[MAIPC] Stiltgrass control

[Todd Hagenbuch]

Marc:

Maybe an addition of a pre-emergent herbicide with your Roundup would help to control any of the seed bank that is problematic.  Likely, one application in your high infestation areas would do it for the season.  Some option may include Oust XP or Pendulum or Prodiamine.  Art Gover at Penn State has done a tremendous amount of work with Stiltgrass, maybe he could share some of his success and failures on his trials in many State Parks throughout Pennsylvania.

Thanks,


Todd Hagenbuch
Vegetation Management Specialist
Arborchem Products
16 N. Birch Lane
Drums, PA 18222
570-401-7098
thagenbuch at arborchem.com<mailto:thagenbuch at arborchem.com>
www.arborchem.com<http://www.arborchem.com/>



From: maipc-bounces at lists.maipc.org [mailto:maipc-bounces at lists.maipc.org] On Behalf Of Marc Imlay
Sent: Wednesday, September 04, 2013 8:00 AM
To: MD-CONS-INVASIVES at LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG; INVASIVES at LISTSERV.UMD.EDU; maipc at lists.maipc.org; 'Maryland Chapter Outings Committee'
Subject: [MAIPC] Stiltgrass control

How is Japanese Stiltgrass control going on in your park?

This year I have had the ability to only remove all the Japanese Stiltgrass over 150 acres at the 200 acre Ruth B. Swann Park in Charles county, MD. We have removed all the stiltgrass every year since 2004. It should be gone since the seed bank is supposed to be only 5 years. When I removed all the stiltgrass in the 200 acre Swann Park in the last decade stiltgrass was gone by the 5th year and almost gone by the 4th year.


So what has changed? Climate change is one answer. For the past few years in an open area at Swann Park I would remove all the stilt gras and beefsteak plant in July and come back in late August to remove late emergents. The amount of work in August was only 10% of the amount of work in July. Now it is an equal amount. In fact, I had to remove beefsteak plant 3 times to be sure I got late emergents.

Other explanations include deer movement and movement of stiltgrass down streams. 90 % of the massive new populations that have sudenly apppeared at Swann Park are not near streams and not where people use the park. Deer may be more effective in bringing in stiltgrass since the areas contiguous with Swann Park are now covered with stiltgrass so it is easier to come in. So stiltgrass is probably moving in by deer and water from abundant sources from outside of the park.

In conclusion, we have three choices. We can apply for a large crew to join us to control stiltgrass.

Or we can give up.

For a third choice please look for stiltgrass dying from leaf blight. My major concern about waiting for the leaf blight bio-control to become available years from now is stiltgrass moving in to the massive pristine areas of the 200 acre park.  I found one such patch, about 10' x 20' in early September last year in the middle of Swann Park. I left the contiguous stiltgrass untreated slightly down the hill for about 20' and will check it out next week. If you find such a patch there are researchers that may be interested in looking at the patch.


Marc Imlay, PhD
Chair of the Biodiversity and Habitat Stewardship Committee for the Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club.










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