Tag Archives Weed of the Week Archive — page 2

They are everywhere, and in some cases they are getting hard to kill. Wild oats, formally known as avena fatua, cost farmers an estimated $500 million dollars a year, and despite a wide range of tools to control the pest, some of the best are the old-school ones. Despite being a problem for most of […] Read more

With all the great ways to kill broadleaf weeds, one might think wild mustard would be a thing of the past. But not so. The pest, which is known formally as Sinapis arvensis or Brassica kaber, remains an elusive foe, partly because of its seeds’ ability to remain viable for a decade or more. The […] Read more

Wild buckwheat has long wound its way through producers’ crops and onto the list of the most obnoxious weeds in prairie fields. Its long, ropey stems wrap around a combine’s reel or carry more crop than the machine can handle up the feeder. As a result, Agriculture Canada has classified wild buckwheat as producers’ third […] Read more

Shepherd’s purse can have deleterious effects on farmers’ purses. This fall annual should be all but killed for this crop year, but the steady moisture supplies and last year’s open fall means this hardy pest might be lingering in many prairie fields. The weed was restricted to wetter spots and field edges before tillage was […] Read more

Field dock’s single, sometimes forked, large taproot has allowed the weed to flourish since tillage was reduced in Western Canada. It pokes out of the crop where the sprayer missed, and at first the green flowers and stalks aren’t too noticeable. However, it later turns red and brown and sticks out like a sore thumb. […] Read more

If there is one thing that setaria veridis doesn’t enjoy, it is tillage. Luckily for the weed, farmers have been reducing that particular agricultural practice for more than two decades. Green foxtail, as it is best known in Western Canada, has become a serious pest for prairie producers. It once showed up almost exclusively in […] Read more

One of Canada’s nastier pests originally emigrated from Europe and then made its way west. Its European name describes it perfectly: creeping thistle. But Canadians have adopted it and call it their own — Canada thistle. It likely arrived as seeds, but once started, it laid down roots and started to colonize. Root buds will […] Read more

Wild mustard remains an elusive foe in Western Canada, despite all the great tools for controlling broadleaf weeds. It remains one of the pests that producers struggle with every year. The weed can condemn a canola crop to the sample reject bin if more than five percent is found. It is also a threat to […] Read more

Of the 10 most unwanted weeds in Western Canada, wild buckwheat is No. 3, according to producers. In Alberta, they say it is their least favourite pest. It can be tough to kill, degrades grain and oilseed samples, messes up harvests and will trip up the odd field scout. The ropy pest can prompt grain […] Read more