i have looked several times for burdoc roots and just cant seem to find them. i can always find the dead seed stem but never quite get the roots...
a little help please.........
chris....
a little help please.........
chris....
when to gather burdoc roots?????
- Thread starter lannyman8
- Start date
The best time for gathering them is at the end of their first year when the leaves are big but there's no seed head.
The plant will have spent all summer putting its energy into growing its main root in readiness for propogating then following year.
The plant will have spent all summer putting its energy into growing its main root in readiness for propogating then following year.
You mean you've never seen a live plant yet? They look like this
Maybe it might help if you go out with someone who's good at plant ident.
Maybe it might help if you go out with someone who's good at plant ident.
Hi Lannyman, the reason you are not finding the root is because you are looking for the wrong plant.The Burdock is a bi-annual plant,the dead seed stalk is the second years growth and therefore the root has long been used up.What you should be looking for is first year growth,like the pic Mesquite put up,you can see there is no seed stalk with the burrs,just leaves.Basically look for first year growth if you want to harvest roots.
Hope this helps
Cheers Stuart.
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most helpful i just cant seem to find them though......ever......
i always find the second year seed heads but never the first year plant....
i just need to keep looking......thanks all..........
i always find the second year seed heads but never the first year plant....
i just need to keep looking......thanks all..........
Its a fair bet that if you look around the area where the dead stems are there will be plants the following year - not immediately adjacent maybe but around the same area.
However this doesnt answer the question of when - end of the summer i presume would be best although i did notice that the mighty mears always seems (well the 2 times he has done it on telly) to take them at the seed stage, which does seem counter productive...
However this doesnt answer the question of when - end of the summer i presume would be best although i did notice that the mighty mears always seems (well the 2 times he has done it on telly) to take them at the seed stage, which does seem counter productive...
Hi Chris,
I was out yesterday and thought I'd snap a shot for you of what an end of first year Burdock looks like. While I didn't really search that hard, didn't think I'd have to, I didn't find any. I'm starting to wonder if the give away leave have already disappeared - reabsorbed into the root in some way to conserve resourses etc while removing sign of its presence. Maybe we should be noting where they are early in the year so we can return now to harvest them.
Granted, as a theory, it's probably out there with crop circles etc, but who knows, not me for sure!
Al
I was out yesterday and thought I'd snap a shot for you of what an end of first year Burdock looks like. While I didn't really search that hard, didn't think I'd have to, I didn't find any. I'm starting to wonder if the give away leave have already disappeared - reabsorbed into the root in some way to conserve resourses etc while removing sign of its presence. Maybe we should be noting where they are early in the year so we can return now to harvest them.
Granted, as a theory, it's probably out there with crop circles etc, but who knows, not me for sure!
Al
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There's several still with big leaves round my way.
If I get a chance to go take some pics this weekend I'll post them up
So much for my theory then, a well, I'll see if I get chance to look again myself this weekend too.
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