Weed of the Year?
It’s the Yellow Toadflax
An example of yellow toadflax that has begun blooming, a mature yellow toadflax can grow 1-3 feet in height.
An example of young yellow toadflax.
Don’t let that title fool you because we’re not handing out any trophies for this one. Occasionally we will receive pictures from those in our community of various types of weeds. This year the most common is the Yellow Toadflax. (Read that last sentence in your Liam Neeson voice. You can thank me later)
Yellow Toadflax also referred to as Jacob’s ladder, common linaria, wild snapdragon, Linaria Vulgaris or my personal favorite, Butter and Eggs (who’s in charge of naming these things) is a perennial herbaceous plant that grows 1-3 feet tall and has bright yellow flowers. That all sounds well and good, but let me be clear, this is a weed. You do not want these bad boys growing wild and free in your lawn. They can often resemble the Snapdragon which are commonly found in many gardens.
An example of a Yellow Snapdragon flower.
Seeds of yellow toadflax germinate in early to mid-May and tend to have a vigorous root system that can grow to the side and send up new plants. When they are young, their leaves form a bit of a rosette pattern, not unlike Kochia, which many farmers up here see. This weed will typically bloom during the Summer months. And being a perennial, it has the potential to show up each year. This is why it is important to have a plan to eliminate them from your lawn sooner rather than later.
You can certainly remove them manually by pulling them out, ensuring you get as much of the root system as possible. Another effective treatment is using a specific chemical product that should knock them out when applied correctly. Where do you find this, you ask? Right here with All Terrain! For our spray customers, we use this chemical in rounds two* and three* of our spray programs.
*This is for our customers that are signed up for 3 and 4 applications. For the 3-app program, it’s the 2-app (around the June/July) timeline. For the 4-app program, it’s the 2 and 3-app (June and August) timeline.
The best defense against any weeds is a thick and healthy lawn. If the yellow toadflax does show up just remember…(again in your Liam Neeson voice) “We have a very specific set of skills. Skills that make us a nightmare for weeds like this. We will find it, and…..” you know the rest!
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