What on earth is this monstrosity?

[journey11]

It looks like a small corn plant, about 2-3 feet tall. The leaves are about an inch and a half wide. The rhizomes are as thick as my finger and are making a RUN for it.

I saw it pop up earlier in the season and I dug out a couple plants with the turning fork. Guess I must have missed some pieces and it spread when DH tilled the area. There are about 20 of them now. I think it must have come in with a truckload of "garden soil" my DH purchased that was really just top soil/fill dirt. And here I thought there couldn't be anything worse than quackgrass. SMH! This is probably gonna take drastic measures.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Look up Johnson Grass.

 

[baymule]

Yup, looks like Johnson grass to me. I've seen it get as big as a big stalk of corn and it GROWS! It seeds like crazy too. AKA Sudan grass. It makes OK cow hay. Very invasive.

 

[catjac1975]

Wow it does look like corn. I would have left it too long!

 

[bj taylor]

I have been fighting this for FOREVER! the roots go so deep it's next to impossible to get out. every little piece of root takes off

 

[thistlebloom]

How awful for you! Like the regular resident weeds aren't annoying enough, now you have immigrants!!

 

[catjac1975]

That's how I feel about comfrey. We had 2 original plants turn in thousands in our veggie garden. We have been waging war on them for the last few years. We had dug out every last plant in the spring. I went to mow down some dried up peas and weeds and there were dozens of giant comfrey flourishing in my rich soil. Every last bit of root turned into a new big plant. GGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRR.

I have been fighting this for FOREVER! the roots go so deep it's next to impossible to get out. every little piece of root takes off

 

[NwMtGardener]

WHOA. That looks bad

 

[journey11]

Yep, I think you guys are right. I read an article on ways to contend with Johnsongrass. I am going to try hand-digging it one more time before I resort to an herbicide. This is one mean weed and I don't want to let it get any further than it has.

 

[baymule]

Johnson grass murder is not only permissible, it is legal and recommended.