- 1). Do not till the soil. Cockle-burrs reproduce from seeds and research has demonstrated that disturbing the soil of annual plants that reproduce from seed does little to control the weeds. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service, tilling the soil buries the seeds, which can actually increase cockle-burr population in the following spring. Douglas D. Buhler of the Agricultural Research Service reported that not tilling fields reduced cockle-burrs by 80% in subsequent years.
- 2). Use a broadleaf pre-emergent herbicide in the fall to kill some of the seeds and apply a post-emergent herbicide in the spring once the seeds are up. These herbicides are most effective on smaller plants.
- 3). Burn the field in the spring or the fall. Apply for a permit from your local authority. The department that issues this type of permit varies from state to state. Check with your local fire department to find out which office to contact locally in your jurisdiction. Sometimes fire departments help people burn fields as part of their ongoing training exercises to learn to manage wild fires. Ask if they can help you burn your field. If the fire department does not provide this service, follow all the requirements that the permitting agency requires in order to avoid creating a fire that grows out of control.
- 4). Control the plants by mowing them down, digging them up or chopping them down with a lopper or hedge trimmers before they have a chance to set their seeds. You may have to use this method a number of years in a row to eradicate the plants completely from your yard or fields. The seeds of cockle-burrs can last up to two years in the soil.
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