Spurweed, lawn burweed, or stickerweed.
Photo: Dan Gill, LSU AgCenter.

More Spurweed

In early January Tracy sent a follow-up email about spurweed, also called lawn burweed or lawn stickerweed, “I had [a lawn care company] spray my yard, and I insisted they use what you suggested for the spurweed even though they did not want to use that until January. As I was showing them my yard, I noticed the spurweed is already blooming with the crazy [warm] winter we are having. They will come back again in January to spray but is there any way to avoid it this year now that it is already blooming.”

Spraying spurweed in flower would likely result in good control because the treatment will kill the flowers before the weed goes to seed by April. AHA has used Image® with atrazine and Weed Stop® with 2,4-D as spot treatments in his own landscape. As soon as spurweed is observed, early spot spraying has been successful. Several inspections may bee needed in January and February to catch the spurweed that may have germinated since the last spray.

Nutgrass or nutsedge or coco.
Photo: Kayla Sanders, LSU AgCenter.

Bill is trying a new horticultural project and sent this question, “Good morning, [AHA] ! I’m in the process of setting up a muscadine orchard. I did a soil test in early fall and followed the recommendations. I tilled the lime into the 3 100-foot rows and let the lime work until I plant in early spring. My problem is that the nutgrass ([nut]sedge ?) has taken over the rows so badly, it looks like I planted it as a cover crop. I want to kill the nutgrass before I plant, but do not want to harm the muscadines. Any recommendations? Thanks.”

Here are products for controlling nutgrass:

• Halosulfuron: Permit® Herbicide, Sandea® Herbicide, Sedgehammer®, Hi Yield Sedge Killer®
• Glyphosate: Ranger Pro®, Eraser®, Kleenup®, Accord®, Honcho®, E-Z-Ject®, Jury®, etc.

Halosulfuron and glyphosate are the respective active ingredients in the products listed. Once your muscadine orchard is established, heavy mulching will keep the nutsedge under control. The Hammond Research Station uses heavy mulching in its trials beds to effectively control nutsedge.

Vetch, a cool season weed in the lawn.
Photo: LSU AgCenter.

Ann C. found a plant in front of the AgCenter and brought a sample into the office for identification. This plant, vetch,is a cool season “weed” in the landscape, and it will disappear from the landscape in the spring when temperatures become hot. There are a couple of benefits with this plant. First, it is a legume like clover and will improve the nitrogen levels in the lawn. The other benefit will be the bloom. On warm winter days, pollinators can forage on these flowers and help them make it through the winter.

Vetch and clover indicate that a lawn needs nitrogen, and a soil test is to bring the fertility up in a landscape. Also, herbicides used to control spurweed can also control vetch and clover.

Asian jasmine as a ground cover.
Photo: Dan Gill, LSU AgCenter, retired.

Asian Jasmine

A business man in Jena wanted some advice on weed control in his Asian jasmine. He installed this ground cover on a slope to reduce mowing at his business.

This gentleman had understood that he could use glyphosate, the active ingredient in products like Roundup®, to control weeds in his Asian jasmine. He had invested in these plants and wanted to avoid damaging them. Glyphosate is a non-selective herbicide and could damage his investment. AHA suggested adding a cone attachment to the wand of his sprayer to spot treat for weeds while his groundcover matures until it becomes a full, dense ground cover.

In addition to the cone attachment. AHA suggested a product like Ortho’s Grass B Gon®. This product can control grass without harming broad-leaf plants such as Asian jasmine. This herbicide is selective and designed to control grasses.