How to Kill Weeds & Grass Burrs

Spray the weeds with herbicide mixture. Do not spray grass burrs with the herbicide, as the prickly pods on the burrs will harden and become painful to touch, and especially, step on. Using herbicide may not be feasible if the weeds or burrs are close to plants you want to keep.

Dig up the weeds or burrs. A trowel will allow you to get under the roots of the weeds and remove them without damaging the surrounding area. This may not be especially feasible if the burrs or weeds are in a heavily grassy area.

Pull the weeds or burrs out by hand. Wear gloves when doing this, as some weeds or burrs have thorns that will hurt if you grab them. Grab the weed close to the base and pull up with sustained pressure rather than a quick jerk, as most weeds will just snap off in your hand without any roots if you just yank. You want to get as much of the root structure out of the ground as possible to prevent re-growth.

Pour boiling water on the weed or burr. The scalding water will damage and burn the plant tissue. Repeated applications of boiling water will destroy the plant's ability to regenerate and will eventually kill the weed.

Pour white vinegar onto the weed on a sunny day. The vinegar will act on the plant tissue in much the same way as a chemical herbicide as the sun warms it. It will also kill any beneficial plant life nearby, however, so be careful during application.