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Key identifying traits
Warm-season grass growing in horizontal mats or upright
to 3' tall
1-3" seed spikes have 10-30 pea size hard burs
Burs are thickly set with stiff, sharp, spreading
spines
Leaf blades and leaf sheaths are flat in appearance;
immature plants spread horizontally
Frequently, old burs can be found clinging to a root of
young plants which aids in distinguishing immature sandbur from other
grasses
Biology and ecology
Summer annual that favors sandy or well-drained gravelly soils;
thrives on sunny sites
Invades lawns, roadsides, ornamental, disturbed areas
Flowering and seed production July to September
Mature burs cause injury to livestock mouths, noses and eyes and can
reduce value of wool
Commonly spread by animals, machinery and vehicles; burs cling to
tires, clothing, soles and laces of shoes, knees, knuckles and pet hair
Longspine sandbur is native to central and southern U.S.
Control
Prevention – Learn to
identify the plant; know your property; beware of fill dirt, hay and seed
from outside your area
Biological – None
Cultural – Competitive vegetation helps-keep lawns watered and
fertilized to increase the vigor of turf and reduce open spaces for
invasion
Mechanical – Mowing can stop seed production in short term, but
plants can regrow and bloom shorter than the cutting blade; digging or
pulling is effective; needs to be before bloom or, if after, bag or burn
plants in a pile as appropriate; seed bank will be present for a few years
Chemical – Pre-emergence treatments are effective at label rates
prior to germination but effectiveness can be lost due to leaching from
rain or irrigation; post-emergence spot treatment with a non-selective
glyphosate product is effective
but care must be used to avoid loss of desirable plants. Because sandbur
is a grass broadleaf
herbicides are not effective.
Refer to the
PNW Weed Management Handbook for specific chemical recommendations |
young plant and
bur it came from
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