9
Control Measures
(1) Pull seedlings and small or shallow-rooted plants when soil is
moist. Dig out larger plants, including the root systems. Use a
spading fork or weed wrench for trees or shrubs.
(2) To prevent spread of seeds of desirable ornamental plants, cut off
spent flowers (“deadhead") or cut off seeds or fruits before they
ripen. Bag, and burn or send to the landfill.
(3) Mow or cut back at least three times a season to deplete plants’
store of nutrients, reduce seed formation, and kill or minimize spread
of plants. If necessary, repeat each year.
(4) Controlled burning during the spring, repeated over several years,
allows native vegetation to compete more effectively with the exotic.
This may require a permit. Spot treatment with glyphosate in the
late fall can be used to make this method more effective.
(5) Use a corn-based pre-emergence herbicide on annual weeds. This
product is also an organic fertilizer, i.e., it can stimulate growth of
existing plants, including weeds, so it is appropriate for lawns and
gardens but may not be appropriate in woodlands.
(6) In lawns, spot treat with broad-leaf weed killer. Good lawn-care
practices (test soil – use lime and fertilizer only when soil test shows
a need; mow high and frequently – leave clippings on lawn) reduce
weed infestations.
(7) Cut down the tree. Grind out the stump, or clip off re-growth.
(8) Girdle tree – cut through the bark and growing layer (cambium) all
around the trunk, about 6" above the ground. Girdling is most
effective in spring when the sap is rising, and from middle to late
summer when the tree is sending down food to the roots. Clip off re-
growth.
(9) Hack and squirt – hack a hole (several holes in larger trees)
downward into the growing layer, and squirt in glyphosate (or
triclopyr if recommended in text above). Follow label directions for
Injection and Frill Applications. This is most effective from middle to
late summer. Clip off any re-growth or paint with glyphosate.
(10) Cut down, and paint the cut stem or stump with glyphosate (or
triclopyr if specified above). Follow label directions for Cut Stump
Application. Clip off re-growth or paint with glyphosate. (See Note on
Herbicides.)
(11) Paint foliage with glyphosate herbicide (see Note on Herbicides). Use
an envelope dauber (small sponge-topped bottle), following label
directions for “wiper" method. Add a drop of food color for visibility.
Or use a foam spray. Avoid dripping on non-target plants, because
glyphosate kills most plants except moss. If it rolls off waxy or grass-
like foliage, use additional sticker-spreader. Deciduous trees, shrubs,
and perennials move nutrients down to the roots in late summer.
Glyphosate is particularly effective at this time and when flowering
plants are in bloom. Several invasive exotics retain their foliage after
native plants have lost theirs, and resume growth earlier in spring
than most natives. This allows you to treat them without harming
the natives. However, the plant must be growing for the herbicide to
work, and more may be needed in cold weather because growth is
slower.
WindStar Wildlife Institute is a
national, non-profit, conservation
organization whose mission is to
help individuals and families
establish or improve the wildlife
habitat on their properties.
For more information or
for the name of a Master Wildlife
Habitat Naturalist in your area,
please contact:
WindStar Wildlife Institute
10072 Vista Court
Myersville, Maryland 21773
Phone: (301) 293-3351
E-mail: wildlife@windstar.org
http://www.windstar.org
Photography by
Catherine Gilleland, Maryland
Master Wildlife Habitat Naturalist
