Showing posts with label invasive. Show all posts
Showing posts with label invasive. Show all posts

Saturday, February 10, 2024

GardenDC Podcast Episode 181: Invasive Plants

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Maddie Hoagland-Hanson, horticulturist with Casey Trees, all about invasive plants. The plant profile is on Adonis amurensis and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events and garden tasks in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on Composting with Paul the Possum by Christy Page of Green Prints.

If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 147: Sustainable Gardening Practices

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/04/gardendc-podcast-episode-147.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 117: Environmentally Friendly Garden

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/08/gardendc-podcast-episode-117.html

This episode is archived at: 

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! 
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SHOW NOTES: 01:09 Meet horticulturist Maddie Hoagland Hanson 1:43 “Were you born with chlorophyll in your veins and a green thumb?” — host Kathy Jentz asks Maddie 3:38 How Maddie got involved in Casey Trees coming from an educational background of English and romantic poetry 4:44 Maddie joined the trail crew of the Texas Conservation Corps 6:22 Maddie moved to Seattle and joined another Conservation Corps there 6:36 “My experience working on conservation corps and actually doing invasive species removal work was what prompted me eventually to go back to school for landscape architecture” — Maddie 7:56 The mission of Casey Trees, a DC-based non-profit organization working to restore, protect, and enhance the tree canopy of the Nation’s Capital 10:06 Maddie’s role in Casey Trees 12:10 Invasive Plant #1: Vinca, also known as Periwinkle 14:49 What does it mean for a species to be “invasive” 17:04 Can plants have “evil” tendencies? Are there “bad” plants? 17:33 “I personally think that gardening as a practice should be something that helps us cultivate empathy, definitely the natural world and hopefully each other” — Maddie 17:50 The concept of invasive species “brings up this feeling of, or fear of, what is foreign” 20:58 Maddie talks about a memorable experience she has with an invasive plant when she was younger 22:28 Techniques to remove Vinca 25:41 Invasive Plant #2: Japanese Pachysandra 27:37 Invasive Plant #3: English Ivy 30:40 Invasive Plant #4: Asian and Bush Honeysuckle 34:00 Invasive Plant #5: Porcelainberry 36:35 Invasive Plant #6: Bamboo 39:26 Invasive Plant #7: Sweet Autumn Clematis 41:29 Kathy and Maddie talk about how some invasives have native counterparts — Kathy says it could be because “at one point, the continents were together, and maybe pre-Ice Age we were sharing a lot of the same plant genetics and plant families” 42:58 Invasives that are less common in a home garden, but more common in park lands or wild areas 47:46 Learn more about Casey Trees on their website and even schedule a visit and consultation 48:43 Get in touch with Maddie via email mhanson@caseytrees.org 49:15 Plant Profile: Amur Adonis - a late-winter bloomer 50:36 What’s new in the garden this week? 51:51 Get updated on the current soil temperature and weather by checking out the Hyattsville Horticultural Society website 52:22 Local gardening event: Feb. 21, Takoma Horticulture Club will host a meeting and talk with Brookside Gardens horticulturist on “Overcoming Fears of Pruning” 53:02 Local gardening event: Feb. 26, Silver Spring Garden Club will host a meeting and talk on “Paradise Under Glass” with guest speaker and author Ruth Kassinger 53:43 Kathy Jentz’s book “Groundcover Revolution” 55:03 Kathy Jentz’s book “The Urban Garden” 56:02 Christy Page with GreenPrints on Composting with Paul the Possum 59:32 How to support GardenDC Podcast

We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode.

And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too!

Episode Credits:
Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz
Interview Edit and Show Notes: Hannah Zozobrado

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Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Invasive Species Spotlight: Canada Thistle

 
Guest post by Jacqueline Hyman 
 
Though many types of thistle exist, both nonnative and native, a largely invasive plant in the greater Washington, DC-area is Canada Thistle.

    Canada Thistle (Circium arvense) is an invasive that “is designated a noxious weed in 43 states,” according to Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas. It was introduced accidentally to North America in the 1600s, according to the book. 

    The plant blooms from late June through August with purple to white flowers and “strongly-prickled” leaves. This perennial invasive can grow up to 4 feet tall.

    “Canada Thistle is an aggressive competitor,” wrote Rochelle Bartolomei, the native plant specialist at Montgomery County Parks, in an email. “It crowds out native plants and changes the composition of the plant community. It can create monocultures preventing other native species from thriving and thereby reducing food sources for native insects and birds.”

    Bartolomei said the plant thrives in disturbed soil, but that she finds it in many environments, such as sunny meadows, roadsides, cropland, and gardens. According to Plant Invaders, the thistle is not very tolerant of shade.

    The book notes that the seeds are dispersed through the wind, and that it “expands locally by vegetative means through lateral roots and root fragments.” Canada Thistle is dioecious, meaning it requires both male and female plants to produce seed. Additionally, even a small part of the plant left in the soil can produce a new plant, said Bartolomei.

