Foxtail not Fox Glove
Question from Lynn:
There are so many fox glove right now at/on the Shores property that a group of us dog-lovers were going to see if we could rid the place of them. Someone suggested a weed wacker. Someone else suggested ripping up from the roots. What is your opinion? We don’t want to use anything toxic to the dogs.
Answer from Pat:
It is a surprise to me to hear of a case in which a large number of foxgloves have naturalized in a park in Southern California unless and except this would be in an irrigated situation in which foxgloves had been purposefully planted and grown. Granted we have had heavy rains this year but I have never heard of foxgloves becoming a nuisance plant in Southern California and I have never seen them growing in the wild in Southern California. Because of the beauty of foxgloves most people are delighted if they can manage to get them to grow and it is actually unusual for them to come back a second year, though if they do they will often be white and not purple which is the more desirable color for foxgloves. I am so surprised about this that I think I must go and see these plants.
Foxgloves are native to woodlands in northern Europe where rains are frequent, but they have become a nuisance in some redwood forests in northern California where rains are adequate and the soil is rich and acid. Foxgloves are not a good plant in such wild places because they are toxic and thus not forage for animals and because foxgloves displace native plants. It should be noted also that foxgloves are also toxic to dogs. However, I have grown foxgloves in my garden and have owned dogs and have never seen a dog attracted to a foxglove or go out of its way to eat a foxglove and this includes taking dogs for walks in England where the woods are often full of foxgloves in spring. I am interested to know if the dog-lovers that frequent this park are afraid their dogs are going to eat these plants or have seen dogs ingest the plants. I mean if they are not doing any harm why get rid of such a beautiful plant?
Foxgloves are biennial plants. They sprout from seeds during the summer of their first year of growth. They continue to grow vegetatively during the winter and then bloom in spring. After that they set seed in early summer and then the seeds fall to the ground. New plants spring up from the seeds and these will bloom in spring. The important thing for a foxglove is to start its vegetative growth in year one then go through winter and bloom during year two after having grown through winter. The best way to get rid of foxgloves is to pull them up by the roots in fall and early spring before they bloom, thus breaking the cycle of growth. They are easy to pull out. Once they bloom and set seed it is too late. The fine seeds will spread, the seed will sprout if its kept moist and then there will be more foxgloves to grow and bloom another spring. But if rains or irrigation are inadequate they will not survive.
If the foxgloves are already blooming but not yet setting seeds, simply pull them out. Weedwacking them is not a good idea since it’s more likely to spread seeds and the roots might even have the energy to send up a second bloom spike in order to set seed as it surely wants to do.
Oh Pat,
I am soooo sorry. I didn’t mean those beautiful fox gloves – I meant fox tails! I am so sorry that you spent so much of your valuable time with my insane question. But now I know so much more about fox gloves!
Many hugs to you
Oh this is so funny! Frankly it’s amusing and not a waste of time. This is an excellent example of why it’s important to look up and refer to botanical names. Botanical names help us refer to plants correctly without confusion. Common names often lead to confusion. Foxglove is Digitalis purpurea. The most pernicious type of foxtail is Hordeum jubatum.
Now let’s switch to the plant in question. Foxtail is the common name applied to one of many bearded types of grass or barley. All these grasses have bearded seed heads bearing a bushy arrangement of spikes attached to seeds. There are several species of grasses and of wild barley all with various botanical names that vary from one another in individual characteristics but all of which are called foxtails. These hairy or spiky seed heads known by the common name of foxtails are injurious to dogs. Wild or foxtail barley (Hordeum jubatum) is the worst kind and the most dangerous to animals since it can sometimes get into animal feed and if ingested the hooked spikes attached to the hairs on the sharp pointed seeds can pierce membranes deep inside cattle and other domestic animals causing festering internal wounds.
Dogs running through foxtails can get them in their hair, ears, eyes, feet, and nose. The pernicious barbed seeds of foxtail barley and grasses can penetrate animals’ skin causing great harm, discomfort and even in some cases death. So I can see why you and other dog lovers at a dog park would want to get rid of them. Also the heavy rains this year have led to an unusually large number of these weeds proliferating on our roadsides all over Southern California and even in suburban areas. Foxtail grasses are not only hazardous to animals, but they crowd out native plants and once they become dry, they are also a fire danger. Thus they need to be weeded out. On roadsides weed-wacking is the best and quickest solution.
At a park where dog safety is an issue, however, the best way to get rid of your foxtail problem is to gather a crew of volunteers and pull them out now while the ground is still moist and send them to be composted with green waste. Alternatively, you could also compost them yourself on site using the French pit method of composting. I have found this works best for composting these grasses since the seeds are buried along with the grass and the nitrogenous heat of green grass rots the entire thing and improves the soil. If this job is done correctly, the seeds are buried far enough into the ground that the entire plant will rot and be returned to the soil. Thus the grass will not come back another year. To follow the French Trench composting method, simply dig a trench 2 or 3 feet deep. Fill it with the grass, get the whole thing wet and dig the earth back on top.
A weed-wacker could work as a way to mow down the plants quickly, but when the job is completed the roots will still be in the ground. Since these are annual grasses and have already set seeds, most likely the roots will die after you’ve weed-wacked the top growth off. It is very unlikely that they will sprout another seed head. The difficulty will be in raking up all the foxtails without leaving a few errant seeds with hairs attached that could be left behind to penetrate the feet or noses of dogs. Thus, hand pulling is the best and safest way to go since you get the whole thing out and dispose of it safely.
You are wonderful indeed, Pat! Thank you! We are organizing a work party for this Saturday!
Good for you that you are striking while the iron is hot and before the ground dries out.