Please help me identify and kill this plant

Matt,

:wave:Fence the property and put in some goats.....they love weeds.:rofl:

Then you can have the option of getting up early and milk them....the milk would be a added bonus for you. Milk them at night when you get home from work, or before going to bed.....exercise would also be a bonus.


....and no, I wouldn't want goats myself, I'd use roundup....but then I'm not into organic.
 
The powerlines weren't even a concern for us. They are pretty far from the house as our lot is 1320' deep. These aren't the ultra-high metal skeleton-pole lines. They are on very tall wood poles, but are significantly lower to the ground than those metal ones. So I would assume they run at a lower voltage which should mean a smaller field. But regardless, they are a considerable distance from the house.

I use a fair amount of glyphosate already. I use it on the edges of my driveway and I spray it around the base of my shop, the mailbox, and the propane tank so I don't have to trim. And I'll usually make a trip around the house and spray anything that's coming up in the landscaping that shouldn't be. It already takes 2 hours to mow so anything I can do to reduce my yard maintenance time is appreciated. I usually spray about twice a season, but I should probably do it once or twice more. The problem is that there is always a breeze at my house so I can plan to spray for weeks before I get a calm morning. As mentioned above, it kills, but doesn't prevent. Ortho does sell one with a preventative built in now too, but of course its pretty expensive. I don't use it in areas where my daughter plays--we pull the weeds in her play area, though I'm going to mix up a batch of that homebrew weed killer and give it a try.

On the glyphosate concentrations--I learned right away to ignore the big print on the label and go right for the tiny print that shows the chemical make-up. Some of the RTU Roundup packages are something like 20x+ as expensive as the generic concentrate.

The organic label always cracks me up. "Organic Tomatoes" As opposed to the ones that aren't a carbon-based life form? :dunno:
 
Matt,

:wave:Fence the property and put in some goats.....they love weeds.:rofl:

Then you can have the option of getting up early and milk them....the milk would be a added bonus for you. Milk them at night when you get home from work, or before going to bed.....exercise would also be a bonus.


....and no, I wouldn't want goats myself, I'd use roundup....but then I'm not into organic.

Sheep do too. In fact there is a company in NH that uses sheep to take down the brush along powerlines in "environmentally sensitive areas." Which is another way of saying in places where people will not allow spraying or chainsaws and equipment.

They use sheep because they flock together closer then goats and of course don't tend to get out like goats. A good Sheppard, some dogs and they keep them corralled so that the sheep mow down the powerline brush. I thought that was kind of neat.
 
The organic label always cracks me up. "Organic Tomatoes" As opposed to the ones that aren't a carbon-based life form? :dunno:

I don't blame anyone for using weed control, as herbicides have their place and everyone knows I have used my share of them, not to mention some really nasty concoctions that border on being Agent Orange type stuff. Man we had some nasty, nasty stuff on the farm to kill vegatation.

(Now I am not making fun of the Agent Orange Stuff, my Dad got dumped on quite a few times in that nasty jungle and gets a disability check because of the effects of that. Since those problems are passed on genetically to any children, I am sure I got some nasties in me too.)

As for the Organic Tomatoes, I used to make fun of Organic stuff too until I started feeding only organic stuff to my daughter. You would be surprised what a difference there is in taste. Some surprises are organic peanut butter, milk, cheese and organic cheerios. Totally different taste, though I did nearly puke on a tofu chicken finger.

The thing about organic stuff is not whats in it, but what's not. A tomato, is a tomato is a tomato, but one that is grown in raised beds made out of pressure treated wood, had urea used for fertilizer, (or worse yet...human waste), and has been sprayed with insecticides and herbicides sure isn't the same as an organic tomato.

Its the same with beef, pork or lamb..huge difference in taste, plus you are not eating artificial growth hormones, steroids or antibiotics. At 900 pages, the National Organic Standards by the USDA is pretty strict and woe to anyone that tries to make money off of organics without passing the certification process,the USDA is going all out to protect the USDA Organic Label.

Right now I am looking into producing Organic Lamb and its almost impossible because of the parasites sheep commonly get. To raise sheep without booster shots or antibiotics is nearly impossible from what I can tell, and as is, I have to certify my sheep livestock and any ground that produces feed for those sheep. One pressure treated fence post will do your organic certification in. (It would leach into the ground, the grass would suck it up, and the sheep would eat the grass which would taint the meat or wool of the sheep. That is the whole premise of organic food, its wholesome food from the very beginning).
 
I don't doubt it tastes better. We've been buying some Organic stuff at Costco because the prices are good for good quality. I just think the choice of the word organic is funny. I do wonder how much of the better taste is related to the care with which it is grown vs. the actual conditions. For example if compared to the local vegtable stand which most likely doesn't use organic farming practices.
 
I don't doubt it tastes better. We've been buying some Organic stuff at Costco because the prices are good for good quality. I just think the choice of the word organic is funny. I do wonder how much of the better taste is related to the care with which it is grown vs. the actual conditions. For example if compared to the local vegetable stand which most likely doesn't use organic farming practices.

You make a huge valid point. One of the things a lot of people do when they start in with something like this is to jump right out and get Certified Organic when they really don't need too. If you are selling some sides of beef to the neighbors, they will pretty much trust you that its grass-fed, had no antibiotic injections and was raised pretty ethically, so certification is not needed.

The only time being Certified Organic helps is when you are selling to someone that doesn't really know you. In my case the Lamb Market is down in Boston and New York City so to get the market power of a distributor, you must have that proof. I'll have to get it,and pay dearly for it, but hopefully I can produce enough Certified Organic Lamb to make up the difference.

Where I live, the in-thing for the micro-farms is to get into vegetable stands and the farmers markets. With MOFGA based in my town, (organic certification) most of the vegetable stands are already organic certified. They did a study last year and found out that Maine people have the highest access to organic food and I believe it. Between the vegetable stands, the farmers markets and the organic food at our local grocery stores, its pretty reasonable price wise, and very easy to get. Now I just have to see if I can make a little money on the deal. Organic Mutton anyone? :rofl::rofl::rofl:

MOFGA: Maine Organic Farmers and Gardener's Association
 
I don't know anything about vegetables grown 'organically', but when I first got into the cattle raising thing, I studied care and feeding. I took college classes on feeds and feeding and consulted with my vet, who also raised cattle. And, I tried to stay current by reading anything I could lay my hands on regarding the subject. One big issue I learned was that cattle, of course, are a lower order animal than humans and their bodies respond much faster to environmental changes than we do. To someone raising them, that is evident. Meaning, that even if treated with antibiotics or other vaccines, after a relatively short period of time, their bodies are completely clear. There is about a 99% cleansing after just ten days and after 30 days they are as pure as can be. I fed a mineral that contained trace antibiotics but withdrew it more than 30 days before slaughter. Based on what the experts told me, I'm confident that we were eating beef that was as pure as anything labeled 'organic'.
 
Good grief Travis, you sound almost like an organic farmer :thumb: :thumb:

Matt, Travis is right weeds do thrive on unbalanced soils,
Soil samples sent to a soil lab will tell you exactly what your missing

Of course Roundup will kill it, along with everything else it gets on. If you don't want that poison around try
4 cups white vinegar
1/4 cup salt
2 teaspoons dish detergent

you may have to spray a couple times but it does work


Thanks for that homemade recipe. It seems to have done the number on some dandelions and thistles for me!
 
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