Soil Sound Off: Weed talk about big, bad burdock
It is more rare than you might think for a weed to rear its ugly head and cross into both the realms of recreation and agriculture. Typically, the species found in the woodlands and natural areas have been mostly eliminated in farm fields. This happens through transformation of the landscape, the alteration of the soil dynamics from tillage, and reduced diversity of vegetation, or simply because what is considered a weed in a corn field isn’t considered a weed in the woods. But the other day I had a gentleman in my office who has been fighting a weed that is a tough plant to manage in his fields. To my amazement it was one that is also unwelcomed to hikers, fisherman, gardeners, and hunters especially. A bur in the dog fur of many, today we are going to learn about burdock. Common burdock is a woody, biennial broadleaf plant that creates a massive tap root and grows about five feet tall, with a large branched out profile. In case you didn’t know, according to Webster’s Dictionary, biennial means, “growing vegetatively during the first year and fruiting and dying during the second.”
Think of it as a plant that realized it’s too good at establishing more plants and decided to play fair and give other plants a year’s head start before making its own seeds. In regard to our case study weed, burdock grows into a low profile plant with large leaves. Some would say they look like elongated spades/heart shapes that form a circle. This is called a “rosette.” The following spring, burdock springs from its rosettes and makes a big, tall stem and several branches tipped with flowers that look similar to thistle, without the sharp pokies. By fall the flowers turn into burs, which are lemon drop-sized and completely covered with hooks that will grapple onto fur/hair and clothes.
The burs are quick to hook to soft fiber such as fur, hair, and clothing. Even tightly woven polyester is unable to avoid the burs. The bur design is so prolific at grabbing at fiber that it will mat hair on dogs if not removed right away. The owner then has to comb or shave out the bur, or the dog chews and rips the bur apart. The actual seeds are inside the bur, so getting ripped apart is a welcomed outcome for the burdock seed as it falls out of the bur. It is also an invasive species that came out of Europe (perhaps riding on wool jackets and silk trousers) that out-competes plants around it, especially in the first year. Its rosette has large/long leaves and makes a dense canopy that shades out and eventually eliminates neighboring plants.
Surprisingly, burdock has some benefits. First year burdock is prized by herbalists for its root. Known to be a “blood purifier,” the root has antioxidants and benefits our livers and white blood cell production. It’s also referenced as a skin treatment, especially for rosacea. Perhaps its most famous impact was spurring on a Swiss hunter's revolutionary invention. After cursing the burs stuck to his dog and his pants, he wondered why they stuck so well. This led to him engineer the fabric fastening system prevalent in today's world: Velcro.
Farmers, if you find burdock in your field, consider a forage rotation of hay to prevent the plant from producing a seed head, a dense seeding from a cover crop or small grain to outcompete it. Or, try rotating corn for a more aggressive herbicide program. Gardeners, yank it! Its tap root is big and nutrient-dense, and a squirt of herbicide will not kill it. Hunters, avoid stream banks and field edges, and bring a specialty comb for your dog in your pack.
It is much easier to comb the burs out right away in the field instead of at home. I use a FURminator comb for my dog's shaggy coat. Its tiny teeth pull those pesky burs out effortlessly. If you don’t own one, stop reading this and order one today! Naturalists, if you delve into the world wide web, you will find great how-do videos for preparing the roots, or companies that sell already manufactured products that contain the burdock root. Happy hunting!
The Soil
Sound-Off
