![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifOQ-tO7ATLsUvgvyLrmZEtxIXnhEqpsRTfiFAW-m1fu00f8C60icGl8kMEoH-hLxEy3r65zcLTYIWfc6CTeKWEbltujTeLtcWsr8n12gJaRQd171KYgGBPDBRTXjbFJ1pzkFYhwKzGLY/s400/P1020670+ragweed+vs+cosmos.jpg) |
A row of ragweed sprouts next to one Cosmos seedling. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuDtSxfogsjacfgxC3WTsVE0xUeN3bIHkXbJimX84rnfdWcr9RRIzelAWtxG2EDKo2Dw_gsrGqI8GDhL9vK3CugfwdifjL-RhH8D3PWP0dSlJ6GTpd0bomUZxCCqWOkT3AuREsYQTw7dw/s400/P1020672+cosmos.jpg) |
Cosmos seedling has a few lateral rootlets off the primary root. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJxpqFVYpJ4QfNdFide0o8Vbx1AnWuIRQrNo32qwqDfYALIERRa-UC2wEXIGuOmFAHCIjdytBdtLSbxie7YEHmHkme9tGyt59MNrmJKd0al4bv0FIBg616ArHgytgXGN6xQVQ2HmZ-XU/s400/P1020673+ragweed+roots.jpg) |
Ragweed has long shallow root with rhizomes. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJWZzO1g4jE_H7jQdQH56fWz1-86oTFXWn6rKGnNKELVKd4ehkQdZqaHe5t0XMWoYZIXBLNSiVR8p-HqV6k7bnBsItFLJxhc7jDGMkcOSI3pMmOzP-YtbSfCfNm_hwPm9s7lmfY79ogA/s400/P1020675+ragweed+cosmos.jpg) |
Ragweed on the left, Cosmos on the right. Don't confuse the two! |
Last summer I let a young plant grow in my flowerbed. It
looked to me like a Cosmos (C. sulphureus) seedling. When I noticed it again, it was not a
beautiful, glowing Cosmos, but a mature ragweed. I pulled it up, of course, but too late. This February, I had hundreds of little
ragweed babies popping up in that flowerbed.
Arrgh!
To be sure I would never make the same mistake, I took these
photos of a cosmos seeding next to the ragweed sprouts. I might still confuse the foliage, but there
is NO WAY that I will mistake what happens under the soil with the roots! The Cosmos seedling has only a small set of lateral
rootlets of the primary root. The ragweed has a clever, extensive
underground system of threadlike roots and rhizomes that supports multiple
plants. To get it under control, I dig
up each bit of ragweed and collect as much of the root system as possible. I declare that this flowerbed will eventually be ragweed free.