As you are aware, August and September are two of the worst months of the dreaded "puncture vine" weed - aka. Goathead weed. There are quite a few roads and bike paths in Butte County that have goathead problems at the moment - almost too many to count. Last week, 3 local cyclists - David Albrecht, Caryn Jones and Margaret Jones - spent the afternoon pulling over 100 pounds of puncture vine from the Durham Bike Path.

If you would like to help eradicate this cycling menace, here is a handy article from the University of California on how to remove it(be sure to use gloves!!): In most situations, puncturevine is best controlled by hand removal or by hoeing to cut the plant off at its taproot. Monitoring the area and removing the weed throughout the late spring and into the summer will greatly reduce the impact of the weed the next year. Shallow tilling (about 1 inch deep) of seedlings or small plants can be effective in larger areas. Deeper tilling is not recommended since this may bury seeds and they may be able to germinate for several years afterwards. Hand removal, hoeing, or cultivation should be initiated prior to flowering and seed production. Mowing is not an effective method of control since the plant grows low to the ground. Mulches can be used to control common puncturevine in ornamental plantings, orchards, vineyards, vegetable crops, and gardens, if they screen out all light. To be effective, organic mulches should be at least 3 inches thick. However, puncturevine burrs that fall onto mulch surfaces can establish on the mulch surface due to the puncturevine’s deep taproot. Synthetic mulches, which screen out light and provide a physical barrier to seedling development, also work well.Aeration of compacted sites and planting competitive desirable plants can also reduce the impact of puncturevine by making the area more favorable for the growth of the desired plants and reducing resources available to the weed.