What to Do With All the Weeds?

By Michelle Le Blanc, Coordinator

San Luis Valley Weed Management Association

The extra moisture this past season pulled a lot of weeds out of dormancy. Weeds don’t stay in town, because their seeds are easily dispersed by wind, water, shoes, pets, and birds to surrounding farms, ranches, and waterways.

In the San Luis Valley, it is estimated that invasive weeds cost private landowners, the public, and federal lands at least $1.2 million in agricultural production, wildlife habitat and recreation. Therefore, it’s important to stem the tide of invasive weeds’ spread.

While you have to abide by your county or town ordinance for weed management, here are a few tips that can help make each year progressively easier.

First, don’t let weeds flower and go to seed before you treat or pull them. You will save yourself tons of time next year if you spend some time this year getting rid of them before they can reproduce.

Second, I find that watering the area where I’m going to pull weeds the night before helps loosens the roots (and saves my back). Water for about an hour, let the soil soak up the water overnight, then loosen the soil with a shovel, and pull. Remember to wear gloves, bag up the weeds, and toss in the trash.

Third, ask for help. I’ve had my share of weed problems over the years and have been lucky to have friends help me. The promise of shared time, a home cooked meal, and a tasty beverage will go a long way in getting some help and making the task less onerous.

Fourth, not all treatments work for all weeds, so do some research. Some weeds really do require chemical herbicide, because pulling or mowing simply creates new plants. Most likely, though, consistent effort to keep weeds from seeding works best if done throughout the season and over many years. If you don’t know what a weed is or how to get rid of it, go to www.slvnoxiousweeds.orgwww.colorado.gov/ag/weeds or www.cwma.org to see if you can find a match. These websites also have treatment recommendations. You can also call or visit the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension service.

If you don’t want to use chemicals, you can try a vinegar spray. Mix a gallon of white vinegar, one tablespoon of dish soap, and one tablespoon of cooking oil, and spray the weeds when it’s hot and sunny. This will kill the leaves, stress the plant, and possibly kill it, but the roots may not die. I’ve used it and it (mostly) works, but I’ve found that I have to spray several times a season.

Here are some of the most common weeds found in towns around the San Luis Valley.

Other San Luis Valley Weeds:

Dalmatian toadflax – looks like yellow snapdragons, but shouldn’t be planted in your flower beds. Pulling is effective on small infestations and if done every year for 5-6 years.

Quackgrass – grows from underground rhizomes to a height of 1 to 4 feet with erect stems. Till to the middle of the stand and prevent it from going to seed. Like other weeds, it is wise to find something to out-compete it like a desired grass or ground cover.

Bindweed – has arrowhead shaped leave that grow on a long vine close to the ground. Trumpet-like flowers range from white to pink. Persistent stress to this plant as well as healthy grasses will help manage this weed.

Common mullein – this one hurts me because it’s so beautiful and I love it stalk of sulfur-yellow flowers with my fuchsia hollyhocks, but again, mullein produces so many seeds that it can take over an area in a short time. Hand pull or dig when soil is moist, prior to flowering and seed production can be effective.

Cheat grass aka downy brome – is a major fire hazard. This grass grows in the understory of the forest and fuels very hot and hard to fight fires. You can mow it, graze it, till it to control it as long as the seed heads are purple; when the seeds turn green or yellow, it’s too late. To eradicate, plant desirable grasses and maintain appropriately.

If you have questions about weeds or weed management, contact the SLV Weed Management Association Coordinator at 719-588-3268 or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Our website is www.slvnoxiousweeds.org. Information is also available through the Colorado Weed Management Association’s website www.cwma.org and the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s website www.colorado.gov/ag/weeds. Photos courtesy of Colorado Department of Agriculture.

The SLV Weed Management Association is a public and private partnership created to promote awareness and management of noxious weeds through local and regional initiatives in the SLV area with the vision to cooperatively manage and/or control noxious weeds throughout the San Luis Valley Management Area regardless of geographic or political boundaries to promote ecological and economic values.

Pulling for the San Luis Valley



Centauri-FFA-tamarisk-event.jpgCentauri FFA met to flag and lop salt cedar canes as part of SLVWMA’s Pulling for Colorado event
   

 

 

July 2014

The Centauri High School Future Farmers of America (FFA) will be helping save the Valley’s water this summer.

FFA members will be eradicating as many salt cedar, or tamarisk, shrubs and trees as possible, and learning about the necessity of weed management for healthy agricultural, wildlife habitat, and recreational lands.

While salt cedar is beautiful, it also can use about 200 gallons of water a day which is very dangerous in the San Luis Valley’s arid climate. However, because of its blooms and feathery appearance it’s often used in landscaping.

Myron Price, Weed Management Supervisor for Conejos County, will teach FFA members how to identify saltcedar and other invasive and noxious weeds such as leafy spurge, houndstongue, and Russian knapweed. Tyler Huffaker, Centauri’s FFA sponsor, will also help coach the youth in lopping and flagging. Once the plants are flagged a certified applicator will spray the stumps with herbicide to permanently kill the plant.

