Step 1. Correctly identify your plant.
Biennial weed growing 1 to 4 feet tall, seeds stick to clothing, toxic to livestock
Leaves are alternate 1 to 12 inches long and 1 to 3 inches wide, rough, hairy and lacking teeth or lobes
Flowers are reddish-purple with 5 petals
Photo Credit: Nature Picture Library, Jennifer Andreas, WSU Extension and https://www.nwcb.wa.gov/
Step 2. Choose your method.
It is preferable to remove Houndstongue in its 1st year of growth when it is a rosette stage (middle photo), but removal is also possible after plant has sent up a flowering stalk prior to seeds setting
Hand dig or pull removing as much of the root as possible. Reseed with native plant species to prevent more noxious weeds from coming in.
Step 3. Repeat.
Monitor and repeat treatments as needed. Plant native grasses to compete with Houndstongue.
To learn more about the biology of Houndstongue visit the web page below.