- Author: Pamela M. Geisel
I have to admit to having more than just a few weeds in my garden at this time of year. The most common weed is Annual Bluegrass, Poa annua which is now freely going to seed so I can plan to have another investation next spring. Even if I do everything in my power to clean up the current infestation, the weed seeds have already ripened and been spread about the garden. Darn….
Annual bluegrass is probably one of the most common weeds in the United States in home gardens and landscapes. It grows during the cooler parts of the year and then comes into flowering in spring. You can identify annual bluegrass generally by the boat shaped tip of the leaf blade. Contrary to the name, there are actually two types of...
- Author: Brad Hanson
Reposting a conference announcement:
A conference entitled, “Educating the Public about New Invasive Species Threatening California’s Plant Ecosystems”, will be held on Tuesday, April 24, 2012, at the University of California, Davis Conference Center.
The goal of this conference is to bring together biologists, social scientists, and communication experts to discuss how to educate all segments of society about the threat of invasive species and how to assist in their exclusion and detection. The conference will examine pest plants and plant pests that are likely to enter California in the near future, the pathways of introduction and likelihood of entry, and examples of...
- Author: Brad Hanson
I recently received a copy of a paper published by CropLife Foundation entitled "The Importance of Herbicides for Natural Resource Conservation in the U.S.". Publication date: January 2012.
I thought the paper had some interesting data on how herbicidal weed control has reduced the amount of tillage-based weed control and contributes to reductions in soil erosion, water concervation, and energy use in agriculture.
The article is available along with a number of other publications at the CropLife Foundation home page (here), direct link to the pdf (
- Author: Rebecca Miller-Cripps
- Contributor: Wendy West
Collaboration between Partners May Be an Effective Way to Fund Wildland Weed Control Projects
Many funding sources for weed eradication have been reduced or completely eliminated. According to the California Assembly Budget Committee's annual Preliminary Review of the Governor's Proposed 2012-13 State Budget, the California Department of Food and Agriculture will absorb a permanent budget reduction of $12 million in program cuts, in addition to a $19 million budget reduction in 2011-12. Funding for Weed Management Areas (WMAs) has been reduced to the...
- Re-posted by: Gale Perez
- Posted by: David Low
Abstract: Weed control in blackberries (Rubus spp.) is a serious problem for organic producers and those who wish to reduce their reliance on herbicides. Three landscape fabrics and one industrial grade white on black plastic were evaluated for weed control in conjuction with newly planted ‘Kiowa’ root cuttings in Feb. 2006 at a site near Monte Alto, Texas (26◦N Lat.). In the no-fabric treatment, weeds were controlled mechanically by hand. The reflectant white plastic and weave weed barriers reduced mid-summer soil temperatures at 10 cm and reduced the magnitude in soil temperature fluctuation. Field plant vigor and plant height measured in 2007 (only) were improved by use of weed barriers. The time required for plot...
