What's new
  • Happy Birthday ICMag! Been 20 years since Gypsy Nirvana created the forum! We are celebrating with a 4/20 Giveaway and by launching a new Patreon tier called "420club". You can read more here.
  • Important notice: ICMag's T.O.U. has been updated. Please review it here. For your convenience, it is also available in the main forum menu, under 'Quick Links"!

Wild plants & identifying

U

Unagi

Member
Hello everyone!

Let me start off by saying, i'm a novice when it comes to identifying plants. I'm trying to change that, and I think im headed in the right direction.

So i've been reading up on fermented plant extracts and other beneficial uses for some easily accessible plants around my area. I have access to big forests and large open fields, so i've been exploring the land. Wich has been a treat for my dog aswell.

I've been hunting 4 plants specifically and I hope I might have got them, or perhaps a relative of some sort. I went looking for Nettle, Yarrow, Comfrey and Horsetail.

So I can say without a doubt I found the first one, Nettle. I was active outdoors as a kid, and as a result I occasionally found myself stung by an unexpected patch of them. Needles to say their location is burned into my memory, and now I get to reap the rewards :dance013:

Got some pictures of what I think might be the other ones i've been looking for.

Comfrey


Horsetail
 
U

Unagi

Member
Yarrow


Extra bonus question for the hungry teachers out there. Can you use fermented plant extracts as a soil drench to replace the need for fertilizers?
 
Phineas Freak

Phineas Freak

Member
Horsetail is Horsetail!

Comfrey looks different (flowers and leaves),
Yarrow too.

I am not sure i understand your question, there are a lot of threads about teas and such?
 
U

Unagi

Member
Thank you for chiming in Phineas! I think maybe you didnt understand my question because of how stupid it is hehe. Since FPE's can be used to nutrient burn plants then it should be a great organic zero carbon footprint fertilizer.

Anyhow, I was eager to try and find these plants so I went out again.

This plant has a really strong smell, it takes over all smells immediatley.


And I found these not to far from the same spot, thought they looked a little like chamomile.


Unagi :tiphat:
 
Phineas Freak

Phineas Freak

Member
Looks like you would like to take a general biology class?

The first looks like Aegopodium podagraria. If the leaves have triangular stalks it is. The smell and taste is very distinct.
There are some plants that are highly toxic that resemble it quite a bit (ex. Conium maculatum). So make sure you get the right thing!

You are right the second looks a bit like Matricaria recutita or chamomilla, but the leaf doesn't fit and the flowers are too flat probably. Also Chamomilla has a distinct smell, you probably know.

Yarrow often grows along stoney paths or small stoney streets, i think.
Comfrey often grows in quite big patches. It has scratchy leaves. Typical flowers.
Please check them out in Wikipedia or so. So you know what to look for exactly.
 
B

Betterhaff

Well-known member
Veteran
Unagi said:
So I can say without a doubt I found the first one, Nettle. I was active outdoors as a kid, and as a result I occasionally found myself stung by an unexpected patch of them. Needles to say their location is burned into my memory, and now I get to reap the rewards
Click to expand...
I thought this was a great (unintended) pun, lol.

Your first pics look like a wood geranium. Comfrey has broad fuzzy leaves, not lobed.
 
K

KIS

Active member
Are you asking how to process the material you collect?

You can incorporate these things into a compost pile or earthworm bin (my recommendation) or steep them in water and then use that water to apply to soil, or as a mulch.

If you're not confident on your identification then composting the material makes the most sense and it will also help break down the organic matter and increase microorganism activity.
 
U

Unagi

Member
@phineas Haha funny thing is I looked at pictures on wiki while I was out searching. When I showed you guys the pictures it felt like I expanded my knowledge instantly. All of the sudden I can really see the diffrence on pictures. Like the plant I thought was yarrow, the flowers are too small and more bunched up and the leaves are so diffrent, it doesnt look the same at all when I look at them now. I think my excitement can cloud my judgements sometimes.

@betterhalf I was actually smiling my ass off while I was writing that nettle bit 😆

@KIS I should have rephrased that question to: Can I cover all the needs of a cannabis with fermented plant extracts? Like using a combination of nettle,horsetail and dandelions extracts to create a more diverse fertilizer that covers more minerals and such. Would that work?

I really apprechiate the feedback guys, im taking the time to actually observe the plant in ways I didnt use to. Now im looking for things like, space between nodes, leaves, symetri of the flowers and ive started to check if the plant is growing the way it's supposed (example, if its supposed to flower in late august. I'll know its not what im looking for if its flowering in june).

Ofcourse I cant expect to see into the DNA of all plants right away, but I swear it was like a switch went off. I can see so many more details of the plants now. Excited for my next hike !

By the way I grow indoors, should I be worried about introducing pests when Im using wild plants in my room? Is there any way to prevent pests from coming in?

Unagi ✌
 
B

Betterhaff

Well-known member
Veteran
Pests shouldn’t be a problem if you compost or make teas.

You might consider getting a wildflower field guide for your area. It may help with identification on the spot.
 
K

KIS

Active member
Unagi said:
@phineas Haha funny thing is I looked at pictures on wiki while I was out searching. When I showed you guys the pictures it felt like I expanded my knowledge instantly. All of the sudden I can really see the diffrence on pictures. Like the plant I thought was yarrow, the flowers are too small and more bunched up and the leaves are so diffrent, it doesnt look the same at all when I look at them now. I think my excitement can cloud my judgements sometimes.

@betterhalf I was actually smiling my ass off while I was writing that nettle bit 😆

@KIS I should have rephrased that question to: Can I cover all the needs of a cannabis with fermented plant extracts? Like using a combination of nettle,horsetail and dandelions extracts to create a more diverse fertilizer that covers more minerals and such. Would that work?

I really apprechiate the feedback guys, im taking the time to actually observe the plant in ways I didnt use to. Now im looking for things like, space between nodes, leaves, symetri of the flowers and ive started to check if the plant is growing the way it's supposed (example, if its supposed to flower in late august. I'll know its not what im looking for if its flowering in june).

Ofcourse I cant expect to see into the DNA of all plants right away, but I swear it was like a switch went off. I can see so many more details of the plants now. Excited for my next hike !

By the way I grow indoors, should I be worried about introducing pests when Im using wild plants in my room? Is there any way to prevent pests from coming in?

Unagi ✌
Click to expand...

To answer your questions:

1. Yes, you could be bringing pests into your room if the material you bring in isn't clean. Of course, you might bring in spores and mites and other pests just on your shoes and clothes or through your air intake if you're not using precautions in that regard.

2. You could possibly get by with just plant extracts, though they tend to pretty low in macronutrients. It would all depend on what nutrient/mineral levels are pre-exisiting in your soil if you had good levels of microorganism activity.
 
Crusader Rabbit

Crusader Rabbit

Active member
Veteran
The plant you thought was yarrow looks like some kind of hemlock. The leaves of yarrow are more at the base of the plant, and they're finely dissected. The little segments curl to give the leaf some 3 dimensionality. Yarrow likes sunny locations that are often dry.
 
U

Unagi

Member
Microbeman said:
You may need to fish around a little or change your security settings or accept a fearsome link.
Click to expand...

Haha, now i feel silly. A simple google search got me there :) thanks! I shall use this on my hikes.

My next mini project will be collecting nettle seeds for my own yard. Got a nice spot with lots of sun and some shade further down. I'll was thinking of planting in both spots to se where they prefer to grow.

Do these nettle seeds look ripe to you guys?
picture.php

picture.php

picture.php


Unagi ✌
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Latest posts

Top