How to Kill Goat Head Weeds

Known by many names, goat head thorns are a real nuisance. They can be greatly controlled with some simple practices and persistence. We’ll show you how!

#goathead #weedcontrol #puncturevine

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When we were kids, we just called them “stickers.” If you got into a patch of them while barefooted, it was a very unpleasant experience. They were also very hard on bike tires and we had to repair many a flat after an encounter with what was also known as “goat heads.”

Their botanical name is Tribulus terrestris. Even that name sounds bad! “Tribulus” refers to an ancient weapon called a caltrop. These multi-spurred weapons could inflict a lot of damage and if they were spread on the ground, one spike would always be facing up. Just like these weeds.

Whether you call them Goat Heads, Puncture Vine, Caltrop, Bullhead, or Sandbur - they all mean you need to take measures to control them. While they aren’t spread by the wind, it can still be trouble if neighboring areas have Puncture Vine infestations and the burrs are transported to your property by animals, footwear, equipment, bike, or vehicle tires.

These weeds are well adapted to grow in neglected, disturbed, or bare soils. They have a very low, mat-like profile, so they are not easy to see until they are actively growing or blooming. Because they can easily “hitch rides”, they can show up in unexpected places.

That’s not all. The seed is viable for about 7 years, and a single plant can produce up to 5,000 seeds! If that wasn’t enough, those seeds germinate throughout the summer months. So, ongoing vigilance is needed to control them.

There is some good news in all this. Before the weeds go to seed, they are relatively easy to control. Small areas can be hand-managed by pulling the small weeds before they form the thorned pods. Larger areas can be sprayed with your favorite herbicide. Simple hoeing or hard raking can do the trick as well. If an area had mature plants the season before, pre-emergent weed controls can be used.

If you were late in your control efforts, and you have sizable plants with plenty of the thorned pods on them, the best thing to do is to hand-pull them. That’s right. Using gloved hands (and wearing good work shoes, not “flip-flops”), grasp the center of the plant, where all the branches emanate from. There aren’t any thorns there. You can “peel” back the arm of the weed to reach the center. If there is a bad infestation, you’ll have overlapping weeds to contend with. Then gently but firmly lift straight up, pulling out the central tap root. The entire weed will lift away. Because the plants cover a lot of ground, you can clear a lot of ground quickly. This will be the worst of it, as subsequent encounters will take less effort. Dispose of each plant in the trash or burn barrel. DO NOT compost them. You are asking for trouble if you do!

If you find the weeds quite late in the season, when they have yellowed and the pods are falling off, pick up what you can to help eliminate the further spread of the pods. You can use carpet or rubber kneeling pads and like material to get the thorns to stick to so you can pick them up. Make a note of the area, and in the following season, you’ll really need to control any resulting infestation.

Not all controls for this pest are reactive. You can be proactive as well. Since they thrive in bare, disturbed, or neglected soil, and there is little competition from other desirable plants, you’ll need to create competition. Plantings of groundcovers or placement of deep mulches are both great ways to put the odds in your favor of controlling goat heads. They don’t do well in shade, so deprive them of sunlight!

If you’d like to know more and get even more specifics, here is a great fact sheet on Puncturevine:

https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3080&context=extension_curall#:~:text=In%20Utah%2C%20puncturevine%20is%20a,et%20al.%2C%202017).

Don’t give up, you can push these invaders back!

JUST DO IT YOURSELF!

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