Learn about weeds
Learn to identify invasive plants. No one expects you to know
all thirty-five noxious weeds, but try to identify Idaho’s
worst offenders. And make sure they are not growing on your
property. Idaho Code 22-2407 requires homeowners to eliminate
noxious weeds on their property.
Talk to your neighbors. Weeds don’t respect boundaries.
Your neighbor’s weeds will soon be your concern, too!
Don’t spread the problem
Wash all vehicles thoroughly. Noxious weed seeds can hide
in the smallest of places – behind the license plate, in the
tire treads, on the underside of your vehicle. Seeds have
been known to travel hundreds of miles before being dislodged.
Make sure the plants you buy are not invasive. Purple loosestrife
and Eurasian water milfoil are two plants that can easily
wind up in gardens and aquariums. Replace them with non-invasive
alternatives.
Clean boats, trailers and anything that comes in contact
with water. It is easy to unwittingly transfer Eurasian
water milfoil from lake to lake. Don’t let that happen.
Check your irrigation systems for Purple Loosestrife, Hoary
Cress, and Leafy Spurge. Those weeds thrive on the banks
of irrigation ditches and will spread through the irrigation
system to other areas.
Don’t let livestock move from a weed infested area to an
uninfested area without a quarantine. Livestock can transport
weed seed in their fur, in dried mud in their feet, and
in their digestive tracts. Weed seed can be in contaminated
hay and therefore move throughout the pasture with the livestock.
Don’t release plants or live bait into the wild.
Don’t pick wildflowers if you suspect they might be noxious
weeds.
Volunteer
Form a Cooperative Weed Management Area. These are formed
when a group of landowners come together and agree to control
noxious weeds in a particular geographic area.
Volunteer to work with various groups who see weeds as
a serious problem. That includes your parks departments,
and your county, your school and church.
