Grass burrs, sandburs, sand spurs, or “stickers”- whatever you call these prickly seeds, they are both annoying and potentially dangerous. They stick to clothes, skin, and pets or livestock might accidentally ingest them. The good news is that you can be rid of them and create conditions that make it hard for them to come back.
How to Get Rid of Grass Burrs/Stickers
There are 5 primary ways to deal with sandburs. They range from least labor-intensive and most expensive (commercial herbicide used each year) to most effective and most labor-intensive (cultural suppression).
You can find details about each of these options below.
5 Ways to Get Rid of Grass Burrs (aka Sandburs or Stickers)
When it comes down to it, getting rid of sandburs or stickers requires the same sort of tactics or steps you would take to get rid of any weed. However, unlike many other small grass weeds, sandburs pose a few unique problems and may require modifications to these tactics.
1) Herbicides (Both Commercial and Natural)
If you choose to use herbicides to control your grass burrs, there is one type of herbicide you should look into, especially if you want to get rid of grass burs and save your lawn in the process. Pre-emergent herbicides are what you need to prevent burrs and any other type of weed seed from taking over your lawn. However, you can only use these on an established lawn and never after the application of grass seed or during a year when grass seed may be applied.
Commercial Pre-Emergent Herbicides
Preen is the most common pre-emergent herbicide you may find at your local garden center. However, most herbicides that say they are a “weed barrier” or “weed preventer” are pre-emergent herbicides. Sprinkling these on a lawn and watering them in, if required, will prevent seeds from sprouting normally. Keep in mind that this goes to all seeds and not just weed seeds. These are non-selective herbicide products.
Worried about how these herbicides may affect existing grass? You can read our article on Does Preen Kill Grass?
Natural Pre-Emergent Herbicides
Corn gluten meal is one of the only natural pre-emergent herbicides. This does not prevent germination but it will make it hard for sprouts to survive. Corn gluten meal can be picked up at most farm stores, feed and seed stores, and some hardware stores.
2) Burning
Burning is a long-standing method of weed control in pastures. In the early spring or late fall, while the grass is still dormant but the weeds have begun to wake up, you can burn a field, lawn, ditch, or small pasture to act as a pre-emergent without harming the roots of the grass. Not only does this method get rid of all weed seeds, but it also cleans up thatch and “cleanses” the area of pests and spores.
If you do choose to burn, check with your county to make sure it is safe to do so. Some counties may require registration or to have a volunteer from the fire department on site. Choose a calm day with no wind, several days before it is expected to rain. Have buckets and large rags or towels on hand in case things get out of hand. Never burn any type of plants or grass alone.
The fire can be allowed to burn an entire area. To help control the fire, thoroughly water where you want the fire to stop. This can help slow down the flames and allow you to put them out with the water and rags, towels, or sacks you have set aside. If you only want spot control, consider a weed torch but make sure to take the same precautions.
3) Hand Weeding
As it says on the tin, this is where you pull up each sandbur plant by hand. For safety, wear thick leather gloves. Have a bucket on hand for weed and burr collection. Dispose of weeds and burrs by taking them to a collection site or by burning them. Do not compost them or dig them back into the soil as this will allow the seeds to spread. A weeding tool or narrow hand shovel can make this task easier and ensure that you pull the sandbur plant out by its roots.
4) Solarizing
Do you have a large area that’s just full of sandburs and other weeds? Would you rather re-seed than try to save the few tiny bits of grass that remain? Then solarizing could be a valid option.
For this method to work, all you need is something large, heavy, and opaque. You could use several layers of thick, black plastic or a spare tarp. Even thickly layered newspapers can be used to smother grass and weeds. Landscaping fabric is not good for this task as it has small holes of pores that allow moisture and light in.
All you need to do is place your heavy cover directly over the area you wish to smother. The cover should also reach outside of the designated area by 4 to 6 inches. Weight the cover down at the edges. Branches, landscaping timber, and rocks can be used for this task.
The cover can be laid in fall and taken off at the end of spring or laid in spring and taken off at the end of fall. This ensures that not only the adult sandbur plants are killed, but the seeds should be taken care of as well.
5) “Crowding Out” or Cultural Suppression of Grass Burrs
Grass burrs like hot, sunny, sandy soil. By improving conditions for the grass type you have, it’s possible that there will be no room for the sandburs to thrive and that they will eventually be crowded out by your lawn grass.
Watering your lawn on a schedule, adding fertilizer, and amending the soil so that the pH is desirable and the soil can retain water is the best way to help your lawn compete with sticker plants and other weeds. This method is ideal to combine with spot burning, the addition of a pre-emergent, and hand weeding.
Preventing Sandbur or Grass Burr Infestation or Re-Infestation
Now that you know how to get rid of grass burrs, it’s important to remember that with grass burrs, the best thing you can do to control them is to take steps to prevent them from rooting in your lawn. Sprinkling a pre-emergent in the spring once your intentionally-planted grass seeds have taken off, remaining vigilant and removing any burr plants before they go to seed, and making conditions unfavorable for burrs are common lawn-owner tasks. With regular practice and a schedule, lawn maintenance, including removal of stickers, can take just a few minutes each day or 1 -2 hours a week.
Quick Summary on Grass Burr/Sticker Eradication
Knowing how to get rid of stickers in grass can be an essential skill if you want to enjoy your time outdoors, especially if you have pets. The 5 methods I’ve described above are some of the best ways I’ve found to tackle this issue. While these methods are all effective in their own way, it’s important to note that prevention is the only way to avoid the costly and time-consuming process of controlling an infestation.
Further, if you have a large number of sandburs in neighboring lots or ditches, the battle will never be truly over. The wind, wild animals, or even someone walking by could carry burr and other weed seeds to your lawn. However, it’s important to remember burrs are just weeds, even though you may view them as your nemesis right now. They may be annoying to clean up but they respond to nearly any treatment that other weeds do.
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