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Remove The Invasive Coltsfoot Weed From Your Yard With These Tips
By Ezekiel Maina
When yellow weed flowers bloom, it’s usually safe to assume they are dandelions. However, if they are perched on scaly stems rather than smooth ones, you've got coltsfoot.
Coltsfoot has medicinal purposes but the plant is still bad news for gardeners, given its knack for muscling out other plants for nutrients, space, and moisture.
Uprooting is your first line of defense against coltsfoot and doing it before the weed produces seeds is key to minimizing chances of future growth.
Moist soil is your best friend when pulling out weeds, so water the affected area beforehand. However, given the brittleness of coltsfoot rhizomes, hand-pulling might not cut it.
A specially designed tool like the Fiskars Stand Up Claw Garden Weeder, available for $49.45 at The Home Depot, comes in handy here.
For medium to large coltsfoot infestations, chemical control will suffice but whichever herbicide you choose, ensure it's formulated for broad-leaf plants.
But no matter what removal method you choose, you'll want to employ them when the coltsfoot leaves are fully out and the best season for that is the summer.