Weed or something I planted?

Discussion in 'Plants: Identification' started by Marcus, Jun 28, 2018.

  1. Marcus

    Marcus New Member

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    Hi folks, I started doing some gardening early this year. I dont know what I am doing yet. I got a 72 cell indoor planeter and have been placing all sorts of seeds in it. I successfully grew some pumpkins, tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, and jasmine but I have three plants that I cant ID.

    Preface: All three grew within a 6 cell block which makes them very suspect as something I planted but for the life of me I cannot remember what I planted in those blocks. Its a linear leaf plant that grows very fast. All three sprouted about the same time and one got so big I transplanted it outside where it grew exponentially faster. Its obviously sprawling across the ground and is anchoring itself at various points in the sprawl. It is really cool but I am starting to think that its a common weed.

    Can anyone help ID it? I have attached two pics. One of the plant indoor and another of the one I planted outside. Again, they are all the same age, only difference is one was moved outside. Both plants in the pictures are about 2-3 months old. And we are in San Diego, CA.
     

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  2. Marcus

    Marcus New Member

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    Okay so I have been researching this thing and finally ran across a weed called crabgrass. In a lot of ways this looks similar but mine seems to have larger leaves and some of the stems are purple. Can anyone verify if this is indeed crabgrass?
     
  3. Margot

    Margot Renowned Contributor 10 Years

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    That certainly looks like crabgrass to me, ie. a weed. Many websites talk about how to eradicate it but you have the advantage right now of not letting it go to seed. More to the point, pull it up immediately! Take a look at the roots. It could be that it is another grass that causes problems, especially in lawns - quackgrass or couchgrass (Aropyron repens). Unlike crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis), quackgrass is perennial and grows from an ever-expanding network of underground rhizomes. To my eye your interloper looks more like crabgrass. (It's possible that the seeds were already in the soil mix you planted seeds in.) Whatever it is, the main thing is to get rid of it, now. To be on the safe side, don't even put it in the compost unless it is dried thoroughly first.
     
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  4. Marcus

    Marcus New Member

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    Thank you! I threw away the ones in my plant cells and will root the outside one 1st thing in the morning. Kind of sad because it is the best growing thing I have grown so far lol. Though the pumpkins are doing awesome too, or at least I think they are... their flowers keep dying after a few days so I am not sure if they have enough time to even pollinate.
     
  5. Margot

    Margot Renowned Contributor 10 Years

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    Hi Marcus,
    I see you are new to this forum and perhaps new to gardening too. One of the best ways I have found to learn more about gardening, especially in a particular area, is to join a garden club. Most clubs regularly bring in experts to speak on many aspects of gardening. You will meet all sorts of people with different experiences who will be happy to share their knowledge. Also, you will likely have opportunities to visit other gardens in your neighbourhood and learn from other gardeners what works and does not work for them. We all learn from experience of course but can save a lot of time by hearing about the successes and failures of gardeners around us.
     
  6. vitog

    vitog Contributor 10 Years

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    Marcus, regarding the pumpkin flowers, the first ones to appear on the vines are usually male flowers; and it is normal for them to die after a few days. Later, both male and female flowers will appear, allowing proper pollination of the female flowers, which have obvious baby pumpkins at their bases, unlike the male flowers.
     

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