Native Plants

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Sunday - February 24, 2013

From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Pests, Problem Plants
Title: Controlling sandburs from Austin
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

Hello, What is the best way to prevent sticker burrs from growing in a rocky bed with no grass. There are many other plants we want to preserve and a drip line to keep them watered. We have 2 small kids and a dog that like to explore the yard, any help is appreciated.

ANSWER:

Believe it or not, you are not the first person to have this problem, and you certainly won't be the last. See this previous Mr. Smarty Plants answer on dealing with Cenchrus spinifex (Coastal sandbur). The key advice is GET THEM BEFORE THEY GET YOU! Certainly if you see one with burs on it, it is already spreading seeds for its next generation, that's when you need the leather gloves. But if you can learn what they look like in the early spring and zap them then, you are steps ahead of them.

From the Image Gallery

Grass bur
Cenchrus spinifex