This weed can grow 6” a day

Q. I first noticed this weed three years ago at the back of a field. It has spread extensively in a short while. It has grown 6 to 8 feet in less than two months. It is hard to eradicate. What is it?

Mark from Canfield

A. The sample of the weed Mark brought to our Plant & Pest Diagnostic Clinic at the OSU Extension office was definitely the Mile-A-Minute Weed (Polygonum perfoliatum), a member of the buckwheat family. It is sometimes called Devil’s Tail.

We always appreciate samples of weeds in the office, especially if you have never seen the plant before. It seems we have new and invasive plants quite often these days. It is best to know exactly what weed you are dealing with in order to adopt the best control practices for that specific weed.

This Mile-A-Minute weed is difficult to control because it can grow up to 6 inches per day. The vine is persistent and can grow to over 21 feet long in the right location. I have often seen the right location as the area behind large shrubs where it goes unnoticed until this time of year when it can cover the shrub in just a few days.

It can bloom in June and produce seeds quickly. The seeds are plentiful and can survive in the soil for up to six years. Birds enjoy the berrylike fruit, and thus expand its distribution area quickly. Wherever birds like to sit is where you’ll find this vine growing (many times in the same habitat as where poison ivy plants show up on your property).

When trying to control this vine, pulling is your best option. It pulls rather easily, as it is a summer annual. If the problem is extensive, you are fighting the plethora of seeds built up on the soil. In this case, a pre-emergent herbicide may be a good choice. Be sure to read and follow all directions.

Learn more about this weed at: http://go.osu.edu/mileaminute and how to identify it and other noxious weeds at: http://go.osu.edu/noxiousweedsohio.

Eric Barrett is OSU Extension educator for agriculture and natural resources in Mahoning County. Call the office hot line at 330-533-5538 from 9 a.m. to noon Mondays and Thursdays to submit your questions.