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Identifying Weeds In Las Cruces

For Dr. Leslie Beck, the serene image of a little child making a wish by blowing the seeds of the dandelion elicits a mock strangled gasp. Beck recognizes most people think of the dandelion as a pesky blight in their yard, something to pull at various times of the year. “But with tap roots heading down 15 to 20 feet, just pulling won’t work,” she explained. “You need to know more.”

Beck, a New Mexico State University (NMSU) extension weed specialist, is full of tips and tricks when it comes to successful weed management. She will be sharing them at her presentation for Las Cruces Utilities’ (LCU) free Lush and Lean Workshop series. Come out to Thomas Branigan Memorial Library at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 28th to learn the best ways to identify and minimize the proliferation of weeds in your yard.

Beck knows identification is the first step in the process: when you know what you’re fighting, there is a better chance at catching it early, when it is actively growing. “For example, dandelions. If you pull them, they’ll just regrow,” she said. “If you catch them when they are pulling carbohydrates into their roots for winter hibernation, say around September, any herbicide they pull into the root will help make management more successful.”

Beck will show pictures of common plants that will have homeowners exclaiming, “is that a weed or a pretty flower?”

Identification is key. Then, you have to know when the weed will be the most susceptible to injury, if there are herbicides labeled for its control, if hand-pulling or other practices will be helpful, and how to time weed management before it sends its seeds into the world. “Integrated weed management is about targeting the biology of the weed to make control easier and more successful, and to make sure that we optimize management timing for safe and sustainable weed control,” said Beck. “The younger the weed, the easier the control. The early bird catches the weed!”

All LCU Lush and Lean workshops are free and open to the public. They are held Thursday evenings at the Thomas Branigan Memorial Library, 200 E. Picacho Ave, upstairs in the Roadrunner Room from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. See the complete list of speakers and Lush and Lean dates at www.las-cruces.org/WaterConservation

or www.facebook.com/cityoflascruces.

Submitted by Las Cruces Utilities at 528-3500 from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Las Cruces Utilities provides GAS – WATER – WASTEWATER – SOLID WASTE services to approximately 100,000 Las Cruces residents and businesses.