How Can I Control Puncturevine?

Do you want to try controlling puncturvine with mechanical control methods?

Do you want to try controlling puncturvine with cultural control methods?

Do you want to try controlling puncturvine with biological control methods?

Do you want to try controlling puncturvine with chemical control method?

In most situations, puncturevine is best controlled by hand removal or by hoeing to cut the plant off at its taproot. Monitoring the area and removing the weed throughout the late spring and into the summer will greatly reduce the impact of the weed the next year. Shallow tilling (about 1 inch deep) of seedlings or small plants can be effective in larger areas. Deeper tilling is not recommended since this may bury seeds and they may be able to germinate for several years afterward. Hand removal, hoeing, or cultivation should be initiated before flowering and seed production.

Mulches can be used to control common puncturevine in ornamental plantings, orchards, vineyards, vegetable crops, and gardens if they screen out all light. To be effective, organic mulches should be at least 3 inches thick. However, puncturevine burrs that fall onto mulch surfaces can establish on the mulch surface due to the puncturevine’s deep taproot. Synthetic mulches, which screen out light and provide a physical barrier to seedling development, also work well.

Two weevils, Microlarinus lareynii and M. lypriformis, native to India, France, and Italy, were introduced into the United States as biocontrol agents in 1961. Both species of weevils are available for purchase from biological control suppliers but purchase and release is not generally recommended because weevils collected from other areas may not survive at your location.

Chemical control is generally not necessary for the control of puncturevine in the home landscape. However, in large areas, or places where there was a heavy infestation in previous years so that it’s difficult to remove by hand, hoeing, or tilling, herbicides may be used to control puncturevine. Few preemergent herbicides are effective. Products containing oryzalin, benefin, or trifluralin will provide partial control of germinating seeds. These must be applied before germination (late winter to mid spring). After plants have emerged from the soil (post-emergent), products containing 2,4-D, glyphosate, and dicamba are effective.

Long-term control of puncturevine can be achieved by reducing the number of seeds in the soil. This is best accomplished by removing plants before they produce seeds and continuing to do so over several years. Burrs that have dropped after removing the plant may be collected and removed by sweeping or raking the ground. Even patting the ground with a piece of carpet will help collect the burrs. The primary method of management for puncturevine in the home landscape and garden is the removal of seedlings and older plants by hand or hoeing, taking care to also remove any burrs that fall off the plant.