University of Vermont Extension
Department of Plant and Soil Science
Summer News
Article
THINK
BEFORE YOU PITCH
Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension
Professor
University of Vermont
Although
this statement "Think Before you Pitch" applies to littering, it
also
applies to gardening. How?
Once
some formerly desirable perennials start spreading in your garden,
killing out
other plants and taking over, they become "weeds." This term is
relative to individual desires
of a gardener, and growing conditions and climate. A plant that may
be aggressive in one area or
one person’s yard, may not be in another.
Then
there is the term “invasive” seen much in recent years. This is
often tied to whether a plant is
native or not (this term often gets muddled and variously defined),
but more
importantly reflects its behavior. The
problem is that invasive plants disrupt natural habitats and
displace native
species. Often such native species are
food sources for wildlife.
Most
states have lists of invasive plants, or ones that may potentially
be so, with
a Vermont list and lots of information from the Vermont Invasive
Exotic Plant
Committee (www.vtinvasiveplants.org). This
committee estimates that about one-third of the plant species found
in the
state are non-native. Of these only
about 8 percent have the potential to disrupt natural habitats.
Many non-natives are either beneficial and
economically important (such as the state flower, the red clover),
or have no
impact (such as the mullein and Queen Anne’s Lace wildflowers).
There
is similar good information from the New England Invasive Plant
Center (www.invasivecenter.uconn.edu)
. For a federal listing of plants and
photos, visit the Natural Resources Conservation Service Plants
Database
(plants.usda.gov). Such state, regional
and federal lists are good places to visit even before buying
plants, but
especially before pitching them from your garden where they may
escape into
natural areas.
Watch plant and catalog descriptions too when
buying, and use caution with plants described as “aggressive” or
“spreading”. Watch the cultivars
(cultivated varieties), as some of a species may be spreaders or
seeders and others
not.
In
either our general weeding when these invasives get thrown in with
the other
garden debris, or in our rage to get them out, we don't think where
we end up
dumping or pitching them. Often this is in a nearby field or woods
where the
invasive roots and seeds may become established. Invasive
perennials can then take over those
natural areas, killing out established and desirable plants there.
This is
especially true if we dump the debris near waterways, which carry
the root
pieces and seeds into wetlands.
So
how do you control these invasive exotic garden plants, and get rid
of them?
Begin by learning which species may be invasive and don't buy them
in the first
place. If you already have them in the garden, don't merely pitch
them into
natural areas with other garden leaves, clippings or debris.
Composting may not
kill the seeds and roots, and these invasives may even take root in
a compost
pile! Burning may be the best option, but check your local community
for
burning ordinances. Bagging and carting
to your local waste or recycle center is often recommended for such
“thugs” in
your garden. Contact or systemic
herbicides may also be applied to them if desired, but be sure and
follow all
label directions when using such chemicals. And it may take more
than one
application.
Other
means to prevent invasive plants from entering wetlands include
never releasing
aquarium plants
into natural waterways. Inspect ornamental aquatic plants, such as
waterlilies,
that you order through the mail. This is especially true if the
plants come
from the southeastern U.S. states. If you have a boat or canoe, make
sure you
clean any plant material off before entering waterways. If traveling
abroad,
make sure and follow all regulations on importing seeds and plants.
And
minimize disturbing land or exposing bare soil-- practices which
invasive
plants often take advantage of.
So
once you have invasive plants, think before you pitch. And before
buying
plants, get armed with information on which may become invasive.
Your local
full-service garden store should be able to help you with this, and
with
suitable alternatives.
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Perry's Perennial
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