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Other details: May be a noxious weed or invasive This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater Requires consistently moist soil; do not let dry out between waterings
Soil pH requirements: 5.6 to 6.0 (acidic) 6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic) 6.6 to 7.5 (neutral) 7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline)
Patent Information: Non-patented
Propagation Methods: From seed; direct sow outdoors in fall From seed; direct sow after last frost
Seed Collecting: Collect seedhead/pod when flowers fade; allow to dry
On Feb 22, 2009, imapigeon from Gilroy (Sunset Z14), CA (Zone 9a) wrote:
Success? I wish I were LESS successful with this darn plant! It reseeds like crazy and engulfs everything in sight. As far as I'm concerned, it's a weed, and the only thing it's good for is "green" in my compost pile!
On Feb 18, 2008, Malus2006 from Coon Rapids, MN (Zone 4a) wrote:
I will consider this weed on my list of 10 worst weeds - (chuckles) easy to pull out? Nooooooooo - they are actually one of the hardest weed to pull out. Know Why? They have very weak stems so when you pull on them only the upper section comes out of the ground leaving the roots behind and they are a pain to get rid of because the roots are so tiny and just as weak as the stems and cling to the soil particles. They loves shade and are more of a cool season plant even thought they will bloom all growing season, even in hot summers.
On Oct 3, 2006, Sherlock_Holmes from Millersburg, PA (Zone 6a) wrote:
"The Encyclopedia of Edible Plants of North America: Nature's Green Feast" by Francois Couplan, Ph.D. has this to say about Chickweed.
"S. media - introduced from Europe - is undoubtedly one of the best wild salads. Leaves and stems are tender and juicy with a delicate nutty flavor, and the plants are easy to gather in large quantities. Chickweed also makes an excellent potherb. The tiny seeds are also edible, but are tedious to gather.
In Japan, it is traditionally eaten in the spring with rice and other wild plants. It is also used for making tea.
Chickweed is known to contain vitamin C, minerals, a fixed oil, and some saponin. It is tonic, diuretic, expectorant, and slightly laxative."
"Edible Wild Plants of Eastern North America" by Fernald & Kinsey has this to say about it.
"The common Chickweed of gardens and damp, shaded dooryards is not to be despised as a mere weed, for many European authors are enthusiastic in their praises of it as a substitute for spinach. Thus, Mrs. Lankester went so far as to say: "When boiled, it forms an excellent green vegetable resembling spinach in flavor, and is very wholesome." Others speak of it as having little taste, but as being a good padding to add bulk to other spinaches. Only the young, vigorously growing tips should be used, since the older bases of the plant become stringy with age."
One vendor has this plant for sale.
