Quick reply! Just have a minute!

You don't need to worry about trying to propagate it! As soon as it blooms--and it blooms all summer--it'll do that all by itself!

Here's a page with some great info. Check out the first paragraph and the "General impacts" section.

And, don't have time to live link it, but here's another page. It's on the Colorado B-List of Invasive and Noxious weeds. Probably best to try to get rid of it before it gets too bad.

http://plants.usda.gov/java/noxious?rptType=State&statefips=08

Gotta go,
Skybird

Here is a link that might be useful: Erodium cicutarium info

I've had this "weed" in my yard forever (24 years). Unless it's growing where I don't want it, I just leave it since it is pretty. It's far less invasive that most other weeds around here (such as that &^%$ mallow or thistle) and doesn't seem to like growing where there's a lot of competition. I never see it in the highly cultivated areas and I never see it in the lawn or thickly planted garden, but instead see it out back in the area that is never watered and is just natural grasses and plants or sometimes in the gravel or cracks in the driveway. Occasionally it shows up in my xeric rock garden, but it's not hard to control there.

I know of a local nurseryman that eats it, but I haven't bothered to try yet.

This is one weed I love, too.

Please advice, friends! This redstem filaree started growing in my side yard and I REALLY want to try it as a ground cover / lawn replacement in my backyard. It's soft, stays green all winter, doesn't seem to get tall, and is thick. I've been warned that it's invasive and my neighbors will hate me. I have a small back yard, (currently a dirt plot growing nothing but weeds), don't want to install sprinklers, and am hoping to find a ground cover that requires little/no extra water. What do you think? I also found these two growing in the same area. What are they and are they good solutions also?

Grows like crazy, seeds like a fiend.

It's a very pretty plant, but not good as part of a lawn (very stiff and scratchy). Once you have it you'll find it very hard to get rid of as it has this sort of seed-flinging mechanism that spreads far and wide. We're in the middle of a campaign to get rid of it in our lawn and replace with some creeping fescues. I'm sure it will still be around once we're done (kind of like bindweed!).

Thanks so much for your reply! When does it get stiff and scratchy? The patch pictured above has been growing in my front yard since last fall. It is quite large and still soft. I'm having such a hard time giving up on this idea!! May I ask, did you get in your yard by accident? Or did you use it as a ground cover? I read somewhere that it will not grow well in established grass.

When it starts putting up seed stalks they are very prickly!

If you look up thread, 8 years ago I posted as (jnfr) when this was GardenWeb and I loved that plant. I still think it's beautiful, but more problematic as a yard plant. And as noted above as well, it is very invasive.

But it's everywhere in my neighborhood, so I just enjoy the flowers.

After I posted this forever-ago I realized that it doesn't stay pretty for very long. And yes, it is on the Colorado B-list of noxious weeds. It isn't even native to the United States.

https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=ERCI6

Here’s some information from the Colorado Department of Agriculture:

Erodium cicutarium, Redstem filaree is designated as a “List C” species in the Colorado Noxious Weed Act. It is required to be either eradicated, contained, or suppressed depending on the local infestations.

The aim of the Noxious Weed Program is to control noxious weeds, the non-native aggressive invaders that replace native vegetation, reduce agricultural productivity, cause wind and water erosion and pose an increased threat to communities from wildfire. We do this by preventing the introduction of new invasive species; eradicating species with isolated or limited populations and containing and managing those invasive species that are well-established and widespread.

From FAQs:

Why should residents and visitors to Colorado care about Noxious Weeds?

Noxious weeds threaten valuable wildlife habitat and natural resources, cause economic hardships to agricultural producers, and are a nuisance for recreational activities. The Noxious Weed Act requires all Colorado residents to control noxious weeds using integrated methods to manage noxious weeds if the same is likely to be materially damaging to the land of neighboring landowners.

And here’s some more info from an international Noxious Weed site:

~ Kimball and Schiffman (2003) discuss the characteristics of E. cicutarium that make it such a problem weed: E. cicutarium germinates and flowers early and continues to flower throughout the growing season, giving it a longer inductive time period than many later-maturing annual species; E. cicutarium is a fierce competitor, producing many seeds that germinate early, developing a deep tap root quickly, depleting soil water, and preventing sunlight from reaching seedlings of other species that germinate later and it may prevent establishment of perennial grasses by blocking access to light.

~ Erodium cicutarium is an annual, winter annual or biennial that is a pioneer on disturbed and arid sites. It can cause yield reductions of crops and the seed is very difficult to clean out of small seeded crops. Erodium cicutarium is considered a noxious weed as it crowds out or outcompetes crops and native plant species. An integrated approach to the management of Erodium cicutarium is important, especially since herbicides for in-crop control of E. cicutarium are limited and control is often unsatisfactory.

I would encourage you--and everyone!--to do all you can to remove this weed from your property. Noxious weeds become noxious weeds because they do not STAY on just one lot—or in one county—or in one state! They spread everywhere—destroying native plants and habitat as they go! Erodium cicutarium is already on the noxious weed list in FORTY SIX states! Please help, in any way you can, to control it. Every little bit helps!

Skybird

P.S. MileHiGirl, I’m finding contradictory info about whether it’s on the B or C list in Colorado. But if it truly is on the B list, that’s an even higher priority for removing it!