Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Sunday - April 25, 2010
From: Myrtle Beach, SC
Region: Southeast
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Ridding non-native centipede grass of native rattlesnake weed in Myrtle Beach SC
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
How do I get rid of "rattlesnake weed" in my lawn of centipede grass in Myrtle Beach SC?ANSWER:
This puts us in a slightly embarrassing position. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is dedicated to the use, protection and propagation of plants native not only to North America but to the area in which it is being grown. Your "weed," Hieracium venosum (rattlesnakeweed) is native to South Carolina, while your lawn, Ischaemum muticum, Centipede Grass, is native to China and parts of southeast Asia. Turns out both plants are considered by some to be invasive in nature. One source said that centipede grass can become a weed in many annual and perennial crops and can develop into huge thickets in drainage canals and ditches.
However, to you the rattlesnake weed is the invasive. We have no personal experience with it (but we do with rattlesnakes!) but from the information we have it looks pretty hard to pull out, which is always our first choice in getting rid of something like that. Preventing it from blooming, so it cannot set more seed, is the first line of defense. As those blooms stand up pretty high off the ground, getting them mowed early will certainly help.
Much as we hate to prescribe herbicides, because of environmental reasons, that may be your last resort. Centipede grass is a monocot, like all grasses. Rattlesnake weed is a dicot, also classified as a broad-leaf plant. You can buy herbicides specifically for either; obviously, you want one for a dicot, or broad-leaf plant. Read the instructions carefully, and follow them closely. Broadcast spraying could, with a gust of wind, damage some shrubs, flowering plants or trees, because they are dicots, also.
Conclusion: Prevent the Hieracium venosum (rattlesnakeweed) from seeding if you can, pull it out of the ground when it's possible, use a dicot herbicide as a last resort. But mind the rattlesnakes!
From our Native Plant Image Gallery:
More Non-Natives Questions
Pruning of non-native Mimosa in Topeka KS
April 18, 2010 - Read the Mimosa answer with much interest - other websites are love and hate this tree - we love ours - had one before that was multiple trunk and bought one from local nursery that seems to be single...
view the full question and answer
Hardiness of Euphorbia milii from Marble Falls, TX
December 02, 2009 - What is the hardiness of euphorbia mili, crown-of-thorns?
view the full question and answer
Hurricane resistant alternatives to crape myrtle
September 02, 2007 - Are there any native small to medium trees (15-25 ft) to use instead of crapemyrtles (Lagerstroemia indica)? Crapemyrtles come in many colors and bend with hurricane winds instead of snapping or uproo...
view the full question and answer
Native replacement for non-native Bermudagrass in Leander TX
October 16, 2011 - We have Bermuda grass. Large patches have died due to the drought and our yard has been taken over by weeds and St. Augustine grass whose seeds must have blown in. Even when the grass was in great con...
view the full question and answer
Problems with non-native weeping willow from Hazlet NJ
July 03, 2013 - Leaves turning yellow on weeping willow planted in May. What causes this and how can I fix it? Mother's Day gift after SANDY uprooted huge tree.
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |