Well that is what I call them .. they are a darned weed! I want to permanently get rid of them in the driveway as my poor dog steps on them and then limps !! I have pulled them, put weed icky stuff on em (like my names ? LOL) I have even tried the vinegar, dawn and water .Put tin on em to smother em. Nothing works on them darned weeds.
I am not sure of the correct name but that is what I have heard all Coloradans call em.

Any suggestions ?

Thanks !!!!

When googling I found that it's also called Puncture Vine and it sure sounds like a nasty weed to encounter. Scroll down this page for information about how to manage it: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG...

[quote="Cassews"]Well that is what I call them .. they are a darned weed!

I wish I could tell you of a method other than hand-pulling and disposing in plastic bags.

All I can do is commiserate with you. Goats head is one name, another is Bull thorn. Both because of the shape of the seed.

They are the most painful thing you can step on when barefoot,
other than hot coals ! They can even penetrate rubber-soled shoes. <sigh>

Thank you both !~ More than I could find on them darned weeds. Yes they are bad, and I have been pulling them for the last 4 years. Even tried the old mixing of equal parts of Vinegar, dawn and hot water, pulling the plant then pouring it all down the hole from the plant root to kill anything left in there. BUT to no avail. So I guess I will just keep on a picking, plucking and raking ..

They are horrible for my dog, granddogs and granddaughters, the neighborhood kids as well who come over to visit.
<putting gloves on, plastic garbage bags, a hoe and my vinegar mixture LOL> ATTACK !!

Just be careful about mowing, all it will do is spread the stinkers !

Its a dirt area filled with river rock and concrete slabs in between for a drive way .. Yes they could get into the grass when we do mow, but Dearest Hubs is so careful- he's been out there picking them up before we mow or weed whack ..

Thank you !

The trick is to cut off the buds/flowers before they have a chance to go to seed. That's how I managed to get a highly invasive MG, Ipomoea cordatotriloba under control that was eating my hedge rose. It took me about 3 years. I'd spend about 30 minutes every morning pulling off flowers and buds throughout the growing season.

It's way easier to pull of the flowers than to find all the seed heads. I checked out the link so it looks like the yellow flowers are easy to see.

Several links recommend using a propane burner or controlled burn; don't know if that is an option where you live,

Thanks Xera .. what I have been doing ..

Greene: we can use it as a controlled burn as we are unincorporated and the fire dept is less than 4 blocks from us !LOL
Hubs was thinking about using Kerosene, but just not sure of it ..
We too have to get a permit for a controlled burn, but if its not going to be anything big then we can have a hose handy, or two LOL

We can use controlled burn at my daughter's place, but we must call first to get a permit - that gives the fire department a heads up when the phone calls start coming in.

Anne: Thank you for that tip regarding Morning Glory (Ipomoea cordatotriloba) I had a problem with it at our other house which we've been renting out the past two years and last year I found it growing in my side yard here and it took over and climbed a nearby tree. I will definitely have to remember your tip!

According to some videos I watched, weed burners only need to heat the weeds enough that you see a whiff of steam, not actually set them on fire.

Now, maybe that only applied to emerging weeds, not "adults".

I would have thought that, instead of pulling each flower as it bloomed, you would pull or chop each stem as it developed identifiable leaves.

(Listen to me make energetic suggestions: I have beds COVERED with weeds.)

Keep in mind that puncture vine, or Texas sandbur as we call it here, is an annual plant that thrives on disturbance. "Violent" efforts to control it merely encourage the germination of new plants.

The key to controlling it is to be persistent at removing plants before they have a chance to set seed, with the least amount of soil disturbance possible (a weed burner is a good idea if it can be done safely). Your driveway will be the biggest challenge because compacted bare soil is the ideal place for it. Seeds can remain viable in the soil for years so there's no short term solution but, if you are persistent at preventing the creation of new seeds, you'll eventually get rid of it.

One thing that won't work is pouring increasingly toxic chemicals (vinegar, kerosene, etc.) on the soil. If you ever visit the Trinity nuclear test site where they detonated the first A-bomb, you'll see puncture vine. If it can come back from that, it's not going to be bothered by vinegar or kerosene for long.

Sandburrs .. YES ! that is what my aunt used to call them !! Thanks ! for the name .. Kent: sounds like a cock roach around for ever !LOL Thank you

Rick: Well all I can say is: pluck, pluck and thanks for the advice !

Oh I will probably just keep on plucking along when I see them, and keep on raking up the seed pods and keep on plucking along .. LOL Just thought MAYBE there was something tried and true that someone had tried ..

Thanks you all wonderful people for the advice but I think the plucking will be the best .. LOL

A lot of invasive plants go into survival mode producing more flowers and spreading roots underground faster when you start pulling up plants .. unless you get every last bit of root, like dandelions they will come back .. that's why I pick flowers and buds. It's a slow process but if you persevere, it ultimately works.

Thanks Xera I do appreciate it very much .. I pluck em all .. Plants,buds, flowers .. so they have no chance to do anything ..

I think I read that the annual puncture vine doesn't like cold, freezing temp's ... maybe you could empty ice cubes on them and freeze them out!

Anyone have a Zamboni that needs to be emptied?

hahahahahahahaah Greene !! LOL too funny ...