Help, weed name? Best weed killer?

[Bill Case]

Hi, My gravel yard is getting overrun with a weed (quick download photo link

) .

I live in central Colorado, semi-arid climate. Can anybody name this weed, and perhaps suggest a good herbicide? Roundup doesn't hurt it much.

I have some recently planted shrubs and trees - how do I avoid harming them when using weed killer?

Thanks

[PJx]

Looks like a pine sapling to me. Give it 20 years and it should be

60 feet tall.

PJ

[Karen Fletcher]

In rec.gardens Bill Case wrote: : Hi, : My gravel yard is getting overrun with a weed (quick download photo link :

) .

: I live in central Colorado, semi-arid climate. Can anybody name this weed, : and perhaps suggest a good herbicide? Roundup doesn't hurt it much.

: I have some recently planted shrubs and trees - how do I avoid harming them : when using weed killer?

At a guess, this looks like an Artemisia of some kind. AKA sagebrush, sagewort, wormwood, etc. Is the stem woody? Are leaves a bit felty and give off a pungent odor when crushed?

If you go to the USDA Plants Database advanced search, you can narrow it down by state and genus:

easier solution is to take a sample in to your local Extension office for ID. They should also be able to give you suggestions on how to get rid of it.

Roundup won't do much unless the plant absorbs it. Plants with waxy or felty leaves can be a challenge, even for Roundup. Try mowing it first or using a brushcutter to damage the leaves, then use Roundup or brush killer on it.

As for how to avoid harming other plants when using weed killer, you don't mention which kind, granular or spray. If you're using Roundup, you may want to use the kind that applies as a foam. Any drift on a windy day will damage or kill any plant.

-- Karen

The Garden Gate

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[Amy D]

I think it looks like sage, too.

amy

Karen Fletcher wrote:

[Lost-In-Translation]

Looks like Colorado Wild Sage. If you break some off and rub it betwee your fingers it will smell a bit like sage also if that's what it is. If memory serves, this is a flowering variety that doesn't look half bad really. The best way to get rid of it is to dig/pull it out root and all because that stuff grows like crabgrass!

For herbicide, Weed-B-Gone will take care of it, but it will take a couple of applications and you won't notice any difference for a week to ten days. WBG should not be used around new plants, as it WILL harm them, but will not harm your yard. Just get the right kind for lawns. I mix it in a Miracle Grow sprayer.

[Chet Hayes]

For a driveway, it doesn't matter what kind of weed it is. Just use Triox, which will not only kill it, but keep anything else from growing for an entire season. The only limitation is, you can't apply Triox over the root zone of any desirable plants.