Curly Dock (Rumex crispus) is a perennial broadleaf plant that usually grows in wet areas and is frequently associated with standing water. Leaves are alternate to one another along the stem forming a rosette. The mature plant stands erect and grows 2 to 5 feet tall. Leaves are alternate to one another along the stem. The small greenish flowers are arranged in dense clusters on elongated stems. The fruiting stem dies back in mid to late summer, and the fruits and stems turn a distinctive rusty brown. New basal rosettes of leaves form in winter.
Curly Dock Rosette and Seedhead
As with many weeds, control is less expensive and more likely if plants are treated while still in the rosette stage. Once the plant begins stem elongation (bolts), more herbicide is required.
Curly Dock
Select Herbicide Options:
Weedmaster
2, 4-D
GrazonNext HL
Chaparral
Grazon P+D
PasturAll HL
Tordon 22K
Cimarron Max (for bermudagrass pastures, will destroy bahiagrass)
Pastora (for bermudagrass pastures, will destroy bahiagrass)
REMEMBER: THE LABEL IS THE LAW! Always read the pesticide label before using.
Vanessa Corriher-Olson
Associate Professor, Forage Extension Specialist
Soil & Crop Sciences
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Overton,TX
903-834-6191