Here's a decent looking ID guide:  Thistle Identification.  It has a bit of a decision tree that can help confirm an ID.  There was also a decent looking page from Oklahoma State Univ Extension including some native thistles.

Good luck.

Have a closer look at the flower buds on the left, Derek. I would have said Canada thistle as well until I saw those. We have a type of puha here that is far pricklier than the others and it is also the best tasting of the bunch...hence my theory that the less bitter plants use the physical deterrent to discourage nibblers.