What is this bloody thing?

[Notasinglefuckwasgiven]

I have pots of lovely tulips that DP grows for me outside. In less than a week, this monster has appeared in my pot! What is it? Anybody know? Should I rip it out and destroy the soil or will it be a nice flowering weed?

[Notasinglefuckwasgiven]

Gardeners? Please? It's really creepy....

[Slimmerforsummer]

No idea but might have more luck in gardeners corner
Try reporting thread and ask them to move it :)

[SaucyJack]

I think it's one of <a class="break-all" href="http://uk.images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=Az_6xdaIxY9VAyMAVkbw3olQ;_ylu=X3oDMTIyMmdjcnFtBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1nBG9pZANhMTk3NTA4ZGM1YmY3YzMwZDMwZDVlNmZmMWU3NDcyMQRncG9zAzcEaXQDYmluZw--?.origin=&back=uk.images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=audrey+little+shop+of+horrors&fr=iphone&fr2=piv-web&tab=organic&ri=7&w=400&h=270&imgurl=media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/08/8c/c0/088cc0b4589cf34c1df150e9350376d0.jpg&rurl=pinterest.com/pin/241153755019906594/&size=20.6KB&name=+Audrey"+from+"+Little+Shop+of&p=audrey+little+shop+of+horrors&oid=a197508dc5bf7c30d30d5e6ff1e74721&fr2=piv-web&fr=iphone&tt=+Audrey"+from+"+Little+Shop+of&b=0&ni=21&no=7&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=11croq1t9&sigb=13mcvrc17&sigi=12dgjmjde&sigt=11moqv1bn&sign=11moqv1bn&.crumb=WEAQRw0d7GZ&fr=iphone&fr2=piv-web" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">these

[SaucyJack]

Damn! That didn't work.

[Blowingoffsteam]

It worked Saucy

[TalcAndTurnips]

Triffidus Fuckoffonia Bastardii hybrid.

Do not approach unexpectedly from behind as huge whiplash sting emerges that will take out children and small domestic animals with a single blow.

A couple of squirts of RoundUp should take care of it; if not, a burst of sub-machine gun fire to the huge swollen stem base (where the brain is).

[traviata]

I don't know what it's called but it has a flower rather like a yellow thistle; not very attractive IMO so I pull them out straight away. They have shallow roots, so easy to pull up.

my guinea pigs love eating them.

[gobbin]

They seed everywhere so pull it out now. I don't know what it is, but it is def a weed. We get them in the greenhouse.

[Notasinglefuckwasgiven]

Thanks guys. Assume my lovely yellow tulips are dead then I shall rip the monster out tonight after work. Am I as well chucking the soil out too?

[Hexiegone]

I don't think there would be any benefit in chucking out the soil, Nota. It looks like a brassica to me. Could you wait and see what the flower's like? As long as you pull it up before it sets seed I wouldn't think it'll do any harm.

Are the tulips not about finished anyway? I don't think your weed will have killed them.

[Notasinglefuckwasgiven]

Tulips appeared then never flowered sadly

[MyNightWithMaud]

How old were the tulip bulbs? Were they planted too deep or too shallow? They're clearly alive but for some reason came up 'blind'. Bin the weed but there may well be hope for the tulips.

[Notasinglefuckwasgiven]

Thanks my night that makes sense! I'll bin the weed and check on my tulips

[MyNightWithMaud]

As ever, the RHS has excellent advice (although I don't always follow it). I leave my tulips in their pots every summer but suspect they'd do better if I could put them in a sunnier spot. By about year 3, they're usually looking a bit spindly and then I discard them.

[DeidreChambersWhatACoincidence]

I've downloaded Plantsnapp (as I know nothing about plants). It's really good, you send them a photo and they tell you what it is.

[Notasinglefuckwasgiven]

Thanks I will. I'm hopeless with my plants....anything that helps me keep them alive is a good thing!

[PurpleWithRed]

I think it's some sort of brassica, probably oilseed rape that's drifted in from somewhere. See if it has a cabbagy smell and little yellow flowers in a day or two. Or just rip it up now and chuck it out as it's not a tulip that's for sure!

I treat tulips like annuals - often struggle in pots and rarely come back for 2nd year when planted in the ground. All those posh displays you see in the magazines are from tulips planted that year and ripped out immediately afterwards.

[shovetheholly]

Yes, as Purple said, it looks like oilseed rape or something from that family. No need to panic - it's not a huge problem or anything and you definitely don't need to worry about the soil. Just weed it out.

[bowsaw]

its a rap flower, pre flowering, for the blind bulbs, they need lots of feed when re potted, if they are not feed enough they only put up leaves

[bowsaw]

or even rape

[aircooled]

Bin container tulip bulbs after flowering (or not as the case may be). The wholesale website of J.Parker //www.dutchbulbs.co.uk has tulip and many other bulbs at silly prices, often with only 25 as the minimum amount. Share with friends/family/other Mumsnetters if you can't manage a 'trade' amount. (The old-fashioned paper catalogue is great too - my sort of bedtime reading...)