For many hobby gardeners it is simply a weed in the lawn. Common chickweed is actually an edible plant. But you should definitely be able to recognize the chickweed. Because there is a risk of confusion with the poisonous field gauchheil.
Recognizing chickweed: Where does it grow in the garden?
In the lawn, in the vegetable patch or on the edge of the garden: chickweed can be found everywhere in the garden and in the park. The adaptable medicinal herb is widespread nationwide and grows in nitrogen-rich, moderately fresh soil with a pH value between 6.5 and 4. It thrives well in both full sun and partial shade and can easily tolerate changes in lighting conditions.
Chickweed is widespread in this country and can be found both in coastal regions and in Alpine areas. Perhaps also because the annual plant spreads quickly via seeds. The seeds germinate even at low temperatures. What is typical for chickweed is that one oftennext to the weedssees ants. The insects collect the seeds and thus support the rapid spread of the medicinal plant.
How can you identify common chickweed? Growth, leaves and flowers
Chickweed often goes unnoticed for long periods: thanks to its small, snow-white flowers and tiny, grass-green egg-shaped leaves, it often goes unnoticed in the lawn or between the flowers in the bed. Only upon closer inspection can you recognize the carpet-forming plant in the lawn - especially by its flat-lying shoots. The ground cover rarely reaches its maximum height of 40 cm. Its shoots often droop. When they come into contact with the soil, the plant forms new roots from them. This form of root formation helps the chickweed to quickly spread over larger areas.
The wild herb has a very long flowering period, which extends from February to November. It can pollinate itself, which makes it much easier to reproduce. This once again encourages their spread in the garden. So if you spot the medicinal plant in a corner of your outdoor area, you should fight it immediately.
The fruits that bear the fox-red seeds look like small green capsules.
What looks similar but is poisonous?
The annual field gauchheil is, similar to chickweed, a wild plant. However, it is poisonous and, if consumed, can cause headaches and lead to digestive problems. However, consumption is dangerous for children and pets. So if you think that someone in your household has eaten Acker-Gauchheil, you should definitely contact a doctor.
The Acker-Gauchheil is not native and actually comes from the southeastern parts of Europe. But it spreads just as quickly in the garden. Similar to chickweed, it needs nitrogen-rich and moderately moist soil. Its young shoots originally lie on the ground, but then grow upright. Its shoots are also slightly branched, its leaves are egg-shaped, grass-green and smooth. Fortunately, there are also differences. However, you should be very careful to recognize them.
False chickweed: How the poisonous field chickweed is different
1. Chickweed has hairy stems (or at least one side of the stems is heavily hairy). The Acker-Gauchheil has smooth stems.
2. The flowering period of the chickweed has already begun in April, but the field gauchheil does not bloom until June.
3. The chickweed has white flowers and the field gauchheil has orange flowers.
Fighting chickweed: How to weed and utilize the plant
You can't achieve much with weeding because you only tear off the above-ground parts of the plant. The shallow roots are actually very strong and often remain undamaged. Then it is only a matter of time before the plant sprouts again.
If you want to successfully weed the chickweed, you should do so after a heavy rain. If the soil is really moist, the roots can be loosened without much effort. A good time for this is spring, because then it rains more often and the plant has not yet formed any capsule fruits. This way, early action can prevent it from spreading in the garden.
By the way, you can leave some of the plants standing. They protect the soil from erosion and prevent the water in the soil from evaporating quickly. You can simply cover the rest with mulch and the chickweeds will die.
Green manure with chickweed
Chickweed is perfect for use as a green manure in the garden. However, you should weed the plants now so that they do not have any fruit capsules yet. Then it is sown in autumn and then cut before the beginning of winter. The clippings are then incorporated into the soil.
Is the wild herb edible?
Although the wild herb is edible, you should first make sure that it is the real plant. By the way, you can also feed animals with chickweed.
