What is catchweed bedstraw?

Catchweed bedstraw identification is usually easy because of one thing: it sticks to you. Also called cleavers or stickywilly, this is a fast-growing annual in the coffee family. Unlike many of the weeds on this list, it’s actually native to North America as well as Europe and Asia.

Plants usually sprout in fall or very early spring, sit small through cold weather, then take off in April and May. They scramble up and over whatever is nearby, set seed, and die back by mid to late summer. In a shady bed, a few plants can cover low shrubs in just a few weeks.

Native or not, it can smother small perennials and is a nuisance in gardens and landscape beds.

Catchweed bedstraw identification: what to look for

• Stems: square, weak and lined with tiny backward-pointing hooks that let it climb and cling.
• Leaves: narrow, with a sharp little point at the tip, arranged in rings (whorls) of six to eight around the stem.
• Feel: the whole plant feels rough and grabs onto fabric, gloves and fur.
• Flowers: tiny, white, four-petaled, in small clusters coming out where the leaves join the stem.
• Seeds: small round burs, usually in pairs, covered in hooked bristles.
• Roots: shallow and weak. The stem often snaps off from the root when you pull.

Seedlings are worth recognizing too. The first leaves are oval and notched at the tip, and the whorls of narrow leaves start showing right after.

Where catchweed bedstraw grows in Pennsylvania

Bedstraw prefers moist, fertile soil and some shade. In central PA it’s common in shrub beds along the north or east side of a house, hedgerows, fence lines, the edges of wooded lots and along creek banks. It shows up in gardens that get compost or manure, since seed can pass through animals and survive.

It’s rarely a problem in a well-mowed lawn. Mowing and dense turf keep it from climbing, so it’s mostly a bed, border and field-edge weed.

Catchweed bedstraw look-alikes

Other bedstraws, such as smooth bedstraw, also have whorled leaves but are perennial and don’t have the strong clingy grip. Common chickweed grows in the same cool, damp beds, but its leaves come in opposite pairs, not whorls, and it doesn’t stick to anything.

Mile-a-minute vine is the look-alike to take seriously. It’s also prickly and climbing, but it has triangular leaves, round leaf collars wrapped around the stem and blue berries. That one is a Class B noxious weed in Pennsylvania and needs a more serious response, while bedstraw is just a garden nuisance. If you’re not sure which you have, look for those leaf collars and the triangle-shaped leaves.

How to get rid of catchweed bedstraw

Hand pulling. For most homeowners, this is the answer. Wear gloves and long sleeves, grab low near the base, and pull gently while the soil is moist. Untangle it from shrubs rather than yanking, which can break off branches of tender perennials. Do it in early spring, before those white flowers turn into burs. Once burs form, bag the plants rather than composting them.

Hoeing and mulch. Seedlings are easy to scuff out with a hoe in March and April. A 2 to 3 inch layer of shredded mulch in beds blocks many seedlings from getting started, and a renewed layer each spring helps a lot.

Cultural. Keep beds full. Bare soil between shrubs is open real estate. Be careful with uncomposted manure, which can carry bedstraw seed into a clean garden.

Chemical. Most homeowners won’t need herbicides for bedstraw. In landscape beds, a preemergence herbicide labeled for the ornamentals you have can stop seed from sprouting if it’s applied in late summer or early fall before the fall flush. In turf, where it’s uncommon, broadleaf products containing fluroxypyr or dicamba are often listed by extension services. Non-selective products like glyphosate kill anything green they touch, so avoid spraying them where bedstraw is tangled in shrubs. Read and follow the label every time (the label is the law) and confirm it’s labeled for your site. Applying herbicide for hire in Pennsylvania requires a PA Dept. of Agriculture pesticide applicator certification, so bigger jobs should go to a licensed company.

Keeping catchweed bedstraw from coming back

Since bedstraw is an annual whose seed only lasts a few years in the soil, steady effort pays off fast. Pull every plant before it sets burs for two or three seasons and you’ll see far fewer.

Brush off pets, boots and gloves after working in an infested area so you don’t plant the next crop yourself. Keep beds mulched and planted densely, and check the shady side of the house and fence lines each April.

If a bed is so overrun that you’d rather start fresh, a bed renovation with new mulch can reset things quickly.

Questions we get about catchweed bedstraw

Similar weeds

Common ChickweedStellaria mediaMile-a-Minute VinePersicaria perfoliataGarlic MustardAlliaria petiolata