How Should A Burdock Plant Be Maintained?

Burdock, also known as goboroot in the grocery store, is a hardy, easy-to-grow root herbal plant that can produce roots up to 2 feet long. It is commonly cultivated in Japanese cuisine and can be found in various types. Burdock roots and young leaves and shoots are edible, and the plant can produce roots up to 2 feet long.

To grow burdock, you need to plant it in light, sandy, deep soil in partial shade to full sun. Burdock root and leaves can be harvested as early as 8 to 12 weeks after sowing the seeds in the spring. To ensure the best results, keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. A layer of mulch can help retain moisture.

Burdock root is relatively low maintenance, so it is important to keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. The plants also benefit from a layer of mulch to help retain moisture. Burdock plants thrive in sunny to semi-shady locations with deep, well-drained, humus- and nutrient-rich soil. Burdock can be sown directly into the soil, but it is best grown in loamy soil with a neutral pH between 6.6-7.5.

Great Burdock requires abundant, bright, and direct light, so place it less than one foot from a window to ensure it receives enough light to survive. Burdock thrives in full sun to partial shade, requiring at least 4-6 hours of sunlight daily. Avoid harsh midday sun which might scorch leaves. Filtered light is essential for burdock growth.

To sow burdock seeds, start from early spring on into mid-summer. Apply a fish-based fertilizer a week before sowing to provide the necessary nutrients and support for the plant. Burdock roots can be harvested as early as 8 to 12 weeks after sowing the seeds in the spring.


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Can you eat burdock leaves raw?

Common Burdock is a plant that can be eaten in various ways. The leaves are bitter, but the stem can be eaten raw or added to stir-fries or stews. Tall second-year stems are also edible, with a milder taste. Collecting roots is easy with the right tools, and young, first-year plants should be eaten. However, mature second-year plants have tough, woody taproots that aren’t very tasty. It’s important to follow best practices when foraging or collecting wild invasives.

Who should avoid burdock?

Pregnant or nursing women are advised to avoid burdock due to the potential for fetal damage, allergic reactions to daisies, chrysanthemums, or ragweed, and the diuretic effects which may cause dehydration. Additionally, individuals with sensitive skin may experience dermatitis reactions.

Are burdock leaves safe to eat?
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Are burdock leaves safe to eat?

Burdock, a plant known for its inedible seed balls, is not always considered a common edible plant in the United States. However, it has several parts used for food and medicinal purposes worldwide. The root, also called gobo, is a popular vegetable in Japan and is used as a medicinal herb and tea to aid digestion and other ailments. The leaf stalks of the burdock plant are also edible and can be harvested, peeled, and cooked.

While the root is often unmotivated to collect, the immature flower stalks are more valuable. The flavor of burdock stalks is reminiscent of cooked artichoke hearts when peeled, chopped, and boiled or steamed. The texture is more similar to a slightly fibrous root vegetable than the uniformly soft inside of the artichoke flower.

Identifying burdock in the wild is easy, especially if you are familiar with the physical characteristics of rhubarb, an unrelated but similar-looking plant commonly grown in gardens. Burdock leaves are softer green, fuzzy, and have a purplish hue, while rhubarb leaves are brighter and hairless. Burdock leaves can grow up to two feet long and reach waist-high or taller.

In conclusion, burdock is a versatile plant that can be consumed in various ways, including for food, medicinal purposes, and medicinal purposes. Its immature flower stalks are particularly useful for preserving and consuming the plant’s delicious flavors.

What kills burdock naturally?

Burdock, a short-lived biennial that dies in two to three years, can be controlled without chemicals after flowering. However, seeds remain viable in the ground for several years, making it time-consuming to control large patches. In May or June, plants can be killed with Roundup or Weed B Gon, which are most effective when the plants are actively growing. The spray should be applied carefully and judiciously to the burdock leaves, as it will kill other plants it comes in contact with. Sacajawea Audubon encourages everyone to be vigilant and work to eliminate burdock from the environment by organizing volunteer work parties in late July and August to remove and dispose of burdock.

How do you keep burdock fresh?

Burdock root, a root vegetable with an aromatic skin, is best when unwashed and thin. Stored between 15 to 22℃ (59 to 72℉) to prevent drying out, it is recommended for sautéed, simmered, and boiled dishes. To maintain its flavor, peel the skin as thinly as possible and scrub it with a natural bristle scrubber or vegetable brush for fresh roots in soil. For older, hard roots, scrape with a kitchen knife. Burdock root has a high lye content, so cut and soak in water for 5 to 10 minutes to remove excess lye. However, soaking for too long or replacing water may result in the flavor losing its aroma.

