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Key Points
- Reasons not to ignore a weed growing in your yard include its toxicity, invasiveness, or allergenicity.
- Some noxious weeds are familiar to everyone (like poison ivy), while people are generally unfamiliar with the dangers of others.
- Some noxious weeds are easy to remove manually, but it could take years to remove some of the tougher ones.
Many gardeners have developed a rather tolerant attitude toward weeds. However, there are some weeds that you really shouldn’t ignore when you find them growing in your yard.
This article discusses five weeds that truly are noxious, explains why they are problematic, and informs you of how to get rid of them.
Bittersweet Nightshade
Bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) is a woody weed in the nightshade family, a family of plants notorious for its toxicity. Children are easily tempted to sample the poisonous berries of this weed because they display such bright colors. This makes it quite dangerous to have in the yard if you have small children.
Fortunately, bittersweet nightshade is relatively easy to get rid of. Wet the ground around it, then dig it out; try to get all of the roots. Monitor the site to make sure it does not come back. Repeat if it does return.
Oriental Bittersweet
The main reason not to ignore the presence of oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) is that this vine is highly invasive. It will scale large trees and cast shade on their canopies, depriving them of necessary sunlight, while wrapping itself around the trunk with a constriction that is potentially fatal to young trees.
You can get rid of it through repeated treatments with a glyphosate-based herbicide. However, since glyphosate is a non-selective herbicide, it can also harm any landscape plants that its spray lands on.
If this weed is already on one of your trees, instead of spraying it you will have to cut the vine at its base; this will kill the above-ground part of the weed. You will also have to dig the roots out later. Monitor the site to make sure it does not come back, and repeat if it does.
Japanese Knotweed
Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum) can’t be ignored due to its terribly invasive quality. It has bamboo-like stems and produces white flower clusters in fall. When the stems die in winter, they become ugly, dry canes that do not break down quickly.
This weed is extremely difficult to get rid of because it spreads via deep, vigorous rhizomes. It is usually necessary to spray it with a glyphosate-based herbicide to eradicate it. Fall, when it is in bloom, is the best time to spray it. You will probably need to spray a mature stand multiple years to get rid of it.
Common Ragweed
Common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) causes hay fever in the fall when it blooms. “Giant ragweed” (Ambrosia trifida) looks quite different but is also the bane of fall allergy sufferers. However, you are much more likely to have common ragweed in your yard than giant ragweed.
Common ragweed is easy to eradicate by hand-pulling. Wear gloves. Try to remove it before the ragweed blooms so that the seeds don’t fall on the ground.
Poison Ivy
Ignore the poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) growing on your land only at your own peril. Even if you have learned to identify this weed, you can still easily come down with the rash that results from contact with this plant (especially if you forget to where gloves when working in the yard).
This is because all parts of the plant, even the roots, carry the urushiol oil that causes the rash, and you can get the rash at any time of year. You could be digging in your yard in early spring and accidentally come into contact with the root, resulting in a physical reaction.
If you choose to dig out poison ivy to eradicate it, you may have to repeat the operation—it can regrow from any roots left behind. Cover as much of your body as possible when trying to remove it so that none of your skin is exposed to the urushiol. You can also spray it with a glyphosate-based herbicide.
Read the original article on The Spruce
