How to get rid of stickers (north Texas)

[Kingfisher789]

Pear burner.

[muzzlebrake]

Round up and then a pear burner once they are dead and brown.
Have a water hose handy and no wind. A controlled burn will get the seeds.
My grandpa used to burn off his pastures about once every 5 years just to kill sand burrs.

[TeamAmerica]

The best defense to any weed is a healthy yard of grass. Bermuda will do good. and keep it mowed as often as you can - it doesn't require a lot of water. if only a half acre, this should be manageable.

are there any goats that eat these things???

[Tejas Wildlife]

DuPont Pastora works great as an early POST EMERGENT. Soil temp has to be over 68 degrees and actual burrs cannot be formed on plant shaft. Kills them but doesn't harm coastal Bermuda.

Burn your yard every other year. Grass burrs can sprout after laying dormant for over 7 years. Been fighting them in pastures for over 50 years

[Dusty Britches]

Well, it depends... are you talking about treating a small (residential) area or a big hay field/ pasture?

Regardless, timing is the key to success on sandburs. Most replies are good, but they miss the timing. Get a soil sample (anytime) and find out what kind of nitrogen you need to grow the grass you want. A lawn and garden or farm store should be able to help you with it. Put out your fertilizer in Dec - Jan.

Then, if you are treating a small area that you can hook a hose up to spray, put out Image as a pre-emergent in mid to late February. Come back in April and hit it with MSMA ONLY if it is safe for the desirable grass. When you mow in June, about a week later if there is decent soil moisture, spray MSMA again.

If you are treating a pasture, after you fertilize in Dec-Jan, and as close to February 15, put out Prowl H20. Apply Pastora in April when the soil temps are above 68 degrees. Apply Pastora after each hay cutting, within a week.

It is expensive to treat for sandburs but with high nitrogen levels and proper herbicide application, you can knock it back by 90-95% and then spend the next 7 years taking care of the rest. The guy with BASF told me the seed heads are viable for 7 years.

I have noticed on my neighbors' place, he fertilizes like he's feeding race horses and in one year he killed off 95% + of the sandburs over 100 acres. The thicker the desirable grass, the less chance the sandburs will survive. I've seen that, too, on my own place.

Do not expose the ground with bare soil by burning it off (it won't kill the sandburs anyway) or by spraying Roundup. You will only make your weed problem worse.

[Tejas Wildlife]

Dusty Britches is right. I have seen good results from Spot Burning with a portable pear burner in established coastal patches. When the burrs are dry, it is very hard to dig them up without hundreds shaking off the stalk and falling on the ground.

No matter what you do, fighting grass burrs is a multi YEAR process. Much like Feral Hogs, there is no Silver Bullet to solve the problem instantly. Good luck

[Pullersboy]

I hate those things. I don't have many in my yard and the few I have are consolidated to one small area. They still drive me nuts. I'm constantly picking g them. I my folks' house has 4 acres. When I was a kid, they were plentiful there. For years, I remember the whole family being out there dragging around trash bags and picking them by hand. It took a lot of work, but I can't recall the last time I saw one on that property. I bet it's been at least 25 years, maybe 30. I do not envy you, sir.

BTW, I thought the EPA did away with MSMA. I haven't seen it in about 8 years. The nursery where I used to buy it said they quit manufacturing it.

[catslayer]

Pre-emerge in late feb early march, 60 days later and then in mid-late september before fall rains. It takes time but it WILL get them gone and improve your other grasses.

Simazine is a liquid that is a pre-emergent if you have a sprayer

If memory serves fire needs to be way way way hotter than a pear burner to kill the seeds( the number in my head is 700 degrees but i cant fact check that)... the sticker will burn releasing 7 seeds that will grow in the spring.

Legaly, there are some chemicals that work as post emerge... but if memory serves they are only aproved for "golf courses and right of ways"... sooo if anybody ask you are working on your putting green

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[mattjproc]

wait until they get good and hard and drag a piece of carpet behind your tractor/mower this fall. Treat any that come up in the spring with msma.

I have battled these a-holes for years and i promise you that is the best course of action. If you are feeling really frisky you can use pre-em too. The carpet is the most important part of the equation.

[super_dave]

Sandburs love acidic soil. The best way to get rid of them and prevent new growth is to raise the pH

Do this by applying lime, lots of lime.
Also spray the plants that are there now with roundup or msma. Hell gasoline will do the same thing, but it takes a lil longer to grow back.

[Hawgdog374]

pre-emergent two times a year. It will keep them from coming up. You still have to do this from now till forever.

[UncleBubba]

TruGreen got rid of my parents

[oktx]

I hate those things. I don't have many in my yard and the few I have are consolidated to one small area. They still drive me nuts. I'm constantly picking g them. I my folks' house has 4 acres. When I was a kid, they were plentiful there. For years, I remember the whole family being out there dragging around trash bags and picking them by hand. It took a lot of work, but I can't recall the last time I saw one on that property. I bet it's been at least 25 years, maybe 30. I do not envy you, sir.

BTW, I thought the EPA did away with MSMA. I haven't seen it in about 8 years. The nursery where I used to buy it said they quit manufacturing it.

You still buy MSMA. Go to a feed store.

[bigbuck109]

Mama in the heat of the day

[bigbuck109]

Msma