The project is funded by Pulling for Colorado, a grant program sponsored by the Colorado Weed Management Association. The San Luis Valley Weed Management Association and the Conejos County Pest District will provide lunch, water, snacks, and caps for anyone working on the project.

For more information or to contribute to the project, call Myron Price at 719-588-2005.

If you have questions about weeds or weed management, contact the SLV Weed Management Association Coordinator at 719-588-3268 or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Our website is www.slvnoxiousweeds.org. Information is also available through the Colorado Weed Management Association’s website www.cwma.org and the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s website www.colorado.gov/ag/weeds. Photos courtesy of Colorado Department of Agriculture.

The SLV Weed Management Association is a public and private partnership created to promote awareness and management of noxious weeds through local and regional initiatives in the SLV area with the vision to cooperatively manage and/or control noxious weeds throughout the San Luis Valley Management Area regardless of geographic or political boundaries to promote ecological and economic values.

Salt cedar harms the San Luis Valley’s aquifer, wetlands and waterways, because it can use more than 200 gallons of water a day. (Photo Courtesy of Colorado Department of Agriculture)

High Valley Community Center Pulls for San Luis Valley


 

kidscroppedHigh Valley Community Center youth pull perennial pepperweed



On Sept. 5th the staff and youth at High Valley Community Center in Del Norte wrangled a vicious pest in their midst – perennial pepperweed (aka tall whitetop) – as part of the Weed Management Association’s Pulling for Colorado grant.

“Their work along with that of Centauri High School Future Farmers of America (FFA) are important steps in building awareness and doing the necessary work of weed management for healthy agricultural, wildlife habitat, and recreational lands,” said Michelle Le Blanc, SLVWMA’s coordinator. “Those kids were on a mission against that pepperweed.”

More than 20 kids, ages five to 12 and 10 adults, chopped the perennial pepperweed, dug it, and pulled it until they had filled more than a dozen large lawn and garden bags full of the noxious weeds. The weed had taken over the area immediately in front of the solar panels near the Town of Del Norte’s shop area on the west side of town.

Before they started Don Henderson, Certified Noxious Weed Specialist and presents at workshops for both private and commercial applicator licensees, helped the youth identify several noxious weeds like perennial pepperweed, puncture vine, and Canada thistle.

The State of Colorado classifies perennial pepperweed, which is found in riparian areas, valley bottoms, and seasonally wet areas, as a List B noxious weed. The 11th edition of The Noxious Weeds of Colorado notes that it is “especially prevalent in the San Luis Valley …”

According to the Colorado Department of Agriculture, “Perennial pepperweed reproduces both by seed and by roots; root fragments as small as 0.5 inch can grow into new plants. It alters ecosystems by excreting salt through the leaves and deposits it on the surface soil. Because most plants do not tolerate high saline concentrated soils, the entire plant community and diversity of the area changes.”

Back in July, the Centauri High School FFA Chapter helped to conserve the Valley’s scarce water resources. Along with their sponsor Principal Tyler Huffaker, the six FFA members found, flagged and prepared 60 new or small salt cedar shrubs (aka tamarisk) for spraying over a 20-acre area. While salt cedar’s feathery pink blossoms and shrub-like structure make beautiful ornamentals, it also uses about 200 gallons of water a day which is very dangerous in the San Luis Valley’s arid climate.

Once the plants were flagged, a certified applicator sprayed the stumps with herbicide to permanently kill the plant. Myron Price, Conejos County Weed Coordinator, also lead a discussion about other noxious weeds present in the area including perennial pepperweed, Russian knapweed, bindweed, and downy brome, (aka cheatgrass).  Each FFA member received a new San Luis Valley Weed Management cap and a weed identification book prepared by the Colorado Weed Management Association.  Lunch at Pikes Stockade was provided by the Conejos County Weed District and the San Luis Valley Weed Management Association.

Both of these projects were funded by Pulling for Colorado, a grant program sponsored by the Colorado Weed Management Association. The San Luis Valley Weed Management Association, the Conejos County Pest District, and the Rio Grande and Center Conservation Districts provided lunch, water, snacks, and caps for everyone working on the project.

If you have questions about weeds or weed management, contact the SLV Weed Management Association Coordinator at 719-588-3268 or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Our website is www.slvnoxiousweeds.org. Information is also available through the Colorado Weed Management Association’s website www.cwma.org and the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s website www.colorado.gov/ag/weeds. Photos courtesy of Colorado Department of Agriculture.

Centauri croppedTwelve bags of perennial pepperweed were destroyed.

The SLV Weed Management Association is a public and private partnership created to promote awareness and management of noxious weeds through local and regional initiatives in the SLV area with the vision to cooperatively manage and/or control noxious weeds throughout the San Luis Valley Management Area regardless of geographic or political boundaries to promote ecological and economic values.