Assistant's View: Noxious Weeds

I’m not sure what looks better, the Gore Range in the background or the Canada Thistle curling over dead!  Noxious weeds are non-native plants disturbing the native ecosystem.  It’s more obvious that some are weeds while others disguise themselves as flowers.  These non-native plants have made their way here by many different modes of transportation traveling as far away as other continents.  

Noxious weeds thrive because they have no natural controls in their new habitat.  They also produce an abundance of seeds that can last as long 50 years or more in the soil.  Grass seed, when stored properly, only last for a few years.  Some noxious weeds create shade and can make it difficult for the native plants to survive others can consume massive amounts of water depleting a water supply.   You may have noticed in the last few weeks the native areas on the course have been getting sprayed with a three way herbicide to help control these weeds such as thistles, oxeye daisies, common mullein, bindweeds and more.  We will continue to spray as much as we can to help control the weeds. Click here for a great website to help you with noxious weeds in Colorado.

Justin Gompf, Vail GC Assistant Superintendent

Vail Weed of the week: Chamomile, Oxeye Daisy | VailDaily.com

Our next target around the Vail Golf Club: This is a great article from the Town Of Vail's Gregg Barrie.

Vail Weed of the week: Chamomile, Oxeye Daisy VailDaily.com

Curling

Noxious weeds are extremely invasive non-native plants that compete and eventually kill off native plants. Colorado is now home to many noxious weeds, you can find them on almost anywhere including your favorite hike, ski trail and even golf course. Their seeds are carried by factors including birds, animals, wind and even people.

Pictured here is a patch of Canada Thistle along the first hole that is beginning to lose the battle against the Vail GCM department. Thistle is hard to miss, especially if you are looking for a golf ball among these plants. These massive plants can grow very quickly, they have thorns all over and are a nuisance to handle.

A strict chemical program is the most efficient way to eradicate these weeds. We have been spraying them each summer with increasing success. Attacking thistle is best before the plant begins to flower. Alternatives to spraying include pulling or digging up the plants. This can be difficult because if you are unable to remove the entire root system, the plants will sprout again.

Chemicals we use attack the plant from the leaf blades through the entire root system. Some of the other major noxious weeds we continue to battle are oxeye daisies, yellow toadflax, purple loosestrife, and absinthe.