Florida’s Invasive Plant Management Section is the lead agency coordinating and funding two statewide programs to control invasive aquatic plants on public conservation lands, such as rivers or lakes.
These waterways can be hazardous for human welfare (because they limit flood control) and recreation: many people enjoy fishing near these areas with their family members during summertime weekends. Now those opportunities may become less frequent thanks to invasives.
The same goes if you want to go swimming; there will always come across some “invasive” species, which might affect how often families can use safe bodies-of water.
Brewer International is dedicated to protecting native plants in our state’s lakes, ponds and rivers. The department ensures that all programs are responsibly conducted while funding research for more cost-effective management techniques.
Methods of Controlling Invasive Plants
The three broad categories of most invasive plant control are mechanical, chemical and biological. These methods can be used individually or in combination to remove these pesky plants from your garden safely.
Biological Control Methods
The use of biological controls is an often overlooked but effective way to control pests. This technique can be used more efficiently than other methods with minimal impact on non-target species and the environment overall, Using plants or insects from within a targeted species’ home range.
Mechanical Control Methods
Mechanical treatments are the first line of defence for invasive plant removal. They do not require any special licensing or permits, and only minor site disturbance can be handled with proper techniques, which makes them an excellent option for many projects. Mechanical removals have one major drawback: they’re highly labour-intensive, so you’ll need plenty of hand help if your project requires this type of approach.
Pulling and Digging
If you’re noticing an infestation of pesky weeds in your garden, it might be time for some spring cleaning. To get rid of these nuisances once and for all (and prevent them from coming back), remove any root-bound plants with a digging fork or hand tool like gloves; don’t cut off pieces because this can lead to just enough new growth that will continue spreading around without end.
If you want to get rid of large woody stems (up until about three inches in diameter), use the Weed Wrench™ or Root Jack. These tools are available from several manufacturers and can be used when soil is moist during spring/early summertime, so it will make your job easier.
Suffocation
The infestation of weeds can be an eyesore and a considerable problem. I have found that suffocating tiny seedlings with thick layers of UV-stabilized plastic sheeting works to eliminate the unwanted plants without harming desirable ones in your garden or flower bed, making this technique ideal for use by invaders like nutsedge! To keep them from coming back after you remove their covering – which should happen only once– sow annual rye instead so it will grow tall enough before autumn comes around again as fall rolls over winter’s end.
Cutting or Mowing
If you want to be rid of this pesky weed, we recommend cutting it at ground level and removing all resulting debris from the site. You will need frequent visits for five years or so – keep in mind that these plants are complex.
In most cases, this treatment will make the infestation worse at first. However, it would help if you remained committed to it as long roots are being cut back and source reserves depleted over time. They are eventually causing death by exhaustion once these become too difficult or impossible with no new energy from outside sources like leaves falling off trees, etc. If anything goes wrong here, there could be problems worsening.
Chemical Control Methods
Herbicides are among the most effective and resource-efficient tools for treating invasive species. Glyphosate is non-selective, meaning it will kill everything in contact with its active ingredient. However, triclopyr is more precise as only monocots (grasses), orchids, lilies etc., were injured by this herbicide which allows you greater control over your garden without hurting any other plants around.
Cultural Control Methods
The control methods for cultural invasives include several measures to change human behavior to address the issue of spreading these species. Some examples include prevention through education, such as providing signs and other means to inform people about practices you should take when visiting an invaded area—cleaning your shoes after leaving them behind so no dirt or seeds sneaking in while walking around outside cleanly.
Integrated Pest Management
When chemicals aren’t enough, the DC CWMA practices integrated pest management. Chemical herbicides used to be seen as a way of controlling invasive plants. Still, after seeing what they did to our environment, we realized that killing everything with one shot isn’t always ideal. Hence, now there is also an emphasis on using other techniques such as cultural and biological controls, which can often work better than simply throwing out any idea about “control.”
Control Invasive Plants Using Herbicides
Herbicides are a valuable tool in the arsenal against invasives. Aquatic herbicide, like 90-10 surfactant, application is one of the most frequently used means for controlling these invasive plants in Florida due to its effectiveness and ease of use. Compared with other alternatives like manual removal or laborious spot spraying rates, they can take hours per day on large areas at once. Still, there’s more than just convenience going down here! Mass distribution has many benefits, including rapid kill (so you don’t have any pesky little weeds popping up where they’re not wanted) as well as easy disposal through pouring away excess solution into your lawn drain pipe.
At Alta Pest Control, we are passionate about what we do. Learn more about us and our dedication to pest management. Visit altapestcontrol.com/about to discover our story and values.