Do you want to try controlling catchweed bedstraw with cultural control methods?
Do you want to try controlling catchweed bedstraw with biological control methods?
Do you want to try controlling catchweed bedstraw with chemical control methods?
Hand hoeing or weed pulling can be very effective, especially in the early spring when soil is damp. Installing and maintaining mulch (e.g. bark, wood chips, leaf litter, gravel, weed tarps, etc.) can reduce seedling emergence and eases the removal of plants that do become established. Cutting catchweed bedstraw to 2 to 3 inches usually is not effective and has been reported to increase biomass production up to 30% compared to uncut plants. The growth of bedstraw can be suppressed by sowing a competitive crop like a grass and wildflower mixture in some parks or other nonagricultural areas.
No insects or other biological agents are known to control catchweed bedstraw. Although some insects might feed on the plant, bedstraw does not cause enough economic loss to agriculture to warrant the search for a biological control agent.
Preemergent herbicides containing the active ingredient oryzalin can provide fair control of bedstraw. Once established, bedstraw can be controlled with several post-emergent herbicides. Oxyfluorfen, glyphosate, quinclorac, diclobenil, or carfentrazone (available to professional applicators) can control small bedstraw plants, while products containing dicamba, 2,4-D, or MCPA can provide partial control. Organic clove oil-based herbicides such as Matratec or BurnOut will kill young plants if applied early in the season.
Historically, catchweed bedstraw has had several beneficial uses. The roasted seeds make a good coffee substitute, and the young leaves can be used as a substitute for tea or steamed with butter and eaten. As an herbal remedy, it is said to be a diuretic, an anti-inflammatory, and antispasmodic and was used to treat psoriasis and eczema. If the infestation of this weed is not severe, think about utilizing its beneficial properties rather than controlling it.
http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74154.html
Sreten null
Hi! I’m Sreten Filipović. I graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Belgrade, with a master's degree in Environmental Protection in Agricultural Systems. I’ve worked as a researcher at Finland's Natural Resources Institute (LUKE) on a project aimed at adapting south-western Finland to drought episodes. I founded a consulting agency in the field of environment and agriculture to help farmers who want to implement the principles of sustainability on their farms. I’m also a founding member of the nonprofit organization Ecogenesis from Belgrade whose main goal is non-formal education on the environment and ecology. In my spare time, I like to write blog posts about sustainability, the environment, animal farming, horticulture, and plant protection. I’ve also published several science-fiction short stories.
You can find me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sreten-filipovi%C4%87-515aa5158/
