Leafy Spurge Management
Integrated management strategies are best for leafy spurge control. Spurge's vast underground root system makes it
difficult to control with any single tool or technique.
- Leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula L.) is one of the Southwest's
“Dirty Dozen” invasive weeds. Reduced rangeland
productivity and attempts to control this weed, amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars in the western U.S.
- Biological control:
- Grazing with sheep and goats throughout the spring, summer and fall will keep leafy spurge from
going to seed and may reduce the underground root reserve and weaken the plants to make them more
susceptible to chemical control.
- Insects, such as spurge hawk moth (Hyles euphorbiae), flea beetles (six Aphthona species), a
gall midge (Spurgia esula), and a root boring beetle (Oberea erythrocephala) may weaken plants
and make them susceptible to other control methods.
- Chemical Control:
- Picloram (Tordon) is perhaps the best chemical control; however, it must be used with
caution around trees to avoid damage to them.
- Imazapic (Plateau) may be used around water and won't damage trees; however, it is sometimes
hard on perennial grasses.
- Other herbicides approved for use on spurge include glyphosate (Roundup and Rodeo), and 2,4-D.
- Read the label. You must follow the label directions for all pesticides to get the best
results. Failure to follow labeled instructions may result in poor control, environmental
damage, and wasted time, money and resources. If you have questions, contact a crop consultant,
Extension specialist or County Extension Agent.
- Integrated control with grasses: Applying glyphosate to spurge, then re-seeding the area with perennial
grasses, such as Bozoisky Russian wild rye, has proven to be very effective in reducing leafy spurge infestation.
Southwestern Noxious/Invasive Weed Leafy Spurge Excerpt:
Excerpted from a July 2004 presentation short course, Farmington, NM, by Mark Ferrell, Senior
University Extension Educator, University of Wyoming., ferrell@uwyo.edu
Click the following link to listen to the audio excerpt:
Leafy Spurge
Click for problems with the audio file.
| Narrator: Leafy spurge has reduced the productivity of thousands of acres of Western rangeland, affecting the value of the
land for ranchers and also for hunters. However, management strategies can help to reverse the damage. |
| Mark Ferrell: …We had a study site up by Buffalo, Wyo, We planted a competitive grass species called Bozoisky Russian wild rye. Before in that area almost no deer were there. The researchers … said after they put Bozoisky's wild rye on maybe a 10-acre area, he could count the deer. He quit counting at 200 white tail deer on that one 10 acres. |
| Narrator: For more information on leafy spurge control, contact a state Extension specialist or your local County Extension Agent. |
If the video is not playing, it may be because you do not have the QuickTime player (or the latest version of it) installed on your machine.
Click here to download QuickTime for Macs.
Click here to download QuickTime for Windows PC.
back to top
|
