It’s Sandbur Season In BisMan, Here’s How To Win The War
Sandburs truly are a weed from the depths of hell. The spikes they produce make stepping on a Lego in the middle of the night seem like nothing. Sandburs cling to your shoelaces, shoes, socks, pants, or just about anything on your body. If you happen to step on one of these with a barefoot, look out, nothing like 4,5,6 razor sharp needles going into your foot. Sandburs are a big problem for some people in Bismarck, Mandan & Lincoln with sandy soil.
When I moved to my home south of Lincoln a couple of years back, I had no idea what a sandbur was or let alone how to get rid of them. Coming from the eastern part of the state, I had never even heard of a sandbur, let alone experienced the pain from one of them. It was kind of overwhelming where to begin, and how to get rid of them. I spent a lot of time online and visiting with different lawn care companies around town, and I finally came up with a plan. I can tell you two years later, my yard has gone from probably 60 percent sandbur coverage to just a few isolated areas. We've gotten to the point where we know exactly what a new sandbur looks like and it's easy to pick them before they mature. Here's a picture of a new sandbur I just picked from my yard.
Now, I don't claim to be an expert, but I've got a few tricks that will help you win some battles. That's right, sandburs are a war, and you're not going to win the war overnight.
So, what do you do when you have a huge infestation of sandburs in your yard? No way to pick them all right? That's where we were at. The best bet is to get a lawn care company to come to spray for them. In a few days, the sandburs will turn yellow (hopefully it won't kill too much of your good grass) and you will mow them up. Be sure to use your bagger. The thorny spikes are actually the seeds that will grow next year's sandburs. So, it's important to get as many of them bagged up as possible. More than likely, some of those burs will end up on your lawn. Not to worry, I've got a trick for that too.
Sometime in the fall and again next spring find an old shag carpet. Attach it to your riding lawnmower upside down like pictured above, or you can even drag it yourself if you have a small yard. You will be AMAZED at the number of sandburs you'll pick up. Remember, how I said they cling to everything? If you have sandburs already, you've probably already dragged them into your house. Once they get into a carpet, you practically have to cut them out with a scissors. So, dragging carpet on your lawn only makes sense. This is a trick I read about on a Texas forum on the subject. Then, in the spring have your favorite lawn company spray a pre-emergent after you do your carpet trick. You will be surprised how quickly you can take back your yard. You'll actually be able to let the kids and pets play in your yard again.
I hope this helps some of you out. Remember, you have to win a few battles before you can win the war.
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