Does anyone have a solution for Puncturevine (Tribulus terrestis)?

[ponytug]

Thanks for the links. Hand pulling would be next to impossible right now. Some of the plants are six feet across and each vine is full of thorns waiting for a victim.

I have used this for poison hemlock removal, as it resprouts from the taproot. You don't have to bend over, and you don't have to get your hands near the the thorns. I would use a pitchfork to toss the vines into a loader bucket that could take them to a burn pile though.

Grampa's Weeder - The Original Stand Up Weed Remover

Remove weeds & their roots without bending, pulling, kneeling, or use of chemicals. Click now for the best weed puller that's been around for over 105 years!

grampasweeder.com

It works well even when our clay soil is dry and hard. If your puncture vine is growing out of rocks, I don't know.

All the best,

Peter

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I don't know if it would work for Goat heads, but my granddad cleared a troublesome patch of Johnson grass by fencing it off and turning his hogs in on it. They root it out and eat the roots.

How to Get Rid of Goat's Head Weeds, Seeds, and Stickers

How to get rid of goat's head weeds in your yard, including their seeds and the stickers. Plus, find out what to do if you get goat's head stickers in your skin.

dengarden.com

 

[the old grind]

HAIRY LEAVES! As was mentioned a page or so ago no spray will work as well on them without a surfactant. Any herbicide recommended will do better with it. Spraying various crab-grasses should be a first lesson, and btw I only buy glypho 'with'.

Drexel Haf-Pynt is my favorite at 1 oz/gal in the tank with Triclopyr, Dicamba, Amine 400 (2-4-D), RM-47, Trimec, Quinclorac, Weed-b-Gone, etc.

Drexel Chemical Company » Haf-Pynt™

www.drexchem.com

 

[RockWrangler]

I have used this for poison hemlock removal, as it resprouts from the taproot. You don't have to bend over, and you don't have to get your hands near the the thorns. I would use a pitchfork to toss the vines into a loader bucket that could take them to a burn pile though.

Grampa's Weeder - The Original Stand Up Weed Remover

Remove weeds & their roots without bending, pulling, kneeling, or use of chemicals. Click now for the best weed puller that's been around for over 105 years!

grampasweeder.com

It works well even when our clay soil is dry and hard. If your puncture vine is growing out of rocks, I don't know.

All the best,

Peter

I have a Grampa's Weeder--the thing really works. I haven't tried it on the puncturevine yet, but when I was looking over the patch this morning to see whether the latest chemical application is working, I realized the device might work on this weed. Although each plant can spread out as much as six feet, there is a central taproot I may be able to pull up. Thanks.

 

[RockWrangler]

HAIRY LEAVES! As was mentioned a page or so ago no spray will work as well on them without a surfactant. Any herbicide recommended will do better with it. Spraying various crab-grasses should be a first lesson, and btw I only buy glypho 'with'.

Drexel Haf-Pynt is my favorite at 1 oz/gal in the tank with Triclopyr, Dicamba, Amine 400 (2-4-D), RM-47, Trimec, Quinclorac, Weed-b-Gone, etc.

Drexel Chemical Company » Haf-Pynt™

www.drexchem.com

Both Roundup and Glystar glyphosate herbicides have surfactants included in the formula.

 

[RockWrangler]

I don't know if it would work for Goat heads, but my granddad cleared a troublesome patch of Johnson grass by fencing it off and turning his hogs in on it. They root it out and eat the roots.

How to Get Rid of Goat's Head Weeds, Seeds, and Stickers

How to get rid of goat's head weeds in your yard, including their seeds and the stickers. Plus, find out what to do if you get goat's head stickers in your skin.

dengarden.com

That is a very informative website. Thanks.

 

[newbury]

<snip>
It can increase libido, lower blood sugar and apparently it is edible
Tribulus terrestris | Purdue University Famine Foods

Tribulus terrestris | Purdue University Famine Foods

www.purdue.edu

So market it as a new health food!!

/edit - that's already being marketed
Does Tribulus Terrestris Really Work? An Evidence-Based Look

 

[RockWrangler]

This shows that 24d is ok in Washington https://www3.epa.gov/pesticides/endanger/litstatus/effects/24d/attachment-d.pdf

I saw that .pdf. Further research shows the use of 2,4 D limited to certified applicators, i.e., people who go through the state education, testing, and re-certification process.

 

[RockWrangler]

So market it as a new health food!!

/edit - that's already being marketed
Does Tribulus Terrestris Really Work? An Evidence-Based Look

Now there is an idea! I could make it a self-harvest health food garden. Kinda like the pick-your-own berry patch. People could pay me to pull up the plants.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Man with a hoe can do 4 acres a day.

 

[Raul-02]

Man with a hoe can do 4 acres a day.

Oh I don't know about that~!!!!! Oh Sorry, wrong kind of Ho

 

[cqaigy2]

Oh I don't know about that~!!!!! Oh Sorry, wrong kind of Ho

Well, he did say a man so.....

