I like t o dig first year roots and make tinctures with burdock. The first year roots are healthy for us, and it is a great way to control the huge wild plant.

What is the best way to eradicate this scourge? Seven years ago, a neighbor dumped a bunch of weed waste on our property (grrr-bad enough...) including some mature burdock stalks. The next year I saw what looked like rhubarb coming up, but didn't think anything of it. Then the next year...it took over. We've been battling it ever since, esp on the back lot by our alley. Any tips for getting rid of it once and for all?

ML, burdock is a biennial and you probably have a massive seed bank to contend with, so treatments like roundup won't get you far. The trick is to prevent any more seed from forming. Pull what you can, cut back plants when they bud, and behead flowering plants before they go to seed. Don't just uproot or cut flowering plants at ground level, as there will be sufficient energy stored in the plant to continue producing seed. I usually pull the flowers off to prevent that, then cut them off or uproot. Persistence is required. Good luck.

Saw this in Maria State Park. Didn't know what it was at the time. Should have I pulled/destroyed it? What are the ethics of this on state land? I know what I will do but some people are funny (officials) and that would be all I need...

Technically, you need a special permit from the DNR to do anything with plants (even weed pulling) in state parks or other state lands. Some state parks have volunteer programs that you might join to participate in "approved" weed pulling. You can ask a park naturalist or manager for more info.

We have 3 acres of woods on our 5 acres of land. The burdock and loco weed (fireweed) have overtaken the entire area and now they are both spreading out into my yard and my gardens. I don't know what to do. I've tried pulling, cutting, weed control products but I've gotten no where in 8yrs. The problem is just getting worse. My father in law had to chemically burn them off of his property, however, what he used I'm not comfortable with since I don't want it getting into my, or my neighbors, well water. (he used a gasoline mixture). Any suggestions? Thanks!

Katie, burdock is a biennial and produces copious amounts of seed so you have a large seed bank to contend with. Preventing plants from producing more seed is crucial. If you can do that then eventually what's already in the seed bank will be depleted. I don't know how long burdock seeds are viable but it can take many years. I've been managing a population of garlic mustard (also biennial) this way, uprooting plants when budding, removing flower heads so they can't bear seed, and bagging developing fruit then burning it or tossing in the trash. 8 years now and counting, but I am making a dent.

Seen around the southern parking lots on the Arden Hills campus of Boston Scientific, just outside the landscaped area. On private property, so I was reluctant to do anything, but it's clearly taking hold in several spots.

Starting to come up on the intermediate mountain bike trail at elm creek regional park

My garden use to be overrun with burdock. I just kept pulling all the leaves off when ever they grew and threw them in the compost. After 3yrs there roots just died and I could pull them straight out the ground. One was over a foot. I have a couple that are now growing but the plant is not so intimidating any more. Now Canadian thistle is my problem plant. Also have bitter nightshade, and raspberries.

There's also a weird vine with 5-6 leaves large on the end of each stem, its taking over everything behind the fence, climbing over the smaller trees and is starting up the box elder tree. Defeat one another takes its place :(

I have one plant that has grown for about 3 years. This is the first year it is blooming. The plant is over 6 feet tall. It's much bigger this year than in the past.

If your property is of a size where you can't remove this plant by hand yet the land is good habitat for burdock you will NEVER get rid of it short of agent orange ... (that's a joke folks!) However, you do have a chance at a measure of success if you can change the surrounding flora that competes with it for light, water and nutrienhe. Remember that animals do spread the seeds very efficiently wherever they tread and this, of course, includes small rodents so fencing is of minimal effect. Better to do what you can by chopping out the flowering plants below ground with a sharpened spade shovel before the purple shows, then change the way you think about burdock.

sited at the MN ZOO and my yard woodland Rd and Plateu in Lakeville I will destroy mine but it also says online it attracts bees and insects. so that's a good thing right?

Anke, why not replace it with a native plant that does the same thing, like a native thistle or a milkweed?

This plant grows beside and in the middle of one of my favorite walking trails, making it nearly impassable during certain times of the year :( (The trails are across the road from the west side of Medicine Lake).

Will green burrs just forming continue to set seed after chopping stalk? No purple yet. Can I chop and drop?

This is a terrible weed. People think it is harmless in its first year, then it explodes in its 2nd year and takes over. City of StP has given up its roadside management abd it is moving up the hill from West &th up into Highland at an alarming rate. Deer and animals track it everywhere. We need a public info campaign and City NEEDS TO handle its roadsides. They own McDonough Park and it is growing all over.

One day last summer, I got a bunch of these stuck to me while mowing. Feeling curious, I decided to examine one of the burrs a little closer. I dug into one with a fingernail and broke it apart, and A VERY SMALL WORM came out of the center. Is that normal or just a strange, gross fluke? It's bugged me (no pun intended) ever since. I really would like to know the answer. Thanks in advance! :)

LJ10, insects, both larva and adults, eat seeds. What you saw was probably a generalist insect, not a specialist, so it might eat seeds of many different plants including burdock.

The path by the Home Depot is being slowly overtaken by burdock and a couple other invasives. I'm sad about this city park area because I can see the natives being crowded out little by little.

We are on a mission in my neighborhood. I cut the second year growth below the bottom leaves....hopely before they turn purple. Especially before they ripen. I take out dead stalks with burs remaiming on them.l monitor areas where l have chopped and if l find regrowth, l cut it again. If you look closely, at the point where each leave comes off of the main stalk, an offshoot will appear....yup....each leaf. That's why you need to cut below ALL of the leaves.

