Weed of the Week: Common Lambsquarters

Jingjing Yin, Commercial Ornamental Horticulture Specialist Cornell Cooperative Extension Capital Area Agriculture and Horticulture Program  Common lambsquarters (Chenopodium album L.) is a broadleaf summer annual.  It is one member of the goosefoot family.  It was once thought to be a native of Europe and Asia.  However, recent archaeological studies show that the seeds were stored Read More…

Weed of the Week: White Campion

Laura McDermott, Senior Extension Associate CCE ENYCHP White Campion (Silene latifolia subsp. Alba), also known as White Cockle and incorrectly as Bladder Campion (Silene vulgaris), is an annual dioecious flowering plant native to most of Europe, Western Asia and Northern Africa and has become naturalized throughout North America with the greatest density found in north Read More…

Weed of the Week: Hairy Galinsoga

Jingjing Yin, Commercial Ornamental Horticulture Cornell Cooperative Extension Capital Area Agriculture and Horticulture Program  Hairy galinsoga (Galinsoga quadriradiata) is a seed-producing summer annual.  Seedlings are erect with round cotyledons and a multibranched stem.  Stems are usually sparsely hairy.  Mature plants’ densely hairy stems reach 4-28” (10-70 cm) in height.  Coarse hairs are present on leaf stalks, Read More…

Weed of the Week: The Bedstraws

Aaron Gabriel, Extension Educator Cornell Cooperative Extension Capital Area Agriculture and Horticulture Program  Smooth Bedstraw, Galium mollugo L.  Catchweed bedstraw, Galium aparine L.  False cleavers, Galium spurium L.   The bedstraws and false cleavers are weeds mostly of hay fields and pastures, where they are highly competitive.  Livestock usually avoid these weeds, although some will eat them.  Bedstraws are slightly toxic.  Read More…

Weed of the Week: Oriental Bittersweet

Laura Griffen McDermott, Senior Extension Associate Oriental Bittersweet is one of the most destructive weeds that perennial crop farmers and landowners confront.  One of our readers encouraged us to include this challenging weed in our series, and because it has become such a problem for blueberry growers, we are focusing on it this week.    Celastrus Read More…

Weed of the Week – Marestail / Horseweed

Aaron Gabriel, Cornell Cooperative Extension  Horseweed or Marestail, Conyza canadensis, is a very problematic weed across New York, especially in reduced tillage systems and soybean crops.  Marestail is resistant to several herbicides, including glyphosate, but that does not mean it is hard to control.  Marestail grows as both a winter annual (germinating in the late Read More…

Weed of the Week – Canada Thistle

Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) is a weed in the Aster family that has become more challenging in specialty crop systems, pastures and disturbed sites.  Reduced tillage cropping systems struggle with Canada thistle because it spreads through seeds and underground root systems that can extend 20 feet deep and 17 feet across.  It is found throughout Read More…

Weed of the Week: Goldenrod

Jingjing Yin, Commercial Ornamental Horticulture, Cornell Cooperative Extension Capital Area Agriculture and Horticulture Program Goldenrod (Solidago) is a genus of herbaceous perennials in the aster family with up to 120 species and numerous cultivars. It is a tall and slim plant about 2-5 feet in height. It displays small, bright yellow flowers in dense clusters on top Read More…