Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweeds

So what do we do about tumbling tumbleweeds?

What we call tumbleweeds are Russian thistle, Salsola tragus. It's known to the Oregon Department of Agriculture as a non-native invasive species.

In the beginning, it was a summer annual native plant confined to southeastern Russia and western Siberia. But thanks to Russian immigrants, it was imported into the United States in 1873 in Russian flax seed planted by the immigrants in South Dakota.

Like most noxious weeds, after the initial introduction it spread by contaminated seed, threshing crews, railroad cars (especially livestock cars), and by its windblown method of seed dissemination. Today it is common throughout the western United States, having invaded about 100 million acres. It is particularly well adapted to our climate of winter precipitation and summer drought.

If you want to eliminate Russian thistle, the best way is to go after the tender little guys in the early spring when they look like pine seedlings. However, the window to remove them cheaply, easily and painlessly is narrow - if you wait until they're older than three weeks, you've lost the battle - it hurts your hands to pull them after that.

As the plants grow older and taller, the soft green color and tender leaves are replaced by a harsh green color and bracts and spiny leaves. Hardy pointed leaves and sharp protrusions prevent predation by herbivores, but also make it painful for you to pull them out.

Pulling them by hand is the best, quickest, safest method of removal. All you have to do is bend over, pull the little rascal out of the soil and drop it. Sure, it's quick and dirty to use chemicals: apply the stuff and forget it. Weeds die, job done and on to the next project. But is that the best way?

There is growing evidence that chemicals used in agriculture are saturating water tables and soils, leaving behind residuals that may be creeping relentlessly into our food, air and water. Rachel Carson, author of the classic tome "Silent Spring," warned us about the pitfalls of chemicals over 40 years ago; perhaps it's time we re-read her work.

Like the organisms that became resistant to DDT, there are now herbicide-resistant types of Russian thistle that have evolved in only a couple of years following treatment with chlorsulfuron (Telar) or sulfometuron (Oust). Avoiding the use of herbicides will prevent the evolution of herbicide-resistant noxious weed populations.

Pulling young knapweed is also the best way to keep this noxious weed from spreading. Using a chemical to make the job easier is often harmful to non-target species, such as honey bees and other helpful insects. I lost a healthy colony of bees at my home; when looking for a cause, I found that the knapweed along the main road to my place had been sprayed with an herbicide.

But, on the other hand, safe, organic and biodegradable herbicides applied carefully at just the right amount and moment directly to the plants will control most noxious weeds, especially the aggressive non-native thistles that are painful to pull. But even organics still go into the soil.

When it comes to the use of chemicals to eliminate noxious weeds, retired ODOT weed-manager Dave Culver of Sisters gets the gold medal, as far a I'm concerned. He and his team of roadside weed-killers removed a runaway infestation of weeds along the highway shoulder from Sisters to La Pine by carefully considering the chemicals he used and governing the application even more carefully.

The knapweed that was creeping from the roadside into public and private lands are gone, and from all appearances, they're gone for my lifetime.

If you need any help beyond pulling the young, tender weed seedlings, contact the Deschutes County weed guy, Dan Shrwin, 541-322-7135, or OSU Extension Service in Redmond, 541-548-6088, where Darlene will steer you in the right direction.