Beware the sand bur, an annual weed that must be pulled carefully by hand

Q: With a little prodding from the sign at the entrance of our neighborhood, I was reminded to pull the weeds in the front. There weren’t many and several of the clumps look like grass so I figure ... easy, especially since there’d been some rain to make the ground softer and the “weeds” easier to pull! I grab the first clump of “grass” and my palm is stabbed by these horrible sticker things! Stickers growing on grass, really? What do I have growing, and what’s the best way to get rid of it? It’s mean and evil! D.G., West Side

A. Oh, no, not the dreaded sand bur! Using the word “evil” in its description is right on the mark. This annual grassy weed seems to be quite prevalent here on the West Side, especially in the rocked and gravel spaces found between the sidewalks and pavement.

Since these spaces have dirt, sand, and silt blown in on them, the wee nooks and crannies make the perfect growing spot for a plant that can and prefers to grow in a challenging place. The sand bur now has finished growing its wicked seed head for this year, and with the slightest touch or breeze, its ready to throw off all those burs. So hunting it thoroughly will be paramount, unless you want to deal with a bumper crop next growing season.

Horribly enough, at this time of year, pulling the sand bur by hand is the only way to go. The plant isn’t growing quickly, so it won’t absorb a spray-on herbicide well and that sort of treatment won’t do a thing to the seed/bur. After all, the sand bur is an annual plant, so its “job” for the season is for the most part complete. You will best serve your property by hand-pulling any of the sand bur you find.

In the bed that borders my property, I have sand bur that rears its evil head every now and then, but because I know what it looks like as a youngster, I keep it pulled. When it’s young, it looks like a clump of wide-bladed crabby grass without an overabundance of the burs. But you can bet there will be a couple of the burs hunkered down at the base, so you still need be cautious when pulling these rascals! Hunting sandbur is one of the few times I’ll wear stout leather gloves that aren’t very tactile but sure protect your hands from those wicked burs.

Another trick — and it sounds a bit silly, but it helps — is to have a wet/dry vacuum handy to suck up any of the burs that you see hunkered down in the rocks and are trying to go unnoticed. Your neighbors might think you’re balmy, vacuuming your rock beds, but when you’re at war most anything goes. So get out there and pull by hand any and all of the weeds and grassy weeds you can, being sure to wear gloves, and eliminate those “mean and evil” plants before they throw their seed/burs to the wind and wait happily until next year. No easy way around it, you’ve got to pull by hand!

If you are interested in becoming an Albuquerque area master gardener, remember to mark your calendar and attend the informational recruitment meeting on Thursday, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the Albuquerque Garden Center, 10120 Lomas NE. You’ll get all of the information you’ll need to determine if this program will be your cup o’ tea. Happy Diggin’ In!