Hairy Galinsoga – New Weed in Colorado
Hairy galinsoga is a relatively new and growing weed problem along the front range of Colorado in corn and vegetable fields. It first began showing up in isolated fields around 2010 but has since spread to approximately 10 farms south of Greeley, Colorado. The mechanism of spread is not well understood, but the very small seeds of hairy galinsoga ( 1.5 – 3 mm long) are built for “hitchhiking” on animals, farm equipment, and possibly truck tires. A single plant can produce up to 7,500 very small seeds which can barely be seen with the human eye unless one knows what you are looking for. This web page will periodically be updated with information on summer 2020 field research supported by the Colorado corn growers in grain corn to deal with one of the biggest problems with hairy galinsoga; the fact that seeds keep germinating all season long right up to killing frosts. These multiple cohorts of new plants frustrate most current control efforts in corn and vegetables.
Hairy Galinsoga