How to Get Rid of Stickers in Your Yard: 6 Effective Methods

There are a few tricks homeowners need to know to keep their yard in tip-top shape. Learning how to get rid of stickers in your yard and kill weeds are useful pieces of homeowner knowledge that can make your backyard experience even more enjoyable. Let’s take a look at the top six most effective ways to do just that.

Why Do I Have Stickers in My Yard?

Sticker weeds come in several types. Depending on your climate, they may actively grow during the winter or early springtime. Their early germination time often means that seeds left over from the last season can transform into established plants before your lawn grass has time to compete.

Sticker weeds, such as burweed, sandbur, lawn burs, and others, are highly effective at getting their seeds from one place to another. Mature stickers, or burs, can attach to wildlife fur or disperse with the weather. That, coupled with early-season germination, means that nearly any tiny patch of soil can become a new sticker weed's home.

When to Get Rid of Stickers in Your Yard

The best time to combat a sticker invasion in your yard is before or right after they start growing and before they develop into mature plants. However, young plants can be tricky to spot until the seeds form. In that case, the earliest time you notice them is the best time to get rid of stickers in your yard.

How to Get Rid Of Stickers In Your Yard

Dealing with stickers in your yard has its unpleasantries—not the least of which is that the stickers can hurt when touched and cause skin irritation. However, wearing sturdy gardening or work gloves can minimize or eliminate those concerns. 

1. Pull Sticker Weeds Out by Hand

Sometimes, the old-fashioned ways of pulling weeds by hand is the best. For young sticker plants already growing in your yard, the most effective, albeit most tedious, way to remove them is to pinch the plant bases, one at a time, and pull them out, roots and all. This method is highly effective, one plant at a time. You can also use a garden trowel to help dislodge stubborn individuals. However, be sure to dispose of the weeds and seeds in a garbage bag and avoid composting them as the seed could live on after the plant is dead.  

2. Rake Up Stickers

Adult sticker plants are more challenging to remove as the seeds with the stickers are likely already present. Use a leaf rake by dragging it over the offensive plants to knock the stickers loose. While this method won't remove the plants, it will get rid of the majority of stickers. Bag up the stickers and dispose of them properly, not in the compost bin. Alternatively, you can use an old towel or blanket to drag over the weeds. This option will remove the stickers and gather them in a single step, but it'll render the fabric useless afterward.  

3. Use a Lawn Mower

Another fast way to deal with adult sticker weeds is simply mowing them down with your lawn mower. The trick is to use a bagging mower and dispose of the burs and grass clippings away from any composting. Remember not to cut off more than ⅓ of the grass blade lengths to avoid damaging the grass. While this method is fast, it's not always the most complete. Plants shorter than the grass will remain after mowing and will require a second removal method to remove them completely. 

4. Choose a Natural Remedy

The most effective time to deal with stickers in your yard using natural remedies is when they are young. Sprinkling baking soda over the offending weeds and letting it soak into the roots or spritzing them with vinegar daily until they wither are effective ways to kill them. While this method works best when the plants are young, with patience, it can also work on juvenile ones. 

5. Bring on the Heat

Extreme heat is an excellent tool for combating yard stickers. However, using direct heat or fire in your yard is dangerous, and you should exercise extreme caution or try another removal method.

Young or mature sticker weeds don't have great odds of survival when faced with a propane torch or boiling water. Thoroughly burn the plants with a torch to eliminate them only after taking precautions, including wetting the surrounding lawn and having a garden hose ready in case of emergency. Pouring a pot of boiling water directly on a sticker plant and its roots will also kill the plant quickly without the fire risk. Use caution to avoid scalding yourself or anyone else with the water. 

6. Kill Off Stickers with Herbicide

Pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicides are highly effective at removing stickers from your yard. However, you risk damaging your yard when using them. There are also environmental concerns relating to herbicide use. Carefully follow the manufacturer's label instructions for the best results and to avoid yard damage. Use a pre-emergent herbicide early in the growing season for your climate area to keep sticker plants from germinating. Only use a post-emergent product if and after the plants begin growing.  

How to Prevent Stickers From Invading Your Yard

While sticker weeds are excellent at showing up in places we don't want them, there are a few tricks to minimize the chances of finding them in your yard. Try these tips to fight back against yard stickers.

• Use a pre-emergent herbicide every year following the manufacturer's instructions to prevent sticker weeds and several other yard-invading plants. 

• Cutting your lawn slightly less frequently and leaving the grass slightly taller can help choke out weeds and sticker plants before they have a chance to take hold. 

• Eliminate sticker plants that appear in your yard as soon as possible. If you can catch and remove them before they seed, you'll be a step ahead of them for the rest of the season.

DIY Sticker Removal vs. Hiring a Pro

Removing stickers from your yard is a straightforward DIY task. However, consulting a local landscaping company may be worth considering for help with a persistent problem with any kind of weeds. A qualified lawn care professional can also tell you how much it might cost to trim your yard's bushes and perform other yard work so you can maintain control over how you spend your weekends. Yard cleanup services cost an average of $360, but weed control services cost $70 to $150 on average.