Shepherd's Purse

Last Thursday, we began a new season of IPM crop scouting at the BCCAC.  One of the weeds we identified during our session was Shepard's Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris). Shepherd's purse is a winter annual or biennial plant that reproduces by seed and is a member of the Mustard family. 

Three major characteristics separate the mustard family from all other plant families:

1. The stamens are tetradynamous, meaning there are four long stamens and two short stamens in each flower (six in total).
2. Each flower bears four petals that form a cross, hence the alternate family name“Cruciferae,” from the Latin cruciform which means “cross-shaped.”
3. The seed pods each have a thin, translucent inner membrane, the replum, that separates the two chambers of the pod, and to which the seeds are attached

 A plant must have all three characteristics to be a mustard.

Shepherd's Purse consists of a rosette of basal leaves up to 9" across, from which one or more flowering stalks develop that are little branched and up to 2½' tall. The size of a plant varies considerably with the fertility of the soil and availability of moisture.  Flowers on Shepherd's-purse are small and white with 4 petals set in the shape of a cross. They are 1/12 to 1/6" wide and occur in elongated clusters at ends of branches on slender stems. Shepherd's Purse can be a problem in grain crops since it can reduce yields.


History

Shepherd's Purse is a literal translation of the species name, bursa-pastoris, which refers to the shape of the seed pods. The pods resemble the pouches carried by early European peasants. Worn at the waist, these purses were packed with enough food to last the day when shepherds tended their flocks far from home.

In southern Europe and southwestern Asia, shepherd's purse has been prized since ancient times for its medicinal value. A tea made from the dried crushed leaves has long been used to stop internal hemorrhages, especially of the stomach, lungs, uterus, and kidneys. During World War I Shepherd's Purse was used to stop internal hemorrhages.

Control

Shepherd's purse has a slender taproot and can be easily hand-pulled or hoed from moist soil in flower and vegetable gardens while plants are young.

In lawns, post-emergent herbicides provide easier control of Shepherd's purse than pre-emergents. Spot treat by spraying individual plants, rather than applying a weed and feed over the entire lawn. If you would rather not spray, the herbicide can be brushed on instead. Apply the herbicide in mid-spring and again in mid-autumn if a new crop of shepherd's purse emerges.

These herbicides are most effective when temperatures are between 60-80 degrees F. Do not spray if temperatures are projected to exceed 85 degrees within the next 48 hours. Choose a time when no rain is forecast for at least 24 and preferably 48 hours. To avoid herbicide drift, spray only when the air is still. Drift can harm or kill desirable broadleaf plants such as flowers, vegetables, trees and shrubs.

Additional Information

UC - Davis - Weed Gallery

Virginia Tech Weed Gallery Photos of Shepherd's Purse

Flora of China - Capsella bursa-pastoris

Penn State - Shepherd's Purse

PA wildflowers by the month - The Rice Pages

The Mustard Family

Mustard Identification - Washington State University

IPM Training

About thirty Rutgers Master Gardeners attended a basic IPM training session this morning . The training was held to prepare participants for the upcoming IPM work at the BCCAC.

More Progress at BCCAC and an IPM Training Reminder

Yesterday, we continued work on the demonstration plots.  Plots were weeded and a weed barrier was applied to the edges of the pollinator demonstration plot.  We were also able to construct a container for our composting demonstration plot. See the photos below.

Compost demonstration plot

Pollinator demonstration plot

Applying weed barrier to the edge of the demonstration plot

I want to remind Rutgers Master Gardeners that Burlington County Agricultural Agent Bill Bamka will be leading the first 2013 Rutgers Master Gardener Advanced Training in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) on Monday, April 22 at 9:00 AM in the kitchen at RCE Westampton. The classroom session will be followed by a field training session on Thursday, April 25 at 9:30 AM at the Burlington County Community Agricultural Center (BCCAC) at 500 Centerton Rd. in Moorestown.  For more information please contact Brooke McMinn at bmcminn@co.burlington.nj.us.

In the beginning ....

