Know Your Invasive and Noxious Weeds!
Because I had been trained to be a "Master Gardener", I certainly was aware that States had lists of "noxious weeds". I remember one slide, where a family had driven
into the high country of Colorado, to go hiking. They parked by pulling off the side of the road. Unaware, they had parked in a patch of noxious weeds and had
brought thousands of seeds home for a noxious weed, I only recall was yellow. I remember being impressed on how innocently one could spread these noxious seeds.
Just taking a guess, but most folks know that "Canada thistle" is a noxious week. There are quite actually quite a few "thistle's" that are noxious; plumeless thistle,
musk thistle, yellow starthistle, bull thistle, Scotch thistle, and perennial sowthistle. At the time I was learning about noxious weeds, I was only concerned with
"purple loosestrife" as packagers of mixed wildflower seed, were still adding purple loosestrife to their wildflower mixes, and I didn't want to grow it, unknowingly.
On my states list of noxious weeds is also field bindweed, and Russian-olive trees. Oh my, that field bindweed was so pervasive, I took to calling it the state flower.
It has roots that can go on for 50 feet or more and it shows up annoyingly in your spring bulbs. You want to get rid of it in the springtime when it shows up,
but in springtime; pulling it is the only answer. The time to control field bindweed (via herbicide) is in the fall, when the plant is pulling energy into it's
(50 feet of) roots, to store energy for the winter. While the birds do love the Russian Olive trees, I had little baby Russian Olive trees everywhere. Apparently
Russian Olives spread their seeds over 3 miles, and should never be grown within 3 miles of a water source. I pulled the babies, and cut down the bigger trees.
It was pretty much a loosing battle for both field bindweed and Russian Olive trees. We irrigated Colorado River water, and the weeds seeds came with the water. We
had another weed, listed on a different list - The US List of Invasive plants. This weed was Kochia. It grew everywhere the soil had been disturbed. It was very cute in March, when it
first appeared, almost like a carpet of velvet - but by August a single plant might be 6 foot high with a 2 inch stalk on it. Every year we sprayed, and every year
established turf pushed it out, so the best that we could say is every year we had less and less Kochia.
I have moved, and courtesy of the Forestry guy, who came out to mark of timber, for fire safe pruning, this Forestry guy pointed out,
I am infested with diffuse knapweed (and 2 rather significant infestations). This is the Colorado County Works Publication that informed me on how to control
diffuse knapweed.
I opted for mechanical control (hand pulling) both last fall, and early this spring (I went out and hand dug Diffuse Knapweed for 30 minutes, each day in April the
ground was clear of snow, so the weed could be dug). At first, I was against using the herbicide solution, which requires the mixing of 2 herbicides
(24-D and Dicamba (Ortho® Weed-B-Gon® MAX™)). I don't much like spraying herbicide, and I am rather put off by the notion of mixing two herbicides together. But I have an
even more pressing reason "to NOT" use the herbicide solution, as my lawn is not a lawn at all, but rather a mountain meadow. Both 24-D and Dicamba kill
"broadleaf weeds", which also means neither of these herbicides can discriminate between noxious weed and wildflower. Much to my delight, I must have had
2 dozen Iceland Poppies come up in the area I had most vigourous hand dug noxious weed out of. The mechanical means of control called for the weed to be hand dug
again the end of June as the weed was bolting in order to flower. That is when I knew what I had (wildflower wise) and I was thoroughly sick of hand digging this weed.
I have been using the 24-D / Ortho® Weed-B-Gon® MAX™ mix of herbicide, and I've been spraying those bolting Diffuse Knapweed. What I'm seeing now is the baby
diffuse Knapweed. Later in August, I will see all the Diffuse Knapweed I missed, as they go to flower. I will hand pull these remaining flowering weeds, being careful to
dispose of the flowers (seed heads) with the local trash service. I don't know my speculation to be true, but I read this from the Colorado County Works Publication
on how to control diffuse knapweed.
Diffuse knapweed is a biennial or occasionally an annual or short-lived perennial that reproduces solely from seed.
I believe this Diffuse Knapweed comes up it's first season as a baby Diffuse Knapweed, and that it is in it's second season that it bolts and produces
it's flowers (seed heads). I believe after the Diffuse Knapweed has flowered once, it dies. So the baby Diffuse Knapweed I am seeing this season,
will be next seasons bolting Diffuse Knapweed. I will have to work hard to get some competing grasses growing, as rainfall is
undependable, and our well barely adequate for house hold purposes.
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All of this is an introduction to how you can find out about the Federal and your states Invasive and Noxious Weeds
If you are unsure whether you have any, or unsure how to control the ones you have:
Call Your Local University Cooperative Extension for plant identification and invasive or noxious weed control recommendations.
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