How do I get rid of cockleburs from my front lawn?

Used poison from county co-op but it killed the grass too and the cockleburs returned the next year. HELP!

  3 answers
  • KattywhampusLOL KattywhampusLOL on Sep 26, 2017

    Good evening Janette, Almost anything that kills weeds will also kill surrounding vegetation if any overspray lands on the grass or flowers or vegetables, or whatever. There is also the fact that grass roots are mingling with the roots of the weed under the ground, so if you are going to kill the roots of the weeds you will also kill the roots of the grass. Even the homemade weed killers will kill the grass, too.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad-hncscnZc

    I would suggest smothering it but its in your FRONT lawn and you don't want black plastic and carboard weighted down with cinder bricks laying in your front yard for a year or more. Then again you could always try to dig it out but we're talking cockleburs and -- OUCH -- who wants to dig them out? Maybe the link below will be of some help, but then we are going right back to chemicals (one of which, it says, is gentler on grass than all the others) . http://chronicle.augusta.com/life-gardening-home/2012-04-19/little-spurweed-can-cause-big-pain

    Good Luck Janette, and thanks for asking HOMETALK for help. :)

  • Jane Jane on Sep 27, 2017

    Sand spurs are VERY difficult to eradicate and it takes a consistent and dedicated effort. First, cut off ALL stalks with stickers on them and stuff them in a plastic bag. The stickers are the seeds and it's almost impossible to get them all! Any you miss are likely to grow a plant! You can also try pulling up the remaining plants by the roots and stuff them in a plastic bag as well. These bags need to go to the dump or somewhere far from where they might reseed! Then use that weed killer the county extension gave you, trying to be careful about the over spray. A simple weed killer that doesn't harm grass will NOT be strong enough. If you have shrubs or flowers you particularly want to protect, cover them in plastic when you spray. You can remove it once the spray is dry. The next spring you will need to be very vigilant very early and spray again as a pre-emergent where the sand spurs were the year before and repeat the process, looking to see if any new plants have popped up close by. It's not easy but it can be controlled with a concerted effort. Good luck!