Burdock

Burdock is established in coastal, central and southern BC. Major areas of concern in the province are the Okanagan, Thompson, Cariboo, and Peace Regions, though it is also present in the Kootenay, Mainland, and Vancouver Island areas. It grows in low- mid-elevations in grassland and forests and can commonly be found growing along roadsides, ditches, stream banks, pastures, and disturbed habitats.

• Burdock is not considered a problem to crops since it is intolerant to cultivation.  
• However, it does pose a problem to livestock as cattle are fond of burdock foliage and it causes a bitter taste to their milk if eaten in large quantities.  
• This plant can also be a problem for sheep farming because the burs become entangled in their hair, damaging the quality of the wool.  
• The burs consist of hundreds of tiny hooked slivers, and if these get into an animal’s eye they cause severe irritation. 
• The burs can also affect sale price of animals if a producer is unable to remove them prior to putting them on the market.  
• Burdock is also a concern for wildlife, particularly birds and bats that get tangled up in old burs.

The most effective way to ensure that your lands do not become infested with burdock is by prevention. Here are some recommendations to prevent invasion on your property:  

• Don’t let burdock plants go to seed. 
• Maintain your crops and natural lands in a healthy, vigorous condition to ensure a competitive plant community. 
• Regularly patrol your property for burdock plants, especially along creeks, lakeshores and other areas with moist soils, and immediately control or remove new infestations before seed set. 
• Cooperate with adjacent landowners and encourage them to prevent burdock spread. 
• Immediately re-vegetate disturbed, bare soils with a suitable seed mixture that provides dense, early colonization to prevent weed invasion.  
• Clean burs from animals and from clothing and shoes before leaving infested areas. 
• Do not move contaminated soil to a new area.  

• Tillage can be used to eliminate the first-year plants found in an area before they go to seed. First-year plants are difficult to control by above-ground cutting, as nutrient reserves of the taproot allow defoliated plants to survive.  
• Mowing or cutting can also be used to eliminate seed production, but it must be done after the plant has bolted and before it has flowered to be effective and not spread seeds further 
• Dispose of burs caught on clothing or pets in bags in the garbage, or safely burn large cuttings. 
• Chemical control is also an option. Before applying herbicides, read the label for full use and precautionary instructions.  
• For further information on the selection and application of chemicals to protect your crop, contact AgriService BC at 1-888-221-7141 or email AgriServiceBC@gov.bc.ca