The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Broadleaf plantain (Plantago major) is one of the mostcommon lawn weeds.
It has a low growth habit and a tolerance for heavy foot traffic and compacted soil.
Plantain has oval-shaped leaves that grow in low rosettes and thin flower spikes with easily-spread, wind-dispersed seeds.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
If you want to control this plant, remove it before the flower spikes appear.
you’ve got the option to may even harvest the seed heads intentionally to cultivate the crop.
Or, harvest seed heads from lawn weeds and plant them where you want them to grow.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
There are virtually no serious pests or diseases that will affect your crop of broadleaf plantain.
A weed-popper tool will generally extract the entire plant, including the fibrous root.
Water
In all but the driest climates, no additional watering beyond rainfall is needed.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
It prefers relatively humid conditions, but will also grow in arid climates if it gets supplemental water.
West of the Rockies, it is a somewhat lessprevalent lawn weedbut is still frequently found.
Fertilizer
There’s no need to feed broadleaf plantain.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
It generally does well without any fertilizing.
Additionally, there are a couple of common, related species and cultivars.
Harvesting Broadleaf Plantain
Young leaves are eaten raw in salads and as a substitute for spinach.
Older, stringier leaves can be boiled for stews.
Seeds are often sprinkled on salads or used to flavor stews, though harvesting them can be tedious.
Leaves can be pulled from the plant at any stage.
Gently pull the leaf and it will easily separate from the root.
Don’t worry about harvesting too many leaves from the plant as it will grow back quite quickly.
For use in salads, pick the leaves while they are young and tender.
Older leaves are tougher and stringier, but they can be boiled for eating.
This plant is aperennial, meaning that it comes back year after year.
It can be found growing from spring to autumn in Europe, parts of Asia, and North America.
Every part of broadleaf plantain is edible.
It is fast-growing and spreads quickly.
Mature plantain weed fibers are strong enough that they were sometimes used to make fishing line and rope.
The young leaves were also eaten like a salad green.