On the 1st year growth, a mix of 1 gallon of vinegar, 1 pound of salt and some Dawn dish soap (for stickiness) in a hand sprayer, sprayed only on the leaves, will brown them out, wilt them and make them disappear. I do not know what the longterm consequences of using this mixture are. I do know that Burdock....1st year, 2nd year, it all hates it. I take my dog for a walk and take a bottle with me. It becomes an obsession. Good luck.

Rita, even though you may only spray the leaves, salt will contaminate the soil, killing both good and bad plants as well as organisms that live in the soil, and should not be used unless you don't care if nothing grows back in that spot.

This grows in my yard and many other places in the area. Very difficult to eradicate. At minimum please clip the flowers off before turning to the "velcro balls". Hummingbirds and bats have gotten caught on this causing their death.

We seem to be getting ahead of the burdock. Still chopping second year growth below the bottom leaves. New spray mix is helping. The salt/vinegar mix, with much less salt is working. There is only one area that doesn't have new...and different, plants growing yet. This is the 4th year of ridding my little part of the planet of burdock. I'm thinking that 2 more years of constant diligence and we will be....temporarily...rid of this deceptively pretty planet.... ....Heaven help me, I've been chopping flowers off of thistle. It seems that where there's burdock, there's thistle.

My husband says I'm crazy, but I think this "weed" is pretty, I mean grass is considered a weed right? I see it near the credit river and always wondered what is was. My mom had one pop up near her walk way. I thought about planting some seeds in a planter or to cover my fence. But now a little scared to.

Tracy, consider any plant growing where it is not wanted as a weed. In any case, you really don't want to cultivate this because you'll never be able to contain it. The fruits can travel far and wide not only through your own and neighbors' yards, but also to new locations by birds, squirrels or other wildlife, and any dogs that are unlucky enough to get the barbed fruits stuck in their fur. Don't encourage it.

I use a cordless (battery powered) Sawzall with a 10 inch demolition blade (for cutting through wall studs and nails) and stick this blade right in the ground, pull the trigger and cut the root in one second'S time. Pull the whole root and rosette and flower shoot out of the ground and compost it. If I get enough of the root, the plant will not come back. Minimal disturbance to the ground, no wear on the demolition blade, and no herbicide. Do this for two or three seasons along with Rx burning and the problem is solved or very under control.

Saw very large burdock plants near Red River in Marshall County.

Persistence. I've been beheading thistles and burdock for close to 30 years at my place in central Wisconsin, 98% are gone. Gotta cut 'em when the flower is just appearing. I've been burning the chopped burdock plants late season after they're dry, the thistle I just beheaded and left. Used to raise sheep. Yep, the burdock was a problem!

I heard from an Indigenous source that these are not invasive. I'm lost on who I should trust. Any ideas on how I can confirm if this is in fact invasive?

Elle, "invasive" may be in the eye of the beholder here. Burdock can be a serious pest plant.

Research on this common weed called Burdock and its root informs me that the root can fetch up to 25.00 per lb in some locals, How can this be? after all its just an obnoxious weed with sticker burrs that attach themselves to your clothing. Honestly, what could be the reason for this interest in an invasive weed.? It is widely ignored for its reported on long standing use by asian and other native cultures as of tremendous benefit to persons health and welfare. Shazam!

Peter, there are many plants that are beneficial to humans for their medicinal or nutritional properties, but that doesn't mean they should be allowed to run rampant in places where they contribute to ecological degradation.

Burdock was absolutely taking over my yard last summer (2022). I've mostly eradicated it by pulling out THE ENTIRE ROOT of every single burdock plant around my home. It took time and persistence, but they are easy to identify once you know what to look for. I cannot emphasize enough that you MUST REMOVE THE ENTIRE ROOT or else they will grow new leaves right off the broken root, no matter how deep in the soil. Pulling out the root is very easy when the plant is an inch or so tall, but established burdock requires some wrestling and a long and skinny (and strong!) de-weeding tool. I've pulled roots that were the length of my arm! I bought my house in winter and was not prepared for the prevalence and diversity of tenacious weeds in St. Paul!

Please do not remove (eradicate) Burdock in the wild. If you don't like it in your garden or yard, by all means do what you want. However, Burdock is an AMAZING plant. The deep taproots bring up nutrients so they are available to the upper layer of soil. Their leaves die off and add vital nutrients to the surrounding plants. This is a soil fertility builder. The leaves are fantastic in a compost pile. In addition, this plant has astounding medicinal properties, like so many weeds do. I spent years pulling stinging nettle, plantain, dandelions, etc. never realizing their medicinal and nutritional value, much less their role in soil fertility. As a culture we have been taught to garden in a way that takes more from the soil than we put back in. What a shame. I now use Permaculture methods with the goal of creating a broad, diverse ecosystem that builds the soil fertility, increases the macro and micro-biom, and increases the edible resources that nurture my health and all the living things around me.

Pamela, I'm always discouraged by comments like yours, which I see as sugar-coating effects of bad plants to justify letting them run amok in the wild. Burdock is no better for soil ecology than the native plants it displaces, plants that have co-evolved with native insects and wildlife for thousands of years. There are also many plants that are beneficial to humans, but that is also no reason to let them run amok in the wild. Cultivate whatever plants you like, but please take steps to prevent them escaping into natural areas where they can disrupt the natural order of things.