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Show -s-- c- ' ; Y v t&i "-wis- For some it makes a noxious weed field, and for some like this youngster, a swell hiding place, but Dyers Woad (Isatic Tinctoria) is spreading through range and crop lands of Davis County. If the plant is allowed to go to seed, it i v can produce as many as 10,000 seeds to reinfest the area in years to come. Wecpsts county millions spread by wind and birds to new areas in Utah. To limit the infestation, infesta-tion, pull as many of the plants , as possible and haul them to the dump or put them in containers for the burn plant where the heat will be intense in-tense enough to destroy the hard-coated hard-coated seeds. State efforts are concentrating on preventing Dyers Woad from spreading. Property owners are urged urg-ed to do all they can to control the weed on their property. Motorists are cautioned to avoid taking the weed for ornamental purposes and contributing to its spread. ' By CHERIE HUBER ' ' 1 You've -:t probably noticed the ' beautiful yellow flowering weed blooming by die side of the road ' ways and in the fields. The weed is Dyers Woad, Isatis tinctoria. It is, ; spreading through the range and crop lands of Davis County. Dyers, Woad is' a vigorous weed plant that is part of the mustard family. It is a native of Europe and was no doubt brought to Utah by the early pioneers for use in dying . wool.' - ". 4 The plant's name comes from' Germany where a blue dye was once extracted from the purplish-black purplish-black seed pods. There it was named nam-ed "Dyers weed." A plant may live for only one yebutmanywthgerownbudst produce gorousw'growth each -year for several years. The plant may survive as an annual, biennial or perennial. It is this characteristic which enables, the plant to survive and compete with other natural vegetation. The umbrella-shaped plant starts to flower as early as May or as late as June;; depending on the elevation and the weather. The flowers have a , unique, clear bright yellow color which make the plants .very noticeable in the blooming stage. The plant is also very easy to recognize rec-ognize during the seed stage. Long, slightly pear-shaped, winged black seed pods hang like ornaments, and j. give the plant a blackened ap- pearance. , - -Dyers Woad shows up quite often along . roadsides in Davis County and in .fields although Cloyd Hess of Davis County Weed ; Control says he lias even seen it H growing in flower beds and around ,' houses. ,.-v!; It was. declared a noxious 'weed by the commissioner of agriculture in 1983. It has been estimated mat ' the weed costs $2 million-a year in reduced crop yields in Cache, Box Elder ; and Rich Counties alone where the infestation has doubled in the last 10 years. One plant can consume four times the moisture of an oat plant and remove twice as ' much nitrogen and phosphorus and four times more potassium from the plant, than. an,T)at pSAfMalsL' will not eat the plant ? ? Dyers Woad can be controlled j most effectively by hand pilling, cultivating, clipping and use of her-: bicides. For the home gardener, Cloyd Hess recommends cutting the plants off slightly below the soil level to prevent regrowth. Davis v County has a program of spraying ? for the weed but in areas where it is not practical to spray, county crews go through and chop off the plant It is important not to let the plant go to seed. Each plant can produce as many as 10,000 seeds. As the seeds dry, most of the seeds will fall to the ground to reinfest the area for years to come. Other seeds are |