    Canada Thistle is a tough plant to remove and is not very susceptible to chemical treatment. “I suggest cutting the plant to the base and painting a bit of Roundup on the root and basal leaves in summer. The plant will try to store resources at that time and will draw the herbicide into the root,” Bartolomei wrote. “You can also just keep cutting it to the base and eventually it will die off and definitely don't let it go to seed.”

    Because the plants are intolerant of shade, Bartolomei said growing taller plants in the same area may be helpful, but “since it grows and flowers in the cool season, these taller plants may not be effective at shading it out so repeated cutting back is the safest course.”

    Bartolomei added, “To help reduce the spread of the plant, collect seed heads and dispose of in a sealed bag, cut plants to the ground and remain vigilant.”
 
    Canada Thistle is very common and is found in many parks and other natural areas such as gardens and farms. It is important to deal with this invasive species properly and ensure that it is being eradicated whenever possible.

The  "Invasive Species Spotlight" is a summer blog series focusing on a different plant each week that is a problem for Mid-Atlantic home gardeners.

About the author:
Jacqueline Hyman is a junior journalism and English major at the University of Maryland. She is the editor-in-chief of the Mitzpeh, an independent Jewish newspaper at UMD. In addition, Jacqueline enjoys musical theater, and teaches piano and voice at Guitar Center. She is excited to be interning this summer for the Washington Gardener.

Image credit: 
Photograph by Jim Kennedy, www.flickr.com/photos/nature80020/sets/.

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Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Invasive Species Spotlight: Devil’s Tail

Guest post by Jacqueline Hyman 


Devil’s Tail (Persicaria perfoliata), also known as Mile-A-Minute weed, is a fast-growing invasive that shrouds other plants, preventing them from receiving important nutrients and sunlight. 

    The plant was introduced to Beltsville, MD, in 1937, as well as in other parts of the United States, according to Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas. It was also introduced to a nursery site in York County, PA, in the 1930s, which is likely the source of the plant’s growth in the Mid-Atlantic and northeastern U.S., according to the book.

   University of Maryland Extension Educator Charles Schuster said the plant thrives in many conditions, including farmland, landscapes, and nurseries.

   “I find it everywhere I go,” said Schuster, who works in commercial horticulture. “There’s not an area that I have not found it in my normal travels.”

   Mile-A-Minute is an annual trailing vine, with pale green triangular leaves. It also has what Schuster calls a reverse-facing thorn.

  “Instead of having a thorn at a direct right angle to the stem facing toward the outside of the stem, this has a thorn that as you grab the stem and start to pull and your hand slides a little bit, it literally digs in,” Schuster said.


   This thorn is one way the plant spreads and repopulates, as it can dig into people and animals, being dragged through different areas. Additionally, birds eat the seeds and spread the plant that way, Schuster said.

   Water is also an “important mode of dispersal as fruits can remain buoyant for seven to nine days,” according to Plant Invaders.

   Schuster said the plant likes temperatures 70 degrees and above, and grows aggressively.

    “In optimum conditions with adequate soil moisture and appropriate temperature, Mile-A-Minute will take off, and it will grow inches in a day,” he said. "It is very aggressive in that you have a bare spot in a forest or a bare spot in a landscape …  this is the type of one that will aggressively take that spot, grow up into the shrubbery, up in the trees."

    Devil’s Tail is in competition with other plants for moisture, and during dry times sucks up a lot of moisture that other plants need, Schuster said. It also forms a canopy over other plants, preventing them from getting the necessary sunlight, diminishing ability for photosynthesis.

    Many herbicides, including natural ones, will kill Devil’s Tail, Schuster said.

   "It’s an easy-to-control weed from the aspect there’s a lot of chemicals that will knock this out quickly and easily," he added. However, Plant Invaders recommends biological control.

   Schuster said in his own garden, he simply puts on a pair of gloves and pulls the weed. Gloves are important when dealing with this plant in order to avoid injury, he said, because of its unique thorn.

    “If I’m not to the point of where it’s having berries, I’ll just pull and drop it and let it decay right there on sight,” said Schuster. “It might not be the most beautiful way of doing it, but I’m trying to recycle as much as I can right on the site on which it’s found.”

   In order to prevent spreading the plant, people should check to make sure they are not carrying it when visiting forested areas or anywhere the plant might thrive. "If you see it catch onto you, you should make sure you remove it so that you’re not taking it to a new location, especially home," said Schuster.

The  "Invasive Species Spotlight" is a summer blog series focusing on a different plant each week that is a problem for Mid-Atlantic home gardeners.

About the author:
Jacqueline Hyman is a junior journalism and English major at the University of Maryland. She is the editor-in-chief of the Mitzpeh, an independent Jewish newspaper at UMD. In addition, Jacqueline enjoys musical theater, and teaches piano and voice at Guitar Center. She is excited to be interning this summer for the Washington Gardener. 

Image credit:
At top, Persicaria perfoliata (non-native) by Leslie J. Mehrhoff, wikipedia commons.
At middle, Mile-a-minute thorns by Dalgial, wikipedia commons.
At bottom, Mile-a-minute in flower/fruit Washington Gardener Magazine.

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