Fight ox tongue as a weed

Plant profile ox tongue

The wrinkled leaves with the strong hairs make the identification of the Anchusa relatively easy. They actually resemble the tongue of cattle and gave the plant its popularly used name. In June to August the blue-colored panicles of flowers appear, which grow on branching, short stems.

The ox tongue reaches a height of between thirty and eighty centimeters. It forms a taproot that extends up to 1.20 meters into the ground, which makes it difficult to control.

In agriculture, the plant is now one of the problem weeds, as it tolerates almost every type of soil and, due to its proliferating growth and self-sowing, it displaces useful plants.

How can I fight ox tongue effectively?

This is easier than many hobby gardeners assume:

• Since the ox's tongue does not tolerate regular mowing, it is usually enough to keep the lawn short and to supply the green with sufficient nutrients.
• If you have to remove large plants, the most sustainable way to do this is to dig up the ox tongue and the taproot that extends deep into the earth. One is very helpful here Weed cutteras he did with Weeding dandelions is used.
• Fight the weeds before they bloom, effectively prevent self-sowing and wild growth in the next year. For this purpose, it is enough to cut off all the flower heads immediately.

Ox tongue as a ground cover

Because of its modesty, Anchusa is cultivated as a grateful ground cover in some gardens. In this case, however, the common or field ox tongue is not used, but more attractive flowering variants such as the Italian ox tongue or the Cape ox tongue. This is only 15 to 20 centimeters high, is absolutely easy to care for and suppresses unwanted weeds due to its rapid growth.