Three Native Weeds of Clifton Heights, PA

Weeds, you can't seem to get rid of them. If you know what you are looking for, by being informed of the common weeds of Pennsylvania, weed control will be a lot easier. Here is a simple guide to the most common weeds of Clifton Heights, PA. The three weeds I will be discussing are all noxious weeds. According to U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of land management, the definition of a noxious weed is as follows: "Legally, a noxious weed is any plant designated by a Federal, State or county government as injurious to public health, agriculture, recreation, wildlife or property."

Giant hog weed

Heracleum mantegazzianum, otherwise known as Giant hog weed, is indigenous of Pennsylvania. This weed is both federally and by the state of PA as a noxious weed. This is actually one of the scarier noxious weeds. The reason is its poisonous sap. The Giant hog weed can cause severe burns when it comes in contact with the skin. Contact with the eyes an cause temporary and even permanent blindness. One Giant Hog weed plant produces up to 20,000 seeds. Because of its poisonous sap, it is important to wear protective gear when trying to remove this weed. With chemical weed control, continuous that is, it takes up to five years to completely rid your area of this common weed. Triclopyr and glyphosate are the most common herbicides used for this matter.

Goats rue

Galega officinalis, otherwise known as Goats rue is deemed both federally and by the state of PA as a noxious weed. This is a flowering weed, and actually isn't all that unsightly. The problem is, it will be stubborn and take over your flowers you planted intentionally. This common weed, goats rue, actually originated in Central Asia. Most noxious weeds, come from another area, and that's why they spread so quickly. There are no natural predators of these common weeds, so unless taken care of by us, will run wild. Goats rue is very hard to get rid of. Typically the use of herbicides have to be used along with the manual removal of these common weeds. As herbicides are selective, you want to make sure you use the correct one by reading the label and asking a customer service representative. One suggestion would be glyphosate.

Bull thistle

Cirsium vulgare is the scientific name for Bull thistle. This is a PA deemed noxious weed. Bull thistle is common to, and originated in Europe and Asia. This common weed is actually from the sunflower family. One healthy plant can produce anywhere from 5,000 to 50,000 seeds*. That's a lot of spreading! The only way to stop the cycle is t remove before the head flowers, as that's when the seeds will spread. There is a lot of hard manual work, such as pulling before it flowers. Chemical control would be herbicides such as clopyralid and glyphosate, preferably used as a pre-emergent weed control.

So you see, although common and sometimes even pretty, it is very important to rid your lawn/garden of these common weeds. Please exercise all caution when doing so. Follow all directions and read the label of any herbicide if using as a weed killer thoroughly. Also wear protective gear, even when manually pulling these weeds.

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