How do I get rid of stickers and goat heads in my yard? They are everywhere.?

Question

I live in a rural area on an acre of land and noticed this winter I cannot walk anywhere outside or around my house, without tracking in stickers and goat heads.

I am planning a BBQ birthday party end of April and cannot have my yard like this as I don't want these stickers tracked into the house any longer. Thank you

Answer 1

Once the seedlings emerge, it's best to pull them before they form the heads and then place them in the trash. The seeds from "Goat heads" or "Puncture vines" are viable up to 20 years in the soil.

There are several ways to prevent them from becoming a problem in your yard;

1) Pre-emergent herbicides containing oryzalin or trifluralin applied in spring (April 1) will kill seedlings as they germinate during summer. You can probably find these chemicals at one of your local hardware stores.

2) In some areas, people are using propane torch burners to burn/destroy the seedlings AND the seedheads. However, this may not be the safest way to control them unless you have permission from your local fire department in advance.

3) There are currently some seed-feeding weevils (Microlarinus lareynii) and crown-feeding weevils (Microlarinus lypriformis) that can be purchased over the internet. Although they're somewhat expensive (~$75/container of 250 weevils which treats one acre) they are very effective in controlling this horrible weed.

Hope this information was of some help. GOOD LUCK!

-Certified Professional Crop Consultant with over 30 years of experience and a degree in Plant Science

Answer 2

There are different types of weed killers on the market, but it sounds like you need a dicotyledonous herbicide (one that targets only broadleaf plants, while leaving grass alone). Run a course of this over the entire lawn and let it do its thing for a week or two before mowing with a bag on to prevent reseeding. Let the lawn recover for about a week then do another round with the herbicide, same deal, let sit for a week then mow with the bag. Once you're satisfied that you've got the worst of it, reseed your lawn to fill in the gaps where the weeds were. the best defense against weeds is a dense lawn.

Answer 3

I had weeds and bought a bottle of weed killer. I attached the bottle to the end of my hose and sprayed the yard. One bottle covered about half the yard. It takes a while for the weeds to be killed. For stubborn weeds, I had a spray bottle of weed killer that I sprayed directly onto the plants. I had since used fertilizer with weed control, and that did a good job, too.

PS I was at a big drug store, and they had all that stuff on a real good sale so I bought lots of it. Otherwise, my yard would look terrible. I think it was Schultz Weed Killer.

Answer 4

Goat heads---ouch.I know one thing you have a problem there.I live in Southern Ca. and they were where I moved last year.I took and raked and pulled and sprayed.The thing is you have to get the sticker before it blooms and grows a little flowering yellow plant.They spread.I just stayed at it.The raking and looking took care of them I know one thing a gardener can help you,but it will not be cheap---but worth it.Hope this helps.I know how they are....

Answer 5

Weeds are like other plants, they need sun & water to grow.

Cover weeds with black plastic and make sure they get no moisture and they will die.

Answer 6

Run the mower around with a bag on it... end of problem