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Sunday - March 14, 2004
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Wildflowers
Title: Strangling Bluebonnets
Answered by: Sage Kawecki
QUESTION:
I have some Bluebonnets that are being strangled by some strange rope-like plant. What’s going on here?ANSWER:
The yellow-orange rope-like plant is Dodder, a parasitic plant that uses the Bluebonnet as a host. Eventually, it will kill its host. Since Dodder seeds can lie dormant in the ground, it is best to cut the host plants to the ground before the Dodder flowers and burn the material once dried. Contact herbicide treatment can also be used, although it won’t treat mature Dodder seed. If you have a particularly large or intense Dodder infestation, you might consider growing other wildflowers other than legumes for the next five years.More Wildflowers Questions
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