Field sandbur

About

A native warm-season grass best known for its spiny burs, which stab bare feet, pet paws and clothing. It thrives in thin lawns on dry, sandy soil.

Also called sandbur, sandspur, grassbur, grass bur, sticker weed

How to identify it

Look for

A low, spreading grass with flattened, often purplish stems and rough-feeling leaves; the ligule is a narrow fringe of hairs. Spikes 1 to 3 inches long hold clusters of round, hairy burs, each covered in dozens of sharp spines.

Look-alikes

Southern sandbur and longspine sandbur are close relatives with the same painful burs and the same care.

Where it grows

Thin lawns, roadsides, fields, farmyards and disturbed ground, especially on dry, sandy soil.

When

Sprouts in spring, forms burs in summer, and usually dies at frost, though some plants regrow from the roots as short-lived perennials.

How it spreads

Spreads by burs holding 1 to 3 seeds each that hitch rides on animals, shoes and clothes, and the seeds can wait in the soil until conditions suit them.

Most common in

What to do, gentlest first

Start at the top. Weed killers are a last step; always read and follow the label.

1. Thicken the lawn Prevent

   Sandbur takes over where grass is weak and soil is sandy and dry. Feed and water to keep turf dense.

2. Pull plants before burs form By hand

   Pull plants with gloved hands, ideally before burs form. Bag any burs so they don't reseed.

   Wear sturdy gloves; the spines are sharp.

3. Early-spring pre-emergent Conventional spray

   Apply a pre-emergent such as pendimethalin in early spring, before seeds sprout, and water it in with about 1/2 inch of water.

   Read and follow the label. Many lawn herbicides kill garden plants, so keep spray and drift off beds and vegetables.

Uses, wildlife and pets

Pets

Not listed as toxic to dogs, cats or horses by the ASPCA. The sharp burs cling to fur and can pierce skin, causing pain and sometimes infection.