Can you eat burdock leaves?

Common Burdock is a plant that can be eaten in various ways. The leaves are bitter, but the stem can be eaten raw or added to stir-fries or stews. Tall second-year stems are also edible, with a milder taste. Collecting roots is easy with the right tools, and young, first-year plants should be eaten. However, mature second-year plants have tough, woody taproots that aren’t very tasty. It’s important to follow best practices when foraging or collecting wild invasives.

What part of burdock is edible?

Burdock is a biennial plant with three edible parts: the young central stalk, petioles, and root. The central stalk is available in early summer, while petioles have a longer season but are difficult to prepare. The root can be harvested year-round, including shoulder months around frozen winter. The plant gathers energy in its first year, storing it in its root for the next year’s growth. The only roots worth gathering are first-year rosettes, and the food value is lost by the stalk’s growth. Digging is careful to avoid breaking off the tender tips of the roots.

Does burdock need full sun?
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Does burdock need full sun?

Burdock plants thrive in full sun or part shade, with a minimum of 3 hours of full sun per day. They require deep, loose, well-drained soil with organic matter, which can be prepared by weeding, digging, and adding organic matter. To prevent burdock from becoming established, deadhead plants before they can drop seed or grow them in containers. Burdock plants often self-seed, dropping seeds onto the soil at the end of the season.

Soaking seeds before planting can improve the speed and success of germination by softening hard seed coats and breaking dormancy. To ensure a healthy burdock, it is essential to keep the area free of weeds until planting.

Where does burdock grow best?
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Where does burdock grow best?

Common burdock is a biennial plant that grows in various locations, including roadsides, ditch banks, stream banks, old fields, waste places, and neglected areas. It is invasive and forms large rosettes in the first year, with arrow-shaped leaves and hairy undersides. The second year produces a six- or seven-foot tall, hairy flowering stalk, blooming from July to October. The plant reproduces by seeds, with one plant producing over 15, 000 seeds.

However, digging large, thick taproots is difficult due to their branching out in all directions. The plant can cause allergic reactions in some people and act as a secondary host for pathogens, leading to powdery mildew and root rot in other plants.

What conditions do burdock like?
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What conditions do burdock like?

Burdock, a root vegetable, is grown from seeds and prefers well-drained, humus-rich soil. Waterlogging is avoided to prevent root rot. Light and scarification improve germination. Cultivated burdock, also known as gobo, ngau pong, harlock, edible goberon, bourholm, eddick, beggar’s buttons, cockly, and hurr-burrs, is a slightly smaller vegetable compared to the wild burdock. Its seeds are used in folk remedies in Asia and Europe. The burrs on the plant inspired Swiss inventor George de Mestral to invent Velcro.


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How Should A Burdock Plant Be Maintained?
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16 comments

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  • burdock root is mild flavored and delicious to eat fresh too. One way I enjoy preparing it is to grate the root and mixt with toasted sesame oil and brags liquid aminos. This shredded slaw type salad tastes a little like bacon. The root alone, sometimes I will just eat it like a carrot. The flavor is mild and not as sweet.

  • Wow, great info, thanks for the article Doc! I made a salve out of burdock leaf for a guy’s 2 teenage daughters who had real bad acne, you know the kind that pits your face. They were amazed at how well it worked. I knew about it because my son started to have the same kind of acne & he used it with great results too. I don’t know where I got the idea to make a salve out of burdock leaf or how it works but it’s good stuff. More of God’s wonderful herbs!

  • Wow it has been a while since I made my yard harvested and homemade burdock root tea. Drinking several one gallon batches over past few days. Wow my libido just spiked. So I was wondering what is going on with this burdock. Guess it replaces viagra. You gave a lot of terrific information on this and helped me figure this all out. Thank you so much. I need to sneak this into the hospital to help my 86 yo under weight and under muscled alcoholic Aunt. As long as I bring it in a soda bottle the hospital staff will give me a smile of approval.

  • Thank you for this wonderful information. I’m ordering some and making a tea with raw honey so my skin problems will heal. I have stopped drinking coffee and eliminated all sugar, except from fruit. I literally have more energy and no more heartburn. I can’t wait to feel and see the benefits of Burdock roots. Thank you, again, and may we all live a happy, healthy life. Amen.

