7 Aggressive Plants to Avoid in Your Garden

Plants to Avoid in Your Garden

What Are Invasive Plants?

Non-native invasive plant species pose an increasing threat to our natural ecosystems. Aggressive plants are plants that are introduced into an environment in which they do not develop, so there are usually no natural enemies to control their reproduction. Many of these plants have escaped the gardens and landscapes where they were first cultivated. Purchased from local nurseries, wholesale suppliers, and mail-order sources, these plants have the potential to capture large areas, affecting native plants and animals and adversely altering local ecosystems.

The negative effects of invasive species are far-reaching, costing the United States billions of dollars every year. The more we learn about invasive plants, the more we understand how difficult it is to control them. The obvious action is to avoid planting this species first. Common Problem There are many good native plant substitutes for plants. Learn to identify invasive species in your area and report any sightings to your district extension agent or local land manager. When choosing new plants for the garden, consider whether they have high seed yields or other invasive properties. If a plant poses a risk, it should be avoided.

Note on the use of herbicides containing glyphosate: Not all invasive plants need to control the same amount of herbicide. Glyphosate is 2% of the active ingredient in Ortho Clean-Up. Round lawns and gardens contain 18% and glyphosate 41% of the round concentrate. The tractor supply company sells a 50% glyphosate product called Weed and Bull Killer. The amount of glyphosate required to kill specific weeds varies depending on the type of plant, the type of plant, and the amount used at the time. Read the product label for specific recommendations.

Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum)

What it looks like This sprawling annual grass is 3 feet tall and looks like a small bamboo plant. It has 2 to 4-there and many weak stems with aerial roots near the base. The elongated leaves are white with a midrib.

This is why it is a problem, which spreads to the forest floor and creates dense carpets that expel other plants. Forests with large populations of white-tailed deer are particularly vulnerable because deer feed on native plants, but not grass.

How to control it For small people, hand pulling may be helpful, but be careful not to spread the seeds. It is also useful to cut in late summer before the plants from seeds. For larger populations, spray the plants with a systematic herbicide containing glyphosate.

Kudzu (Pueraria montana)

It looks like a 100-foot-long vortex vine with 5 to 6 inches of three-leafed leaves. Leaflets. Blooms in late summer with purple peacock flowers, followed by 2-inch-long hairy seeds. Under the right conditions, it can grow up to one foot per day and reach 100 feet in a single season.

This is why it is a problem if all the other plants and trees are crushed under a blanket of leaves, blocking sunlight and overpowering the native plants. Introduced as an innovation from Asia in the late 1800s, it has become one of America's most infamous weeds.

How to control it has been used as a successful control of goats. Young colonies can be removed by digging roots in 3 to 4 years or by re-cutting the plants during the summer heat. Repeated annual applications of glyphosate-containing herbicide applied after pruning of old root crowns or on cut stumps may be required.

Japanese hops (Humulus japonicus)

What it looks like This fast-growing annual climb or follow-up flag can grow up to 35 feet in a single season. Its 5 to 9 lobes and toothed leaves are 2 to 5 inches long and have coarse, downward hairs that irritate the skin. In summer the clusters of green flowers have fewer petals and the same seed with yellow-brown cones.

Why it is a problem is that it spreads over everything in its path and creates dense mats several feet deep, blocking light to the plants below. It replaces native plants, prevents new plants from appearing, and kills young trees.

How to control it Fish at the beginning of the season Tum back pulling (wearing gloves, long sleeves, and long pants to avoid thorn injury) is an option for minor infections. Otherwise, repeated pruning or repeated application of a regular herbicide containing glyphosate may help control it.

Purple wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei)

The dark green oval 1 to 2 appears to be behind the lush landscape. In summer the leaves and red capsules with silvery veins and obscure green-white flowers are split to expose the seeds with an orange seed coating. Comes in a variety of forms as shown here

Introduced as a decorative floor covering in 1907, this shade-lover aggressively occupies and opens up openings in the woods. Spreads over rocks and trees and on the ground

The method of controlling it is to pull or dig the vines and roots by hand in areas of mild attack. All roots and runners must be removed. Bag and dispose of all plant parts. For a severe attack, cut the stems in the fall and apply herbicide containing glyphosate to the cut stem ends.

Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea)

This perennial winter grass with blue-green stems and leaves grows to 2 to 6 feet tall, with small green-purple flowers in dense clusters that turn brown when the seeds ripen at that age. Crops (sometimes called "ribbon grass") may have green and white striped leaves.

Why this is a problem is a definite and rapid spread, more than native grasses within 5 to 6 months of the introduction of Canary Reed grass. Its cultivars and subspecies were introduced again and again from the 1800s and were cultivated or hybridized to occupy much of North America.

How to control it It is recommended to dig by hand for small stands. Also cutting the stems by hand at the time of flowering will help control it. For severe infections, it may be helpful to use a specified herbicide containing glyphosate for use in wetlands.

Crown vetch (Coronilla varia)

Seeds seem to be perennial with creeping stems up to 2 to 6 feet long and 2 feet high (dormant for more than 15 years).

Widely cultivated as maintenance-free carpet on roadsides and beaches in the 1950s to prevent erosion.

How to control it Crown vetch spreads fast and is difficult to control. The Crown Wet has many characteristics that are attractive and difficult to control. Herbicides containing glyphosate are not 100% effective. Use a herbicide containing 2% trichoblast. All stems require complete protection.

Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica, R. frangula)

It grows to a height of 20 to 25 feet and looks like a tall shrub or small tree, with many stems or stems rising from the base and a spreading crown. Gray to brown stripe with distinctive orange inner stripe.

Introduced as a hedging plant from Europe in the mid-1800s, this invasion competes with native plants for nutrients, light, and moisture and creates an impenetrable layer of vegetation, shading other plants and contributing to erosion.

How to control it Small seedlings can be pulled by hand and not sprout when the soil is wet. Larger plants can be dug up. For larger plants, about 2 inches in diameter, cover the stump and root flare with nails and cover with black plastic. Leave in place for 2 years. Or, treat the stump with a herbicide containing glyphosate.