I gotta bad weed!

[Angi]

So I tried to post this about 20 minutes ago and it didn't work. I got a big problem with my lawn. It is covered in what I think is called Black Medick, it is a clover looking weed with a yellow flower that turns into a little bur. It is okay for the torts but could be a big problem for my dog ( a little poodle). The torts have a pen, but I like to give them the run of the yard when I am home. Is there an herbacide I could use? I think I have too much to pull up. How long would I have to keep the torts off the lawn if I went this route? HELP!!!!!!!!! I need advice!

 

[Yvonne G]

They look alike, but what you have is burr clover, not black medic. It is edible, but the burrs are awful on long-haired dogs and cats. The only thing I do is every spring sit down on my stool in the yard and pull them up by the roots. If you keep at it, eventually you can get it all up. When I first moved here my whole desert tortoise pen was covered with it (appx. 40'x48'). That first year I kept it mowed short, and caught the cuttings in the grass catcher. Then the next year I just sat out there and pulled it up bit by bit. That was 15 years ago. I'm still pulling it up, every spring, however it is now contained to only one small corner of the pen (the last corner to be worked every year).

 

[Angi]

Sounds like I have a fun summer ahead of me . Thanks Yvonne. I will keep the dog and the grass cut short. BTW- I planted something my mom said was Wandering Jew in the tort pen and every time they go in there they eat it down to nubs. It grows really fast and they are in the rest of the yard most of the time, but is it safe for them to eat large amounts of this purple plant? Thanks again for the info.

 

[Yvonne G]

Yes, perfectly safe.

 

[Angi]

Thanks!