Invasive Plant Species
Providing Everything You Need
-
Reduced labor costs: Drones can be used to spray Invasive Plant Species in areas that are difficult or dangerous to access.
-
Improved monitoring: Drones can be used to monitor the progress of phragmites control efforts.
-
Increased accuracy: Drones can be used to apply herbicides more accurately, which can help to improve the effectiveness of control efforts.
Phragmites
Phragmites, or common reed, is a tall, invasive perennial grass found in wetlands that spreads aggressively through seeds and underground roots, or rhizomes. It forms dense stands that displace native plants, reduce biodiversity, and alter wetland ecosystems by choking waterways and decreasing flood retention. Its scientific name is Phragmites australis, though a native subspecies exists.
Description and habitat
-
Habitat:
Found in a wide range of wet areas, including marshes, ditches, stream banks, and lake edges.
-
Origin:
The invasive P. australis subspecies is native to Europe and Asia and was introduced to North America, likely through ship ballast, in the 19th century.
-
Appearance:
A tall, coarse grass that can reach 6 to 15 feet high, with feathery plumes that appear in summer and die back to form standing, dead stems through the winter. The invasive non-native subspecies is typically dark green with a rough stem texture, while the native is lighter green with a smooth stem.
Reproduction and spread
-
Seeds: Seeds are produced by late summer and spread by wind and water.
-
Rhizomes: It spreads rapidly through a dense network of underground stems called rhizomes, which can extend many feet horizontally and several feet deep in a single season.
-
Impact: This extensive root system allows it to regrow quickly, making it difficult to control. It also forms a complete monoculture, crowding out native vegetation.
Ecological impact
-
It outcompetes and displaces native wetland plants, which reduces the diversity of plant and wildlife species.
-
Dense stands can choke waterways, reduce water flow, trap sediments, and decrease a wetland's flood retention capabilities.
-
It offers little value as a food source for many animals compared to native plants, though some animals may use it for cover or nesting.
Control
-
Mechanical methods:
Cutting can be effective when done repeatedly, particularly when combined with other methods, but is labor-intensive. It is most effective when the cut material is removed from the site.
-
Herbicide application:
Foliar-applied herbicides are often the most effective control, especially when combined with mechanical methods. The herbicides should be applied during the active growing season.
Bur-Cucumber
Bur cucumber is an invasive, vine-like weed native to the eastern United States that is common in Ohio, growing in disturbed areas like fields, roadsides, and riverbanks. It is a member of the gourd family with prickly, bur-like fruits, five-lobed leaves, and is often a nuisance because it can overtake other plants and reduce crop yields.
Identification
-
Description: A climbing vine that can grow up to 20+ feet.
-
Leaves: Palmately lobed, with five pointed lobes.
-
Flowers: White with green striations.
-
Fruits: Clusters of prickly, bur-like fruits that are initially green and turn brown. Each bur contains a single, flattened seed.
Where it grows
-
Banks of streams and rivers
-
Bottomland forests
-
Farmyards
-
Along railroads and roadsides
-
Disturbed areas
-
In fields, where it can be a troublesome weed
Problems it causes
-
Aggressive growth: It can smother other plants, including trees and crops like corn, by wrapping around them.
-
Reduced yields: It can significantly lower crop yields.
-
Difficulty managing: Its ability to spread over a large area and climb makes it hard to control, especially with spray applications.
-
Not edible: The fruits are not edible and can cause a burning reaction in some people.
Management in Ohio
-
Early control is key: Manage it early in the season to prevent it from spreading.
-
Mechanical methods: Physically pull or cut the vines.
-
Chemical methods: Herbicides can be effective, especially when combined with other methods. Products containing chlorimuron or metribuzin can provide good suppression.
-
Cultural methods: Consider planting competitive crops, managing soil fertility, and cleaning equipment to avoid spreading the plant.
Poison Hemlock
FAMILY: Carrot (Apiaceae)
FLOWERING PERIOD: (Late April) May to June (early July)
FRUITING PERIOD: June to September
DESCRIPTION: Biennial herb growing 4-8+ feet tall. Stems smooth, glaucous (bluish), often purple-spotted. Leaves basal and alternate, finely cut, fern-like emit unpleasant odor when crushed. Flowers tiny, white, 5-petaled, numerous (20+) forming rounded umbels at end of branches. Fruit a small egg-shaped pod with wavy ribs. All parts of the plant are deadly poisonous! Easily distinguished from other carrot family members by its fern-like dissected leaves and smooth, purple-spotted stem.
DISTRIBUTION: Likely occurs in every county. Most common in central and western Ohio.
HABITAT: Sunny (partial shade), open, and often disturbed habitats such as old fields, abandoned pastures, roadsides, fencerows, ditches, and waste areas; also stream terraces, floodplains, meadows.
NOTES: Poison hemlock was first reported in Ohio in 1860 as an escape from plantings. This highly invasive species is very difficult to eradicate once it establishes at a site. Easiest to control with herbicide before it starts to send up its flowering stem.