{"id":27523,"date":"2026-09-12T04:06:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-12T11:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/?p=27523"},"modified":"2026-09-04T14:12:48","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T21:12:48","slug":"help-us-be-rid-of-noxious-weeds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/2026\/09\/12\/help-us-be-rid-of-noxious-weeds\/","title":{"rendered":"Help Us Be Rid of Noxious Weeds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Help Us Be Rid of Noxious Weeds<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

by Guest Contributor Susan Bird, Yakima County Noxious Weed Board<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Greetings Central Washington! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our 50th<\/sup> year of providing support for landowners in weed control, the Yakima County Noxious Weed Board has seen the spectrum of response and control to noxious weeds, as well as lack of control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summer is flying by and school is back in session.  As I drive the roads in Yakima County, I understand that lack of time and ability may cause us to forget the Scotch thistle growing in the back pasture or behind the building where nobody ever looks.  Unfortunately, those forgotten plants have produced seed and increased the seed bank count another 20 years! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t forget to check for fall rosettes of the invasive weeds we try to prevent from taking over our landscapes and infringing on our agricultural areas.  Weeds don\u2019t stop growing just because the inspectors are busy with other timely projects.  Any little rain cloud that lets loose a few drops of water is enough to stimulate seeds to germinate.  Fall rains and warm weather will encourage even more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be good stewards of the land you own or lease.  Help prevent the need for mandated control of problem plants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check your property regularly for new germination, and remove the noxious weeds that were overlooked or forgotten.  Clip and bag seed heads of rogue plants to prevent further seed dispersal.  Plan to address that area and treat future plant growth where seeds may have fallen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note that fire often scarifies the seeds of various plants, increasing germination success.  If you have an area where noxious weeds grew that recently burned either intentionally or accidentally, please monitor that area for mass germination once it gets wet again.  Fire is a good tool to clean up surface weed problems.  However, there must be a follow-up plan for all the new weeds that will move into that open ground.  Seeds that lay below the heat range now have no competition for nutrients or water and are more likely to germinate.  Wind borne seeds land in the open areas post-fire and take hold due to lack of competition from other plants.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nature abhors a vacuum and will put something in it.  Don\u2019t let that open ground become a space for invasives to take hold.  The Weed Board asks landowners to be diligent and observant.  Dig out new weed rosettes that emerge with cooler fall weather.  Get ahead of the storm and break the cycle of invasion.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weed control this fall helps limit spring weed pressures.  Walk your property with a shovel and cut out rosettes with tap roots such as Scotch thistle or diffuse knapweed.  Mark the areas of weeds with spreading root systems such as Canada thistle and Russian knapweed and treat the whole area with an herbicide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fall treatments help control those rosettes from growing and blooming next year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A good broadleaf herbicide with a good nonionic surfactant makes quick work of fall weed concerns and helps limit the need for future treatments.   Be diligent in knowing what does and doesn\u2019t belong in your fields and landscapes.  If you can\u2019t identify something that\u2019s growing, ask us.  The Noxious Weed Board crew is here to help identify plants of concern and make recommendations as to the best control options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manual labor is always an option. Place the weed material you remove in a plastic bag. Placing the bags in the sun will allow the weed material to break down even more. The bags should then be placed for garbage collection.  Garbage and trash that arrivea at the landfill is covered and buried deeply. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make certain that the removed noxious weeds do not go to the vegetative waste at the land fill.  We don\u2019t want noxious weeds to be chopped up and sent out as vegetative mulch to spread further.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Look for plants you don\u2019t recognize.  If you didn\u2019t plant it, it could be an invasive and needs to be controlled.  A plant can be in a non-managed location for up to 10 years before someone realizes it shouldn\u2019t be there.  By then the invasion is established and the spread could be across thousands of acres!  It may not be another pretty wildflower.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And many times, the invasive plants brought by wind, floods, or random wild seed such as bird feeders or wildflower mixes have the potential to be toxic to children, pets and livestock.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you need plant ID assistance, don\u2019t hesitate to send pictures to our inspectors, or bring samples to our office.  Send plant pictures to Sue Bird (509) 945-3357<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bring samples to 1213 S. 18th<\/sup> Street, Yakima, or call 509-574-2180 between 7:00 am and 3:00 pm. Monday \u2013 Friday.  If you can\u2019t bring the sample in immediately, wrap it in a dry paper towel and refrigerate to bring in later.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be a good steward of your land. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Susan Bird
Outreach Specialist YCNWB.
8-31-2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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