Does mulching with straw bring in chickweed?
Yes, mouse-ear chickweed (Cerastium fontanum) is a common weed of cereals and can contaminate straw mulch. Why do I have so much more chickweed now than in the past years? Chickweed seed has probably built-up in the soils of your farm. Chickweed can produce as many as 6,500 seeds per plant. Chickweed seed can remain viable in soils for over 40 years. Modeling studies indicate that it may take 6 to 9 years of complete chickweed control to deplete 95 percent of the chickweed seed bank. Chickweed seed can found in cow and horse manure, bird droppings and flood water. Are warmer winters and low hoops just bringing it out more? Yes, chickweed in the Midwestern United States is generally a winter annual, but can in warmer climates – or in hoops, tunnels and greenhouses – be a short-lived perennial (living three to four years). Chickweed emergence generally occurs in mid to late September through early November with a smaller emergence peak in March. Warmer winters will extend emergence into
