Why is it a problem?
- Numerous seeds (up to 10,000 per plant) spread on shoes, tires, recreational equipment, wind, water, wildlife, contaminated crop seed, and farm machinery
- Agricultural weed and garden nuisance
- Forms dense stands on disturbed sites, forest edges, waterways, and meadows
How do I manage this plant?
- Clean shoes and recreational equipment before travelling into natural areas
- Plants can be pulled by hand (wear gloves), as they are shallow-rooted annuals; pull before plants set seed and place in trash bags for landfill disposal
- After land clearing activities, reseed with native species to prevent hempnettle establishment
- Take care of your soil! Fertilize to promote native grasses on lawns, or plant native shrubs to shade out hempnettle
- This is an annual, so preventing seeds from maturing is key for control
- Monitor for several years following removal
