It seems almost every year around this time that we do a story about goatheads, and what to do about them. Here is this year's story:
They are a nuisance, the puncture vines, they get in your shoes, they get in your feet, they get in your tires, and no one likes them. So what to do about them? According to Juli Sanderson, the coordinator for the Chelan County Noxious Weed Control Board, it's important to know the biology of goatheads:
So Sanderson says it's important to spray whenever a new plant comes up, but that won't get rid of the seeds below. For that, one must use something with soil residual that will get down and work on the root. Sanderson recommends that those who have parking lots with goathead plants have them professionally removed, and she has a special message for landlords:
Puncture Vines are a noxious weed, and the county noxious weed board will be starting surveys next week, first going street by street in the Wenatchee area and sending letters to property owners, and working in the Chelan and Cashmere areas, too. More information is available on the Noxious Weed Board's web page, which available on the county's website at co.chelan.wa.us; then look under the “Your Government” tab.