This article was reviewed by Ben Barkan and by wikiHow staff writer, Hunter Rising. Ben Barkan is a Garden and Landscape Designer and the Owner and Founder of HomeHarvest LLC, an edible landscapes and construction business based in Boston, Massachusetts. Ben has over 12 years of experience working with organic gardening and specializes in designing and building beautiful landscapes with custom construction and creative plant integration. He is a Certified Permaculture Designer, Licensed Construction Supervisor in Massachusetts, and a Licensed Home Improvement Contractor. He holds an associates degree in Sustainable Agriculture from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources.
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Ouch! If you stepped on something sharp when you walked barefoot through your yard, you may be dealing with a patch of stickers. Sticker weeds, also known as lawn burrs or burweed, are annuals that grow in winter and leave behind hard, sharp burrs in the summer. While it’s easier to take care of them before they even grow in, you can still get rid of stickers that are already in your yard. Keep reading for the best ways to remove sticker weeds so you can walk through your yard without getting hurt.
Things You Should Know
- Pull stickers by hand if you have a small patch of them. For larger patches, drag an old blanket across your yard to collect the stickers.
- Rake your yard or mow your lawn with a mower bag to collect the stickers in your yard.
- Apply pre-emergent herbicides in the fall to prevent stickers from forming. Spray a post-emergence herbicide on any other weeds in winter.
- Fertilize your lawn to provide turf with nutrients so it grows in stronger and keeps stickers from coming back.
Steps
Expert Q&A
Video
Tips
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Check your clothes and shoes for any stuck burrs, and remove any you find to keep the stickers from spreading.[14]Thanks
Warnings
- Herbicides won’t destroy sharp sticker seeds after they form, so it’s best to protect your lawn so the weeds don’t come back during the next growing season.[15]Thanks
References
- ↑ https://stewardshipcentrebc.ca/PDF_docs/GOERT/Publications/Invasives_PDF/S.sessilis.pdf
- ↑ https://www.coastalisc.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2014_CarpetBurweed_Summary_LitReview.pdf
- ↑ https://beaufort.ces.ncsu.edu/2020/04/got-weeds-heres-some-sharp-advice/
- ↑ https://www.gardenbenches.com/blog/homemade-weed-killer/
- ↑ https://pueblo.extension.colostate.edu/natural-ways-to-eliminate-weeds/
- ↑ https://pueblo.extension.colostate.edu/natural-ways-to-eliminate-weeds/
- ↑ https://today.tamu.edu/2021/06/09/how-to-win-the-fight-against-stickers/
- ↑ https://extension.umn.edu/lawncare/mowing-practices-healthy-lawns
- ↑ https://stewardshipcentrebc.ca/PDF_docs/GOERT/Publications/Invasives_PDF/S.sessilis.pdf
- ↑ https://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2019/11/08/controlling-lawn-burweed-the-spring-lawn-sticker/
- ↑ https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/lawn-burweed/
- ↑ https://today.tamu.edu/2021/06/09/how-to-win-the-fight-against-stickers/
- ↑ https://www.consumerreports.org/home-garden/lawn-care/dont-bother-fertilizing-your-lawn-twice-a-year-a5780099997/?srsltid=AfmBOorMyAw44qp3VqLiwqqJSBXw0BRM1WBFQ8DJWtZbzDVxjEBCO6Kt
- ↑ https://stewardshipcentrebc.ca/PDF_docs/GOERT/Publications/Invasives_PDF/S.sessilis.pdf
- ↑ https://site.extension.uga.edu/evansag/2020/05/burweed-control-winter-prevents-spring-stickers/