How to Identify and Manage Perennial Weeds (Without the Viral Sprays) - Ep. 303

Perennial weeds are in a different category than annuals. They don’t just re-seed, they regrow from the ground up, season after season, from root systems that can run three feet deep or spread fifteen feet sideways underground. In this episode, we’re tackling them systematically. First, a regional tour of the most aggressive perennial weeds in the U.S. - what they look like, how they spread, and why they’re so hard to beat. Then, we work on management using Integrated Pest Management principles, starting with prevention and exclusion, moving through cultural and mechanical controls, and knowing when chemical options are appropriate. Finally, we close with a hard look at the homemade internet sprays that are all over social media - and why some of them could do more damage to your soil than the weeds ever would. Let's dig in. References: Montana State University Extension – Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) MontGuide MT201903AG https://apps.msuextension.org/montguide/guide.html?sku=MT201903AG University of Nevada, Reno Extension – Managing Field Bindweed (Publication 4834) https://extension.unr.edu/publication.aspx?PubID=4834 University of Minnesota Extension – Perennial Weeds Identification Guide https://extension.umn.edu/weed-identification/perennial-weeds University of Minnesota Extension – Canada Thistle Identification https://extension.umn.edu/identify-invasive-species/canada-thistle University of Maryland Extension – Canada Thistle https://extension.umd.edu/resource/canada-thistle Colorado State University Extension – Canada Thistle https://extension.colostate.edu/resource/canada-thistle/ SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education) – Canada Thistle: Manage Weeds on Your Farm https://www.sare.org/publications/manage-weeds-on-your-farm/canada-thistle/ NC State Extension Plant Toolbox – Sorghum halepense (Johnsongrass) https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/sorghum-halepense/ University of Georgia Extension – Johnsongrass Control in Pastures, Roadsides, and Noncropland Areas https://fieldreport.caes.uga.edu/?p=62642 Schantz, M.C. (2025). Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense): a review of its invasion, management, and spread in the changing climate of the Southern Great Plains. Weed Science, 73(e31), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1017/wsc.2025.7 University of Maryland Extension – Poison Hemlock Identification and Management https://extension.umd.edu/resource/poison-hemlock-identification-and-management Montana State University Extension – Poison Hemlock MontGuide MT200013AG https://apps.msuextension.org/montguide/guide.html?sku=MT200013AG Purdue Extension – Poison Hemlock: Invasive Plant Series (FNR-437-W) https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/fnr/fnr-437-w.pdf Mississippi State University Extension – Kudzu https://extension.msstate.edu/publications/kudzu Mississippi State University Extension – Torpedograss (Panicum repens) https://extension.msstate.edu/publications/torpedograss UC IPM – Nutsedge (Yellow and Purple) https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/WEEDS/nutsedge.html West Virginia University Extension – Yellow Nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus) https://extension.wvu.edu/lawn-gardening-pests/weeds/yellow-nutsedge Penn State Extension – Japanese and Giant Knotweed https://extension.psu.edu/japa