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

Call your extension Agent.

WSU Spokane County Extension​

Jul 18, 2022

Staff Directory • Spokane County, WA • CivicEngage

www.spokanecounty.org

Location	222 N Havana, Spokane, WA 99202
Phone Number	509-477-2160

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I grew up in rural Major County Oklahoma, and we had lots of these things. As far as I know, they just lived with them. The would ruin your bicycle tires; we took old innertubes, cut them up and lined the inside of our tires with them and added stop leak worked pretty well.

I'll ever forget the time my friend and I were riding his old mare bare back, in his sandy hill pasture. She shied away from an old half buried fence and fence post, and dumped us right in a big patch of goat heads. I never picked so many goat heads in my life; both arms, elbows, knees and hip.

Reminds me of the old Mason Williams tune, "look at them sticker getters, ain't they neat? Gettin them stickers in they feet...gettin them goat heads, gettin them briars, pickin them out with sticke pickin plyers".

 

[RockWrangler]

Reminds me of the old Mason Williams tune, "look at them sticker getters, ain't they neat? Gettin them stickers in they feet...gettin them goat heads, gettin them briars, pickin them out with sticke pickin plyers".

Love it!

 

[RockWrangler]

For those who haven't dealt with puncturevine yet, don't worry, it is coming your way soon. Here is a map from the U of Georgia showing current distribution. puncturevine (Tribulus terrestris) - EDDMapS State Distribution - EDDMapS

I got out early this morning to look over my puncturevine garden, hoping the latest chemical application is doing some good. The last batch was Roundup Super Concentrate (50% glyphosphate with included surfactant). After my experience with several other herbicides, I increased the poison to water dilution in this mix.

The good news: the poison is killing the plant. The bad news: the seeds have already set and are scattered far and wide on the ground. Next spring I'll get out early with a pre-emergent herbicide and see whether I can finish this off. From what I read, the seeds can lay dormant for several years before sprouting, which means I may have a new hobby.

A few posts back @ponytug recommended I try Grampa's Weeder (Grampa's Weeder - The Original Stand Up Weed Remover). I already have the device, so took it with me this morning. When I was able to sink the prongs into the ground it was really effective, but the soil is so thin and the ground so rocky that it is nearly a useless effort. Plus, there is no way to get those seeds from the cracks and crevices of the rocky ground.

Then when I took off my work boots in the shop, I saw the soles were loaded with thorns. Makes me wonder how many new plants I seeded on the way to the house.

In spite of it all, I wouldn't trade a day in the country for anything the city has to offer. If I want to, I can drive to the city to get what I need and be back home in just a few minutes. I'd rather wrangle with rocks and marmots and puncturevine than a neighbor who doesn't like the color I painted my fence.

 

[stompybritches]

I run a tight ship on puncturevine after I got two tractor flats, put green goo in tires after that.
Spot spray with Weedmaster (2,4d with dicamba) 2 ounces, methylated seed oil sticker 2 ounces (to make sure it clings to leaves well) and add 1/4 ounce granular Telar XP if you're not close to waterways and runoff issues. Mix the granules first in a jug, pour into a two gallon spot sprayer, add a gallon water then add your other liquids, then add up to 2 gal fill line. Agitate well. It will die for good. Milestone 1 1/2 oz in place of Telar is also good and neither will harm grasses or good plants. Glyphosate just kills everything good and bad, leaves bare soil for further weed invasion.
To pick up old stickers take a piece of old carpet or old rug and flop it down on the ground around the plant, the pile nap of carpet will pick the stickers up.

 

[jyoutz]

Can you get a Private Applicators License?
Private Applicator License.

That’s what I did, then I was able to buy tordon. And tordon will definitely kill puncture vine in addition to prickly pear cactus. Getting a private applicators license wasn’t too hard. I contacted the Cooperative Extension Service and they gave me some self study books. Then when I was ready, I took the required test, paid my fee and was issued a three year private applicator license. I can buy and use any restricted chemicals, but cannot use the chemicals outside of my own property.

 

[jyoutz]

2,4 D is off the table in this state. I may have to look into altering the soil pH. I am hoping today's super dose of glyphosate has a positive effect.

Off the table for on the shelf sales to anyone, but you can buy it with an applicator’s license. You don’t necessarily have to renew the license and do annual classes. Just buy enough up front (2 1/2 gallons of concentrate) and you will have enough for years to come.

 

[newbury]

Off the table for on the shelf sales to anyone, but you can buy it with an applicator’s license. You don’t necessarily have to renew the license and do annual classes. Just buy enough up front (2 1/2 gallons of concentrate) and you will have enough for years to come.

And it varies by state.
In Mississippi my license is valid for 5 years from my test. And it was all online and easy. In Virginia it was going to be a pain, required more documentation, and physically visiting a test facility.