What determines a plant to be a weed?

I will never forget the lady that came into our nursery with a piece of a plant and asked what it was. My work colleague said 'its a weed' and the look on the lady's face was pure devastation. A weed is just an unwanted plant, mainly for the reason it self seeds or reproduces and can take over the natural bushland of our country. You will find some species do better in different parts of Australia so they are considered weeds there, but no where else. We went to north QLD a couple of years ago and I remember looking out across the rainforest and all I could see were non native plants choking the landscape. Now they're weeds.

lol @ "you can't eat them"

You can't eat grass, but it's not a weed. Well, I suppose you could, but then again, you could eat poison ivy. I wouldn't recommend it :P

I think the current definition is correct, in the social aspect, but I question the neat little boxes we all try to put our yards or whatever into. I still refuse to call Dandelions weeds...they're beautiful yellow flowers, and I always refused to pluck them as a child, and that hasn't changed yet.

What is a weed and what isn't seems to be a more personal perception that people lay on whatever it is they find inconvenient to their own personal little landscaping nirvana...a concept I rather find laughable because in a contest between man and nature, I bet on nature any day of the week :)

in the event that they enhance quite properly, are very healthful, and require genuinely no care, they're probable weeds. maximum weeds will the two be the grass blade form or broadleaf. while they arise, they're many times somewhat small (very skinny blades or very small preliminary leaves). plant life that are planted from seed many times arise with an prolonged, thicker stalk. And, the preliminary pair of leaves is many times larger (a minimum of a 0.5 inch in diameter). additionally, sprawling weeds will arise and form leaves appropriate on the exterior of the soil. the appropriate element to do is enable the sprouts enhance and notice what they form. I actual have an entire planter packed with volunteer plant life that formed a mattress of leafy eco-friendly vines with little blue plant existence, because of fact i began out watering it. i think of somebody planted them previously while. Now they cascade out of the planter and that they are quite cool. yet, as quickly as I see shoots that i think of are weeds (like I defined above), I enable them to get approximately 3 inches extreme after which pull those that appear as if weeds.

for many purposes, a weed is plant where you don't want it.

An invasive plant is an entirely different story, and some plants that work just fine in the ecosystem in one start are invasive and noxious in another state.

Examples of invasive plants/noxious weeds are kudzu, purple loosestrife, mile-a-minute vine and as well as some that we need to stop planting such as flowering pear and butterfly bush.

It's important to plant species that work well with the local ecosystem and in many cases, that means a plant that is native.

Google and find your state's native plant society. Also, the department of natural resources and conservation.

Any plant out of place is a weed. If you have an oak tree growing where you don't want it, it becomes a weed and you remove it.

A weed is any plant growing someplace you don't want it to grow.

ah, yes... this is where we got 'growing like a weed', too!.... weeds are those plants which grow at a rate that out-does most of the other plants around it.....then either chokes, shades or starves those other plants...!!....it may well have been something you planted, but once it gets going... wowee!!!.... for example, mint....nice to have in the garden, a real herb!!... but.... let it like where it's living and that's soon ALL you'll have in that area!!!.... it's still not a 'weed' per se, but it ain't welcome, either!!....

Well the answers arent quite right.

A weed is a plant where SOMEONE doesnt want them growing. (not necessarily yourself, but maybe a shire/council).

Weeds are plants that are growing in a place you don't want them to grow in.

A rosebush can be considered a weed if it's growing somewhere you don't want it to be.

There is no such thing as a weed , they are all plant's .