Invasive Plants

Comment

Comment by Richard Webb on December 25, 2009 at 8:22am

I don't use vines or lianas (woody vines) very often in my landscapes because most easily spread out of bounds and get on other plants and things. Virginia Creeper is a native liana that would be better than Eng Ivy or Jasmine for a creek area probably shady. There are a number of shrubs that like running water areas that would work well in such a situation.

Comment by Kim Thomas on December 22, 2009 at 10:34pm

It has been an interesting year with the battle of the plants. It appears the English Ivy is taking down the jasmine but at least it got the saw briars too. Now I'm watching to see who wins: poison ivy or the English Ivy. If the English wins, I'm using it to stop the creek from eroding my back fence. It was an unexpected invasion. It leaped over my fence and into my side yard, taking over just about eveything.

Comment by Kim Thomas on December 14, 2009 at 8:00am

There is another invasive species to be aware of, "Johnson Grass" sometimes called Savannah grass. It was brought in from Africa during to "Dust Bowl" to keep the soil form eroding. It spreads by seeds and rhizomes. The problem is it will drain the water & nutrients from the soil in a heart beat. Many people hay it for decorate bales. DO NOT FEED to cattle, the cattle will starve to death eating it, as it has negative total digestive nutrients. A cow will spend more energy trying to break down the grass that it will get from the grass. It was the reason Roundup was invented.

Comment by Kim Thomas on December 14, 2009 at 7:48am

Getting a product to market is harder these days with the price of fuel. We have cedar trees taking over pastures here in Texas. They have been declared an Encroaching Species, and there is a market for cedar fence post in New York, but by the time the shipping cost is paid they are priced out of reach to make it with volume sales. I did make several fence post and ground the needles and limbs for mulch, but it is labor intensive.

Comment by Sheri Cline on December 13, 2009 at 6:31am

Now gentlemen your missing an opportunity here! Here in the Pacific Northwest those "Nasty bamboos" fetch about $35.00 per gallon and I've seen the "Black bamboo" go as high as $119.00 per gallon! So, figure it out, 20 feet of rhizomes can fill how many pots?

Comment by Richard Webb on December 12, 2009 at 9:13pm

Here in southeast Pennsylvania the Fishpole Bamboo (a Phyllostachys) is commonly planted and it is a monster getting about 25 ft high and sending out rhizomes about 20 ft from the mother clump. Fargesia bamboo is much smaller and stays as a clump.

Comment by Kim Thomas on December 12, 2009 at 10:39am

Another aggressive plant to aware of is bamboo, it will spread faster than you think and over take a yard. Any plant with rhizomes will mutiply faster than than one that just produces seeds. Bamboo is very beautiful plant, just be prepared to battle it to keep it in check.

Comment by Kim Thomas on December 12, 2009 at 8:38am

A good herbicide is 9 parts (10% acid vinegar, on poison ivy I use 20% acid vinegar) and 1 part orange oil to one squirt of Blue Dawn dishwashing detergeant. Apply in afternoon on a clear dry sunny day. Please do not use Roundup. It has a shelf life of 25 years and I do not want it in the water table.

Comment by Kim Thomas on December 12, 2009 at 8:29am

Lemon Balm sounds intriguing. In my neighborhood we still have coyotes, bobcats, and the occasional cougar. I see signs of wildcats and watch coyotes watch me on my daily 5K run. The kids across the street last wek, watched a bobcat in my front yard as they waited for their ride to school. The wildcat sprat is often found near a school which worries me and in the evening coyotes yip as the pack for the night in the nearby woods. When we lived in Bryan,Tx, our house had a large sliding class door which opened to a creek. Instead of watching TV, our kids would sit and watch deer graze and often there would be a fawn or raccoons at play. There were many different water fowl as the creek was almost always full. The kids would sit for a long time without making a sound.

Comment by Sheri Cline on December 11, 2009 at 7:27am

I've heard mints can be aggressive and watch out for parsley! When I have parsley it goes to an area all by it's self and is kept in a pot. I really research a plant before I put it in the ground these days. Kim, have you tried Lemon Balm? We use it here to ward off deer and it makes a wonderful beverage.

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