WD,

I don't have the same species of Rumex as you do, but if your adult weeds have a deep tap root like the ones in my garden, simple pulling probably won't suffice, (unless you continue to pull as soon as you see any green; the roots will eventually be depleted of nutrients). A better strategy might be to pull initially and then hit the new growth with Round-up before it can contribute to additional root storage.

The milky substance in plants is often toxic or irritating to some degree, e.g. Euphorbias, Asclepias and various plants in the family Apocynaceae. Some insects are immune to this "latex" and can actually attain some of the toxic properties to protect themselves against predators. Be sure to wash your hands if you get any of this material on yourself and be careful not to touch your eyes, mouth, etc.

Mike

Sheep Sorrel is one of the ingredients of "Essiac Tea" which is used to fight cancer among those who follow Indian Medicine.

You may have a market for it.

Google essiac tea or go to healthfreedom.info and read about essiac tea.

Rumex acetosella is not tap-rooted but rhizomatous. I find it pulls fairly easily in loose soil, but you need to do more than pull the tops. Loosening the soil with a weeding tool will help you remove a lot of the roots.

Sheep Sorrel spreads through very long root systems with new plants growing every couple of inches and part of the root grows deeply into the soil. Once established in the garden it is difficult to eradicate even with plant poisons. I have, very carefully, pulled out root systems 12 feet long with many branches and had to dig down 3 feet sometimes to get as much of the "tap" root as possible. Diligence is the only cure for Sheep Sorrel, unless you like the peppery taste of this plant. It does make a good addition to a salad although you might not want to add a lot.

Lettuce also has milky sap and sends up a tall shoot with small flowers. You could be seeing mature lettuce plants

If i was to send you a tube and postage you think I could have some of the Sheep Sorrel.

Sheep sorrel usually indicates 'sour' or acid soil. Sometimes just putting down lime will get rid of it.