Tumbleweeds

You can see tumbleweeds rolling around in the windy desert pretty much any time of the year.  Right now, though, is when they are just innocent looking small green sprouts in our landscapes.  Would you be surprised to know you probably have some in your front yard right now?

The tumbleweed is Russian Thistle.  Some call it an herb, some a plant, some a weed.  A weed is defined as any plant out of place.  If it’s where you don’t want it, then it’s a weed.

Russian Thistle reproduces by spreading its seeds.  The seeds stay dormant in the soil until conditions become favorable for them to germinate.  It needs to be at least 28 degrees and they need a bit of rain.  There can be up to 250,000 seeds on one plant!

The plant itself has some interesting mechanisms that help in this reproduction process.  They have a rounded growth habit.  When the plant dries out, it’s in a ball shape that very easily rolls around and can travel for miles.

It also has a very weak attachment at the base, between the stem and the root.  This makes it extremely easy for it to break off and begin its tumbling.

This weak attachment, easy breakage mechanism is the very reason the Russian Thistle is difficult to pull.  When you try to pull one out by the roots, it almost always breaks right off.  Herbicides formulated for this annual weed are quite effective for removal, and pre-emergents can readily prevent it as well.