Farmers Friend or Cobblers Peg (also known as Bidens Pilosa) is especially recognisable by the seed heads or fine black “pegs” that stick to your clothes.

How Does it Spread

Farmers Friends is a very common weed often seen in gardens and on roadsides. It also has a small yellow flower. As a young plant the leaf structure becomes easily identifiable and easily pulled.

Control

This weed is easily removed at any stage but the whole weed needs to be bagged and placed in red bins to stop them from spreading. This means taking care to pull out and bag the whole plant including roots and any of the seeds or “pegs” attached to clothing, gloves, shoes etc.

Farmer’s friend will continue to reseed so it requires vigilance and ideally early recognition and removing to prevent them reaching the flowering and seed-stage and spreading.

Further information and photos go here.