The spikelets are sometimes called foxtails, even though the grasses are not. Their hats are trimmed with swizzle sticks, foxtails and pipe cleaners. Mechanical control of giant foxtails by night tillage, rotary hoeing, or flaming is very difficult. Giant foxtails prefer compacted soils, high in nitrogen and phosphorus. In dogs and other domestic animals the foxtails can become irreversibly lodged. Foxtails can also enter the nostrils and ear canals of many mammals.