Join Chelan County in Fight Against Noxious Weeds

Goathead surveys, control notices are ongoing

information released

Weed-surveying efforts by the Chelan County Noxious Weed Control Board are in full swing with a current focus on those pesky goatheads, also known as puncturevine for their ability to puncture tires.

The noxious weed team will be in Wenatchee neighborhoods through much of August, not only visiting properties that were contacted last year for infestations but also educating people in any areas where goatheads are newly identified.

Properties known to have goatheads in the past will be re-inspected and owners will be notified if the weeds are found again. Any new goathead locations will be recorded. Then landowners will be notified of the law requiring people to remove the plants and will be given information on best practices for treating an infestation. After notifications are sent, properties will be re-inspected within two weeks.

“With goatheads, persistency pays. If you are managing a goathead infestation of any size, don’t give up,” said Adam Pfleeger, Chelan County Noxious Weed Board coordinator. “There are a variety of management options, from hand-pulling to herbicides, that are effective in controlling goatheads.”

Goatheads are often found in high traffic areas or areas recently disturbed, especially in dry or gravelly sites. The noxious weed is typically found in alleys, sidewalks, rock landscaping, lawns, planting strips and vacant lots.

Goatheads, which are toxic to livestock, spread along the ground, forming mats of stems. Their leaves are hairy and their flowers are small, yellow and have five petals. They produce a woody burr with sharp spines. Those burrs, which contain seeds, often find their way into tires, shoes, clothing, fur, feathers and animals’ feet. Burrs can remain dormant in the soil for many years.

While the Noxious Weed Control Board’s priority is to educate people about noxious weeds in Chelan County and their impacts, fees can be issued if the board must control the noxious weeds on private property when a property owner refuses to take action. Or a civil infraction may apply.

“In the fight against noxious weeds, the best thing you can do for our community is to be an active steward of your private lands,” Pfleeger said.

To control goatheads:

Pulling: Goatheads can be hand-pulled or controlled by hoeing, ideally prior to seed formation. If plants have already produced seeds, make sure to remove all possible spiny burrs from the ground. Mowing is ineffective because of the plant’s low growth form.

Chemical: Appropriate herbicide use can provide effective control of goatheads. After the plants have emerged from the soil, post-emergent chemical products are effective. The smaller or younger the plant, the better the post-emergent herbicides work.