What is the best way to get rid of goat heads in your yard? aka Vinca-vine.

1. 82

   Harlan Coltposted 14 years ago

   What is the best way to get rid of goat heads in your yard? aka Vinca-vine.
   
   Goat heads are little vines that grow on the ground and produce little goat-head looking thorns that stick in everything that passes by. They are really hard to control once they invade an area.
   
   

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2. 82

   Harlan Coltposted 14 years ago

   Sorry I meant puncture vine... not Vinca vine... its late.

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3. 64

   cat on a soapboxposted 13 years ago

   Hi Harlan,
   There are products that prevent fruiting of irritating and messy plants such as Liquidamber and olive, etc. I'm not sure it works on your paticular plant or not. The one I'm familiar with is called Florel. You could call the manufacturer: Monterey, I think. Good luck :>)

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4. 60

   shamani67posted 13 years ago

   My property was covered in them. The only way I found to get rid of them was to pull them out by the roots and burn them. This took some time as the seeds would fall off and grow. It may take a couple of seasons, but you can get rid of them. You have to try and get them at the early stage, before they flower.
   We now have goats who love eating them, thorns and all. Hope this helps.

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5. 82

   Blond Logicposted 13 years ago

   I think pulling them out is your best option as Shamani67 says. My Mother's house use to have those and we were always barefoot. OUCH!. There is a special forked weeding tool on the market to enable you to get to the root. It is a horrible job but it has to be done.

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6. 61

   BobMongerposted 13 years ago

   Oh the nasty little things! My town has been fighting these for years and they are worse than dandelions or thistles. Pulling them out by the roots is the best way and various weed killers seem to work, but this has to be a community effort. Just because you've gotten rid of them on your little corner of paradise doesn't mean your neighbors have so they spread like-well, like goatheads. This is a constant fight and the only thing way we've  found  to get rid of them is a complete community commitment. Good luck with that! Even paving over areas where they thrive is no answer as they'll come up through any cracks. They seem to be able to grow almost anywhere, in fact the only piece of property I've never seen them thrive are the Bonneville Salt Flats. I haven't tried sowing my yard with a foot of rock salt but that may be next.

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