How do I finally rid my yard of the noxious we?eds - Ask Extension
We have tried several different things in an attempt to get rid of the noxious weeds in our yard. We read that we shouldn’t pull these kinds of weed...
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How do I finally rid my yard of the noxious we?eds #844558
Asked August 07, 2023, 2:02 PM EDT
We have tried several different things in an attempt to get rid of the noxious weeds in our yard. We read that we shouldn’t pull these kinds of weeds because the roots spread when pulled. So we sprayed with concentrated roundup plus, but that didn’t take care of the problem. We dug deep, what we thought was even below the root, to no avail. How can we take care of this problem?
Also, the quality of our grass has declined since getting our new puppy. We didn’t want to fertilize and use anything that could hurt him. Could you suggest any thing that would help our grass be healthy and hearty and still be safe for a pup?
Washington County Oregon
Expert Response
It looks like the weed you are trying to control is Canada thistle, Cirsium arvense. Glyphosate can work, but you have to apply it more than once. This reference has a lot of detail about how to use glyphosate to control thistle: https://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/publication.php?pid=FS1173 and this one has information on other control methods:
https://wric.ucdavis.edu/information/natural%20areas/wr_C/Cirsium_arvense.pdf
You could also try repeatedly cutting new shoots until you exhaust the root system.
About the lawn, this article has some good recommendations, https://polk.extension.wisc.edu/horticulture/seasonal-concepts/lawns-and-dogs-but-not-tomato-juice/ and notes that dog urine is high in nitrogen which is what is causing the brown spots, so adding more fertilizer won't help.
I hope this information will help you maintain a healthy landscape for your family and dog!
https://wric.ucdavis.edu/information/natural%20areas/wr_C/Cirsium_arvense.pdf
You could also try repeatedly cutting new shoots until you exhaust the root system.
About the lawn, this article has some good recommendations, https://polk.extension.wisc.edu/horticulture/seasonal-concepts/lawns-and-dogs-but-not-tomato-juice/ and notes that dog urine is high in nitrogen which is what is causing the brown spots, so adding more fertilizer won't help.
I hope this information will help you maintain a healthy landscape for your family and dog!
