[Arid_gardener] weird weed

[fawziamai at aol.com]

Thanks, Starlene,
   The website was very informative. I guess I'll have to just keep on pulling and throwing then. It's almost impossible to remove them all.
Regards,
Fawzia 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Starlene Stewart <starlene at access4less.net>
To: fawziamai at aol.com
Cc: arid_gardener at CALS.arizona.edu
Sent: Wed, 21 Jun 2006 08:43:50 -0700 (GMT-07:00)
Subject: Re: [Arid_gardener] weird weed


Your description sounds like the parasitic dodder.  Check this site for your "weed".  
http://www.swarthmore.edu/NatSci/cpurrin1/dodder.htm
 
The first time I had this I took a sample of it to a local nursery and they identified it for me.  I was told it is (the seeds?) spread by bird feces.
 
I think you just have to remove them as soon as you see them.  Once I removed that one I had, I never had itagain for years.
 
HTH,
Starlene, not a master gardener
-----Original Message----- 
From: fawziamai at aol.com 


Hello,
   For the past few years, a very strange weed has appeared in my vegetable beds. It looks like a lot of yellow tendrils with no roots, stems or leaves. They attach themselves with little suckers that dig into the stems of the vegetables, when they strangle one enough, it dies.  Eventually, they form little ball-like flowers, rather whitish in color, and then wilt off. I have not been able to rid the beds of them, in spite of pulling them off by the bundle and throwing them away, so I let the whole bed go fallow this year, thinking that I will solarize it next summer. I prepared new beds out of the area of an ex-compost pile, at least 10 yards away, and next thing I know, those yellow tendrils are there again. They started off rather greenish, so I thought they were from the squash or the watermelons, but as they grew older, they turned again yellow, and I recognized them. 
   I am pretty sure they are NOT from the squash or the watermelons. I planted other things before that had NO tendrils, such as Jew's Mallow and spinach and they still invaded them.
   What are they and how can I possibly get rid of them? (preferably organically).
REgards,
FAwzia
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