Growing weeds on purpose is not something most North Dakota producers would be fond of doing, but that is what is happening at the North Dakota State University Carrington Research Extension Center.

“The CREC Weed Arboretum has about 60 living weeds available for viewing during the growing season,” says Greg Endres, NDSU Extension Service area agronomist. “People can use the arboretum to identify weeds in their fields or yards, which is the first step in effective weed management. The next step is to consider using cultural, chemical, mechanical or biological controls and then choose the best combination if necessary.”

Along with formal and informal education during tours at the CREC, photos and weed samples from the arboretum are used during other tours and winter meetings.

The weeds at the arboretum are identified by common names and grouped according to their lifecycle, including annual, winter annual, biennial and perennial.

The weed arboretum was established 17 years ago and is the only outdoor NDSU living weed exhibit, according to Endres. He got the idea for the weed arboretum after attending a national agronomy meeting in Texas in 1993.

The arboretum has most of the weeds that are listed as noxious weeds in North Dakota, such as salt cedar, purple loosestrife and yellow toadflax.

Individuals or groups are welcome to visit the weed arboretum. Guided tours can be scheduled by contacting the center.

NDSU Agriculture Communication