Sandburs: The
best defense is a good offense
February 22,
2007
BY GLEN CHILEK
-
EDITED BY
CHARLA BORCHERS
My introduction
to sandburs was back in the summers of my youth when shoes were optional.
That's when we discovered that the best ball fields had no grass in the infield
and hitting the ball into a sticker patch guaranteed a home run. The best way
to solve a sticker patch problem back then was to move the playing field
elsewhere.
Today, we don't have the option of moving every time we encounter these "land mines" in our lawns.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MIKE
HADDOCK/
Cenchrus insurtus, a.k.a. grassburs, stickers or sandburs, are found in abundance in
sandy, well-drained soil and wherever they have been allowed to get a
competitive edge on more desirable lawn grasses. If you don't have them today,
they are still a constant threat. They can move into your lawn by adhering to
pant legs, pets, wildlife, or the tires on your lawnmower as you move from area
to area. Even topsoil and fill dirt used to "improve" your lawn may
be filled with bur seeds waiting to sprout.
To understand
how to manage sandburs, let's start by understanding what it is they need to
survive. The bur seeds start to germinate in early spring and, under favorable
conditions, will continue to germinate until the first freeze or hard frost in
the fall. As I indicated earlier, sandy soil, usually equated with well-drained
soil, is their ideal habitat for growth, although they can also prosper in
rocky or clay soil.
They prefer
full sunlight and can adapt to drought. In dry conditions, like we had last
summer, they can become semi-dormant then green up and produce seed when the
moisture returns. They are normally a warm season annual, but due to our mild
winters, can act like a short-lived perennial. They do not compete well for
ground space, but a dry summer which most of us had last year, causes stress on
desirable grasses and allows the burs to invade.
Now that we
know what makes them happy, let's talk about ways to get rid of them. Searching
for answers to this question, I came across solutions that ranged from comical
to seriously expensive. I'll let you decide.
One old timer
told me the best way to clean up grassburs was to run
hogs in your front yard - 15 to 20 head per acre should do it. Several sources
suggested using a garden tractor or an out-of-work high school student to drag
carpet remnants over the infected area. (When you finish, be sure you bury the
carpet really deep or take it to the landfill if you try this one.)
Another method
suggested pulling or digging the bur plants from your lawn as you identify
them. Keep in mind seeds from previous years may continue to germinate there,
but after a couple of years, if no more seeds are imported, your sandbur
problem will be under control.
Finally, the
best solution I came across was a two-step approach: First get control of the
problem, then continue to manage it.
First, applying
a pre-emergent herbicide in February and reapplying it in April to May will
actually kill the young seedlings after germination for two to four months.
Products such as Image and Amaze are offered by local nurseries as effective,
but other pre-emergent herbicides work well, too, including herbicides that
contain the ingredients dithiopyr, pendimethalin, benefin+oryzalin
or benefin+trifluralin. The treated area should not
be disturbed during this period and should be watered in thoroughly for best
results. As always, read and follow label directions carefully. Also remember
that it may take a couple of years to eliminate all the burs hiding in your
lawn.
In extreme
cases, it may be necessary to use glyphosate-based,
non-specific herbicides on the grassbur plants, but
remember that any drifting spray or runoff can cause damage to your garden
plants and turf grass.
Corn gluten
meal, an organic alternative, has also shown to have some effect on controlling
germinating seeds. Applied at 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet, research shows
it has performed erratic ranging from 10-60 percent weed control. Because it
does contain nitrogen, it can help the grass, but over-application to increase
weed control can be counterproductive, increasing chances of insects and
diseases.
Second,
creating a good, thick, healthy stand of turf grass will choke out sandburs.
Take the
offense with these steps to a healthier lawn:
If it's been
over three years since you've had a soil test, or you've never done one, now is
a good time. Your county agent has the information and the containers you need
for a relatively inexpensive test. Fertilizing can be the best or the worst
thing you do for your lawn. A soil test will tell you what the soil has too
much of already and what it lacks. Use this information to choose the best type
of fertilizer for your lawn and determine when to apply it.
Mow your grass
frequently keeping it the proper length. Regular mowing (once or even twice a
week) will both encourage a healthy, thick turf growth crowding out potentially
germinating bur seeds and will remove sandbur seed heads before they mature and
plant themselves in your lawn.
Provide
infrequent but deep watering on an "as needed" basis. If your
footprints remain visible (the grass does not spring back shortly after being
walked on) it needs water. The best time of day to water is early morning. High
temperatures later in the day cause a great loss of water due to evaporation.
While grassburs are a dreaded weed, these "good
offense" steps should create a healthy lawn with turf grass hearty enough
to defend itself (and you) against an invasion of sandburs this summer and
next.