Eastern Black Nightshade

[OaklandCityFarmer]

So, we've discovered little seedlings beginning to sprout all over the area where our chicken run is going to be.

Is there anyway I can get rid of this without using a herbicide or having to till the whole area?

Can I let the chickens just have at it? Or are the leaves and berries both poisonous? Does anybody have any advice on controlling this weed?

Thanks in advanced.

 

[aquarose]

A quick Google search doesn't look promising. One website cited an incident in 1942 in Maryland in which 300 pullets died from feeding on this plant. http://www.cbif.gc.ca/pls/pp/ppack.info?p_psn=56&p_type=all&p_sci=sci&p_x=px
Looks like all parts of the plant are poisonous except possibly the ripe berries.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Thanks. I guess we just need to get out there and start pulling them out.

 

[aquarose]

Yeah, I think I will be extra diligent about it now too. Sigh, another weed for the most hated list.

 

[Spotted Crow]

Every one I see, I yank...I think even the ripe berries are poisonous. I've never seen a wild bird touch them.

 

[nightshade]

okay I know alittle about this species hence my user name. I have a thing for wildflowers and nightshades, until I had my son, were an exotic staple in one of my woodland flowerbeds. As well as other highly toxic plants. Now they are all gone, the family safty comes first.

Anyways back to the plant.

Any plant in the nightshade family is one to stay away from. The ENTIRE plant is highly poisionous. Leaves, flowers, berries in any stage and roots, truly the entire plant. If you touch it with bare hands wach them very, very well with soap and water before touching your face or mouth or anything that will come into contact with your face or mouth. Just this contact will make you very sick. Consuming a few of the tiny berries in any stage or leaves of plants in this family will kill an adult human, as well as most large livestock.

edited to add- tilling will only spread it as you are cutting up the roots. I hate to say it but you will have to use a herbicide like round up to actually get rid of it completely

 

[Reinbeau]

Any plant in the nightshade family is one to stay away from. The ENTIRE plant is highly poisionous.

This is not true, if it were, we wouldn't eat eggplants, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, etc (all of whose foliage is poisonous to eat). Nightshades are members of the Solanaceae family. There are lots of superstitions about the Nightshade family, here is an interesting page discussing it.

There are many poisonous plants in the garden. People need to teach their children not to put anything in their mouths, ever, without strict permission; this can start at a very early age. Adults need to be smart enough to figure out what they're eating - if they don't recognize it as edible, then don't eat it!

 

[patandchickens]

Agree with Ann about not all solenaceous plants being totally poisonous, as I am about to go outside and put my first 3 tomatoes into their Wall-o-waters in the garden (Obviously I would not eat the foliage but SOME parts of SOME plants are ok )

However, while I agree on the one hand that kids must be taught not to eat anything an adult hasn't specifically instructed them to, on the other hand I think that is NO SUBSTITUTE for (as nightshade says) bodily removing all the SERIOUSLY poisonous things from the garden and yard. By seriously poisonous I mean things that just a mouthful would be enough to cause permanent damage or death.

So I don't have any yew or other things like that in the yard, and I do remove the, forget the exact name, it's a vining climbing wild nightshade that keeps infesting our yard in odd places and gives me a terrible rash when I pull it or its extensively-questing roots. I know the chance the kids would eat them is low, but the consequences are sufficient that I'd rather sacrifice a little energy and a little bit of ornamental potential to be on the safe side.

JMO,

Pat

 

[Reinbeau]

Oh, I agree, Pat, but if you miss them somehow (things can get away from us!) then having taught the child to not eat anything, you've got a little more layer of insurance there - not that I trust them! I always was in my garden, so I kept an eagle eye on them, they knew they'd better not mess with Mumma's garden or there'd be h-e-double hockey sticks to pay! If a baseball went in there they'd come in to me and ask me to get it for them. But they did learn early not to eat what wasn't on a plate for them - or what they picked under my supervision.

As for yews, I hate green meatballs

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Thank you all for your advice and support.

At this time, no children in the household, however I do have cousins, nieces and nephews that visit often and will take that into consideration.

My biggest concern was with the chickens since it seems only to be growing in and around the run.

Thanks again.
Carlos