  • Just dug up some roots and juiced the leaves. Been using this plant for years. Never juiced it though. It’s so bitter I’m just gonna make ice cubes of it to add to juice. The leaf wrapped pulls out inflammation acts as defibrillator……. Great article. Can always learn something new about most herbs ❤

  • 😂 yes I had some growing on a farm where I lived and thought it was a terrible weed …when I had read you could eat it I dug some up and they were delicious! Sweeter and I liked them better than carrots…the second time I dug up some 2nd year plants and they were terrible stringy and not hardly edible I didn’t know to harvest some of the first year roots only …but now I do … amazingly to it will grow even in the woods under trees just needs soil a foot or so deep cause the root is long and goes deeper than I was willing to dig and grows a big elephant ear type leaf if it is in a good spot over a foot long and wide . Bumble bees love the flowers as other pollinator’s… very cool plant to get to know … funny I once thought of it as a terrible weed! lol

  • I love eating the root but very hard to find! I have never seen such a big plant! What are you feeding it? I think im going to buy some seeds and try again. Meanwhile i bought some from your website. How much do you take? Thank you, im 71 and always wanted to learn more about herbs. Its never to late to learn! now if i just remember, 😂😂😂 linda

  • Need your response right away! Have a friend (75 or 76 years old). Getting ready to leave hospital with water retention, high blood pressure (recurring for years), resulting in kidney issues. Grown into heart issues. Do you recommend kidney elixir and burdock root tincture? Please offer your suggestion.

  • Thanks for this article! I’ve suffered with psoriasis since I was 3 years old, and psoriatic arthritis since I was in my early 20s. I’m now 46. I’ve been vegetarian for many years and eat fairly unprocessed, and don’t drink alcohol, as I had read that liver issues were a root problem. Recently I also watched a article that leaky gut is also at the root of a lot of auto immune problems. How would you recommend taking the burdock…as a tincture? Would a salve on the skin help? And what other herbs do you recommend for psoriasis? I have often taken milk thistle tincture. I would LOVE if you did a article specifically about psoriasis as it’s the bane of my life, especially in wintertime! 🙂

  • Thank you Doc ! First of all I LOVE the intro music and visuals! They have the effect of waking up my brain, saying “pay attention!! Interesting program about to arrive!” And you have explained the properties of Mr Burdock in a way that’s easy to grasp and remember. You are a wonderful teacher. I look forward to your articles.

  • I always feel amazing when I’m on burdock root, but then the doctors take me off and I slip down again. I’m considering staying on it long term. And her apologist told me that typically she does not like her patients to be on long-term herbs, but from my case I needed to be on them for at least nine months. This is with a different herb, but since burdock works so well for me unlike any other herb I am considering using it long-term, I just don’t want it to be harmful to use long term.

  • How do you use it. I just bought burdock roots from an Asian store.. does it matter how much you use.. tea.. or chew on it. Steep or boil.. i could also dehydrate and grind.. just please tell me.. i have bad liver problems and gall bladder.. i take Epsom salt for relief and eat lots of greens… imma woman yammering Lol.. but truly need some help and stumbled on this… Thankfully…

  • pretty sure the volunteer at the ENTRANCE of my greenhouse is burdock – first year – and it has a now-browned single spike, which isnt like anything like whats online re flowering, i missed the flowers, focused only on the front yard for so long! but given its the first year…?… Can you tell me if this first year spike-shaped thing is a burdock 1st year normal growth, or, do i have something which isnt burdock? I watched a article comparing skunk cabbage and rhubarb, which also grows here in the great great northeast and it SEEMS like i have a first year burdock according to the article, thanks for any help/steering

  • Thank you for this article, very informative since I am using burdock root right now in liquid form. I’m just wondering if acne gets worse before it starts to get better… My aunt suggested burdock for my acne issue, and it’s going on a full week and I have no idea what to expect even after perusal many articles about burdock root and reading about possible side effects. Hopefully you will see this comment and advise what is commonly expected when talking this supplement. Thank you!

  • When you don’t have a Gaul bladder, you don’t want the liver to produce too much bile because the excess has to be stored! With no where to be stored the bile just keeps dripping the overage into your small intestines and the results is lots of diarrhea!!! So burdock is something, in that case, to avoid!

  • Oh my god, please be very careful when growing these. Burdock has become an incredibly damaging invasive species here in Minnesota. They crowd out native plants, and bird soften get caught in the velcro-like burrs and die. I know this is a plant with a lot of uses, but please be responsible if you so choose to grow this plant.