We have nightshade growing in and around our stream. The stream runs all through our pasture and I'm afraid some of our animals will get to it. I've tried pulling up as much as I can and burning it, but it just comes right back the next spring. Can someone recommend a way to get rid of it?

-- Laurie (Lporter@nutracorp.com), August 22, 2001

Answers

Round-up

-- Mel Kelly (melkelly@webtv.net), August 22, 2001.

Keep killing it - pull it up if that's your thing; Roundup if you like (does a more thorough job more easily); but keep going - it has seeded, they will germinate, just keep killing the seedlings before they can drop seed as well, and you'll get it eventually. Persistence, patience. Pigheadness is good too.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), August 22, 2001.

We have many poisonous plants in and around our pastures, nightshade, poison hemlock, milkweed, and the worst, Datura Stratamonium, jimsonweed! None of the animals ever so much as touchs any of these, my vet says animals will only eat these plants if there is absolutely nothing else in the pasture to eat, and the animals are starving. If your pastures are not the best, keep hay out at all times to give them something to eat, and away from the poisonous plants.

We do try keep all the obvious poisonous plants cut down, but with 50 acres of pasture, that is impossible, at least organically!

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), August 23, 2001.

Nightshade and animals been around fer a pretty long time. Taters and maters are in the same family. Might as well pull them up too. Maybe not as poisonous as you think. The crushed berries have long been used as a rennet to make goat cheese.

-- paul (primrose@centex.net), August 23, 2001.