Episode Details

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:

1. Montana State University Extension – Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) MontGuide MT201903AG
   https://apps.msuextension.org/montguide/guide.html?sku=MT201903AG

2. University of Nevada, Reno Extension – Managing Field Bindweed (Publication 4834)
   https://extension.unr.edu/publication.aspx?PubID=4834

3. University of Minnesota Extension – Perennial Weeds Identification Guide
   https://extension.umn.edu/weed-identification/perennial-weeds

4. University of Minnesota Extension – Canada Thistle Identification
   https://extension.umn.edu/identify-invasive-species/canada-thistle

5. University of Maryland Extension – Canada Thistle
   https://extension.umd.edu/resource/canada-thistle

6. Colorado State University Extension – Canada Thistle
   https://extension.colostate.edu/resource/canada-thistle/

7. SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education) – Canada Thistle: Manage Weeds on Your Farm
   https://www.sare.org/publications/manage-weeds-on-your-farm/canada-thistle/

8. NC State Extension Plant Toolbox – Sorghum halepense (Johnsongrass)
   https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/sorghum-halepense/

9. University of Georgia Extension – Johnsongrass Control in Pastures, Roadsides, and Noncropland Areas
   https://fieldreport.caes.uga.edu/?p=62642

10. 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

11. University of Maryland Extension – Poison Hemlock Identification and Management
    https://extension.umd.edu/resource/poison-hemlock-identification-and-management

12. Montana State University Extension – Poison Hemlock MontGuide MT200013AG
    https://apps.msuextension.org/montguide/guide.html?sku=MT200013AG

13. Purdue Extension – Poison Hemlock: Invasive Plant Series (FNR-437-W)
    https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/fnr/fnr-437-w.pdf