I found one of the Goat Head seed pods about two weeks ago in the only way one finds them, by stepping on them.

This led to one of the thorns being broken off in my foot. I dug it out, and thought I had it all, and a few days later when I stepped out of bed my foot informed me that I had in fact left some in my foot.

Back to digging, and I got more out.

Fast forward to Tuesday this week and I felt some infection in my foot (not good for a type two diabetic) so I had a doc look at it. Doc sent me to a wound clinic yesterday where the nurse did some digging and thought she had hit something solid in the bottom of my foot. She put some honey in the wound to soften it up, and I will see her again on Tuesday afternoon.

Last night I took a step in my bedroom and found another goat head with my other foot (I didn't step hard enough to get a puncture), and I picked that seed pod up and threw it away.

Goat Heads suck.....

Goat heads put an end to my leisure activity of bicycling. They’re a bastard of a plant. The vacant lot across the street from my hovel is chock full of those things.

Took out both tires on my bike riding through a dry wash. Replaced the tubes with "puncture proof" tubes. Lost the front immediately. Replaced both tubes with the solid tubes. No more issues.

On my road bike I went tubeless tires. They work like a car tire, and have a liquid latex sealant in the tire. I get a goat head, pull out the thorn, and ride on.

My mountain bike has a plastic strip between the tire and tube, heavy duty tubes, and slime inside the tubes... I can ride through the goat heads with no problem.

My problem is I find them by stepping on them inside the house, and that stinks big time.

That and pulling them out of my dog's paws. My last dog would limp over to me and give me a paw that needed them removed, and my current dog is a fight to get her paws so I can remove goat heads.

I sprayed the ones in my yard with a mixture of Crossbow and diesel, and that killed the plants, but being sandy soil I still have seeds in the soil... I now take a weed burner to them in hopes of burning the seeds as well.

I found one in a bowl of Chili in Albuquerque, some restaurant on Central Avenue at about three in the morning. We stopped after dropping off a patient at Presbyterian Hospital, three man crew in a E-350 high top ambulance.

Yep, found it the hard way.

quote:

Originally posted by shovelhead:
I found one in a bowl of Chili in Albuquerque, some restaurant on Central Avenue at about three in the morning. We stopped after dropping off a patient at Presbyterian Hospital, three man crew in a E-350 high top ambulance.

Yep, found it the hard way.

Ouch, shit, that hurt just reading about your experience.

quote:

Originally posted by lizardman_u:
My mountain bike has a plastic strip between the tire and tube, heavy duty tubes, and slime inside the tubes... I can ride through the goat heads with no problem.

This is exactly what I do too. Works like a charm.

Okay.. I got to look up this goat head plant vine thorn thing y'all are discussing....

Edit: just looked them up.. man that is one more nasty looking sticker.... you'd think the government could do something about them....

quote:

I hate Goat Heads (aka puncture vine)

I called them puncture vines. They were all over the place in central California where I grew up. They could spear a bicycle tire or bare foot really good.

Jez, those things are nasty. I haven’t seen any for years, but there were a lot of them around where I grew up. They’re hard on bicycle tires, and tennis shoes. If I never see another one, I think I could live with that.

quote:

Originally posted by shovelhead:
I found one in a bowl of Chili in Albuquerque, some restaurant on Central Avenue at about three in the morning. We stopped after dropping off a patient at Presbyterian Hospital, three man crew in a E-350 high top ambulance.

Yep, found it the hard way.

Da fuq? Now I’m dying to know which restaurant.

A truly nasty weed. I don't want to use herbicides for a variety of reasons so every morning I use a hoe to keep them in check. A couple years ago we went on vacation for a week and came back to a carpet of goat heads cause of the monsoons. Goat heads and bind weed are the bane of my backyard life.

That does look nasty.
Don't have them here I am pretty sure but we do have plenty of other thorns and brambles to deal with.

Goat heads are the worst! Star thistle is pretty nasty too.

Some kind of a bug eats that stuff.

http://invasives.wsu.edu/biolo...olarinuslareynii.htm

When I was a kid we ran around barefoot and more than once I stepped on a Devils' Horn. It hurt like you know what and I'd pull it out and keep going. Sometimes got away and sometimes went 2-3 steps and POW ! They are the Midwests' answer to puncture Vine.

Friday the nurse put honey from Melaluka flowers on the wound, and put a dressing on it. Today she was able to get the darned goat head out of my foot... feels so much better.

quote:

Originally posted by flesheatingvirus:

quote:

Originally posted by shovelhead:
I found one in a bowl of Chili in Albuquerque, some restaurant on Central Avenue at about three in the morning. We stopped after dropping off a patient at Presbyterian Hospital, three man crew in a E-350 high top ambulance.

Yep, found it the hard way.

Da fuq? Now I’m dying to know which restaurant.

This was 1982, just west of downtown, north side of Central is all I remember.

For a minute, I was thinking you were talking about the album.

Angie
Dancing with Mr. D
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo Heartbreaker...

If you're a Stones fan, not a bad album!