{"id":374,"date":"2020-05-01T15:41:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-01T19:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/?p=374"},"modified":"2022-12-28T15:53:02","modified_gmt":"2022-12-28T20:53:02","slug":"evict-invasive-plants-from-your-yard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/evict-invasive-plants-from-your-yard\/","title":{"rendered":"Evict Invasive Plants from Your Yard<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Heather N. Kolich, ARN Agent, UGA Extension Forsyth County <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When my family moved to a new home over the winter, we started getting to know our yard by hand-weeding the lawn and beds. \u00a0Finding three particular non-native invasive plants in the \u201cnaturalized\u201d backyard, however, pushed my integrated pest management strategy to a different level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I already knew I would have to wrangle with two problematic species. Privet (Ligustrum sinense<\/em>) and nandina (Nandina domestica<\/em>) stay green in the winter while other plants are dormant and leafless. I didn\u2019t notice the third invasive plant until the weather warmed a bit and sent it snaking along the ground. Identifying this plant took some time and effort because it\u2019s dimorphous; the leaf has a different shape during rapid growth. In this case, most leaves looked like perfect, miniature oak leaves growing opposite each other on a red vine. After a lengthy search, I identified the plant as Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica<\/em>), which we usually see with oblong leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"invasive
Invasive Japanese honeysuckle leaves may look like oak leaves on a vine during rapid growth. Photo by H.N. Kolich<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Several factors make invasive plants problematic: They grow in both sun and shade; they reproduce from both roots and seeds; they spread rapidly; and they destroy the natural biodiversity of southeastern U.S. forests by displacing native plants. Japanese honeysuckle occurs more commonly than other non-native invasive plants, but non-native privet has taken over 644,317 acres of Georgia forest lands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Controlling invasive plants is a lengthy process that begins with identification. To achieve success, we need to know the lifecycle of the plant and understand how it spreads. Because privet and nandina spread by root suckers, simply cutting down the plants doesn\u2019t eliminate them. Eradication requires a combination of mechanical removal, timely application of appropriate herbicides, and persistence through multiple seasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"privet
Non-native privet has earned top billing on the Georgia Forestry Commission\u2019s \u201cDirty Dozen List\u201d of non-native invasive plants for several years. Photo by H.N. Kolich.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To ensure the safety of other plants and the nearby creek, I\u2019ll use a very targeted approach to each of these invasive plants. One component of my integrated pest management strategy involves pruning flowers and berries off the invasive plants to prevent seed distribution. In a second component, I\u2019ll cut the stem or trunk of the plant close to the ground and immediately paint the stump with a 20% solution of glyphosate. This application method eliminates the possibility of herbicide spray drifting to non-target plants. When glyphosate is applied to the stump immediately after making the cut, the plant pulls it down into the root system, where glyphosate works to kill roots. The dead roots won\u2019t be able to push up suckers, but surviving root sections still can. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The third component of my invasive plant eradication plan is vigilance and persistence. If I consistently apply this plan, I expect to see progress this year and eradication in three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Nandina
Removing berries from invasive plants like nandina prevents birds from spreading seeds. Photo by H.N. Kolich.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you have a weed problem you want to tackle this spring, contact your county Extension office for assistance with weed identification and developing a comprehensive weed pest management plan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Several factors make invasive plants problematic: They grow in both sun and shade; they reproduce from both roots and seeds; they spread rapidly; and they destroy the natural biodiversity of southeastern U.S. forests by displacing native plants. Japanese honeysuckle occurs more commonly than other non-native invasive plants, but non-native privet has taken over 644,317 acres of Georgia forest lands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":192,"featured_media":368,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[56],"class_list":["post-374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anr","tag-invasive-species"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/192"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=374"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":376,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374\/revisions\/376"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}