Monday, May 7, 2007

The Goathead Czar

Roger Batt is conducting Idaho's "Weed Awareness Campaign."

The state is spending $9 million on the "War on Weeds." It seems as futile as the "War on Drugs."

Oddly, there seems to be more focus on Eurasian watermilfoil, than on goatheads. What's with that? Does that Eurasian stuff have thorns? (This despite the fact that Roger says, "We have puncturevine really bad around our property - that's how we spent last weekend." Puncture vine is a fancy name for goatheads.)

Click HERE to read the story on the daily-newspaper website.

If you see a goathead plant, it says, "Report weed infestations to the local county weed superintendent, listed under County Government in the phone book. The Ada County Noxious Weed Control office is at 577-4646."

(My experience has been that the ONLY way to get rid of goatheads is to pull the plant out by the roots and bag it and send it to the landfill. Then pick up as many of the goatheads as you can - they're seeds and will try to sprout - and get rid of them. If you do this faithfully for 5 or 6 years, preferably getting 'em before they start dropping the seeds, you might get lucky and rid yourself of 'em. But don't ride your bike out there, or let your kids ride... your great-grandkids, someday, maybe.)

1 comment:

db said...

It's funny how Idaho, which is rarely called "progressive" in any arena, is really doing a better job than most states in regard to this particular issue. I grew up in the Midwest, and my friends there know of few, if any, efforts to battle weeds.

But I think that overall it's a good thing. I'd love nothing more than to see puncture-vine eradicated. And I don't want to see other invasive species crowding out native plants and animals that make Idaho's wilderness what it is.