A new cycle of planting and growing is about to begin at the Burlington County Agricultural and Community Center.  The demonstration plots have been prepared for the upcoming growing season.  The photographs below show the plots as they stood at the beginning of the week of April 8th.  In addition sharing IPM information, we will be monitoring and reporting on the results of our demonstration plots through weekly postings.  Stay tuned for an exciting season of growing and learning!

Herb demonstration plot

Herb demonstration plot

Active composting plot

Quinoa demonstration plot

Blueberry demonstration plot

Demonstration plot

Peanut demonstration plot

Tomato demonstration

Hops demonstration plot

BCCAC Work Day and Demo Gardens

On April 4th we had another productive work day at the Burlington County Community Agricultural Center (BCCAC).  The demonstration plots for this year's crops were weeded and mulched.  Thank you to everyone who came out and helped to make the day a resounding success.

Mulching the demo hops.	Cleaning the blueberry plot.
Preparing the demo hops.	Applying finishing touches to the blueberry plot.
Beginning work on the last demo plot.	A finished demo plot.

Mission accomplished.

Winter Weeds

Purple Deadnettle (Lamium purpureum)

Walking in the alley behind my house I notice these nice little flowers and was reminded that now is a good time to start your winter weed control.  I have gathered some information that may be useful for identifying weeds as well as some IPM methods for controlling weeds.  If you remain persistent and develop a good weed management program you will slowly reduce the weed populations in your garden.  Each successive season will make it easier and easier to maintain weed free garden.

IPM Strategies for Weed Control

• Identify the weed.
• Dig or pull the weeds in the winter or spring before they flower and set seed for the next year.
• Use good sanitation practices to prevent the spread of weeds. Small weed seeds can be spread by machines, clothing, pets, and by contaminated seed.
• If necessary, for the established weeds in your garden the best time to apply post-emergent herbicides is early spring when the weeds are actively growing but before they go to seed.
• To prevent germination of the seeds of winter annual weeds, apply a pre-emergent herbicide in late summer or early fall before the weed seeds have germinated.
• Follow-up the application of herbicides with non-chemical methods such as installing mulch, pulling weeds, or filling cracks.

Information Regarding Herbicides

• Be sure the label lists the weed you want to control.
• An herbicide will kill all susceptible plants, not just weeds. Make sure the label says it’s safe to use on or around the plants in your lawn, garden, or landscape.
• Be sure the weeds are in a stage that is susceptible to the herbicide.
• Herbicides that kill most plants they contact are called non-selective.
• Weed killers that control some kinds of plants but not others are called selective herbicides.
• Herbicides that control the germinating seeds before plants emerge from the soil are called pre-emergent herbicides. They won’t control weeds that already have emerged.
•  Use post-emergent herbicides to control plants that already have emerged.
• The younger the weed, the better a post-emergent herbicide will work.

Please try to minimize the use of pesticides that pollute our waterways. Use non-chemical alternatives or less toxic pesticide products whenever possible. Read product labels carefully and follow instructions on proper use, storage and disposal.

Weed ID links	Weed ID links	Weed ID links
Arenaria serpyllifolia (sandwort, thymeleaf )	Lactuca serriola (lettuce, prickly)	Ranunculus abortivus (buttercup, smallflower)
Barbarea vulgaris (rocket, yellow)	Lamium amplexicaule (henbit)	Brassica kaber (mustard, wild)
Capsella bursa-pastoris (shepherd's-purse)	Lamium purpureum (deadnettle, red)	Sisymbrium officinale (mustard, hedge)
Cardamine hirsuta (bittercress)	Lepidium campestre (pepperweed, field)	Stellaria media (chickweed, common)
Conyza canadensis (horseweed)	Lepidium virginicum (pepperweed, Virginia)	Thlaspi arvense (pennycress, field)
Erodium cicutarium (filaree, redstem)	Matricaria matricariodes (pineappleweed)	Veronica arvensis (speedwell, corn)
Hibiscus trionum (mallow, venice)	Potentilla norvegica (cinquefoil, rough)	Veronica peregrina (speedwell, purslane)

Additional Resources

University of Tennessee - Deadnettle and Henbit

Rutgers University - Weed Gallery

UMass Amhurst - Weed Herbarium