[MAIPC] Garlic mustard disposal

Sun Apr 18 00:17:08 PDT 2021

My husband and I have been pulling garlic mustard and throwing it on a heavily trodden path or putting it in tree notches in a heavily infested area between Lock 5 and the Little Falls Dam for about 12 years. We do not get all of it every year, but at this point all of it has been pulled at least once. 

As a result we barely see any GM now and instead see a blanket of ever expanding Packera aurea (golden rag wort), meadow rue, wide-leafed leeks, trillium, thousands of trout lilies, Joe Pye, Virginia bluebells, spring beauties, Dutchman’s britches, squirrel corn, Jacob’s ladder, Jack in the pulpit, Zizia aurea, bottle brush grass, Christmas ferns, etc., etc., etc. These must have all been in the seed bank, but were surprised by GM’s allelopathic properties. 

Come see it to believe it! 

Kathy Daniel 

> On Apr 17, 2021, at 4:45 PM, Mark Frey <runcator at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Rick
> 
> Bernd has been carefully monitoring this species for decades and his observations are very interesting and relevant. I think his conclusion that all garlic mustard efforts are a waste of time goes farther than it should. If an area is 100% invaded then it is likely not worth pulling. However, at the leading edge where the garlic mustard has invaded one area but not the adjacent area I think it is still valuable to pull. I believe pulling in that situation protects the non-invaded area. Similarly, where the infestation is new and the garlic mustard is at a very low density I still think it is worth pulling. It may be that I am wrong and Bernd is 100% right but I'm not quite convinced yet. Lastly, I agree that the threats to our forests are far more than just this one species. But, it is hard to engage volunteers in bow hunts!
> 
> Mark
> 
> Mark
> 
>> On Sat, Apr 17, 2021 at 8:52 AM Richard Johnstone <ivmpartners at gmail.com> wrote:
>> t according to Dr. Berndt Blossey, a Cornell University conservation biologist who specializes in invasive plants, pulling up large swaths of garlic mustard is not only futile, it is worse than leaving it alone. It’s worth echoing: When well-intentioned people rip out this stuff, it actually prolongs the infestation period because the plant is self-limiting (more on that below) if undisturbed.  Also, these mass garlic mustard-ectomy events do more damage to the ecosystem than the target species itself does. 
>> Watch Professor Blossey’s February 26, 2021 talk When Doing Nothing is the Best Invasive Plant Management Tool.
>> Rick 
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>>> On Apr 17, 2021, at 7:19 AM, Kathleen Michels <michelskm2016 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> 
>>> 
>>> I agree with Marc. I pull the first years every chance I get - then this issue of what to do with the second years that flower and seed  never arises!   
>>> 
>>>> On Fri, Apr 16, 2021, 9:07 AM Marc Imlay <ialm at erols.com> wrote:
>>>> Only pull the second year plants that will bloom that year. The young first year seedlings can wait for next year. 
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> I actually remove first year seedlings in the Fall as I come across them while removing fall invasives. This does reduce my work load next year. Marc
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> From: MAIPC <maipc-bounces at lists.maipc.org> On Behalf Of Risa Marmontello
>>>> Sent: Friday, April 16, 2021 8:56 AM
>>>> To: Mark Frey <runcator at gmail.com>
>>>> Cc: MAIPC Listserve <MAIPC at lists.maipc.org>
>>>> Subject: Re: [MAIPC] Garlic mustard disposal
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> I have had hands on experience with garlic mustard removal for over 20 years.  
>>>> 
>>>> These are my recommendations .  
>>>> 
>>>> 1. Get the plants when they are small.
>>>> 
>>>> 2. Only pull the second year plants that will bloom that year. The young first year seedlings can wait for next year. 
>>>> 
>>>> 3. Pull the entire plant out. Taking only tops off or weed whacking the blooms will only produce more sprouts and the plants will be harder to pull out. 
>>>> 
>>>> 4. Do not let plants lay in the park or on the trail.  
>>>> 
>>>> 5. Prioritize removal of garlic mustard that grows along the trails to minimize the spread  of seed to other areas. If you weed whack the edges of your trail, make sure The garlic mustard is pulled out first. 
>>>> 
>>>> 6. We have created a dumping pit in an old foundation where we dump the bags every year.  Nothing spread from there.  You can also leave in the bags until later in the year or next season and the plants will die inside the bag... much less bulk that fresh plants. 
>>>> 
>>>> Good luck!!! 
>>>> 
>>>> Everyone.
>>>> 
>>>> Risa Marmontello
>>>> 
>>>> Monocacy Hill Comservation Assn
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> On Apr 16, 2021, at 4:26 AM, Mark Frey <runcator at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> I am not a big fan of the practice of leaving on the trail because if seeds form then the trail users move the seeds around.
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> On Fri, Apr 16, 2021, 1:43 AM Jil Swearingen <jilswearingen at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> I agree with the other's and suggest also that if you pull the entire plant and pile it up, whether it has viable seeds or not, piling it up concentrates the plants in one spot where it can be tended to on future visits. I often pull GM plants and lay them in a nearby well traveled path because they will be trodden upon even if they do germinate. This has been very successful. 
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> Jil
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> On Thu, Apr 15, 2021 at 6:47 PM Tim Maywalt <temaywalt at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Carry hand pruners, hand pull and cut the stem below the seed heads. Leave cut portion on forest floor - only bag seed heads. You can carry a lot this way before it gets heavy.
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> Discard bagged seed heads as garbage.
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> On Thu, Apr 15, 2021 at 3:03 PM Mike Van Clef <mike.vanclef at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Similar idea avoiding trash bags is to remove the seed/flower heads from the pulled plant to assure that immature seeds cannot ripen.  Usually only in shady or damp conditions, nearly ripe seeds can ripen from a pulled plant. If too far along, then just bag the seed heads.
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> -Mike
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Michael Van Clef, Ph.D.
>>>> 
>>>> Stewardship Director, Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space
>>>> 
>>>> Program Director, New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team
>>>> 
>>>> Principal, Ecological Solutions, LLC
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> Office: 609-730-1560
>>>> 
>>>> Mobile: 908-528-6674
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> On Thu, Apr 15, 2021 at 1:27 PM Stephen Hiltner <stevehiltner at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> One idea, in order to avoid lots of bulky heavy bags of garlic mustard that must be hauled away and tossed in the trash, is to have all volunteers make one big pile of the pulled plants, preferably in a spot where the seeds won't be washed into new locations. That way, if any seeds do mature, they will be concentrated in one location, which will make subsequent workdays easier. Not ideal, but better than generating loads of trash.
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> On Thu, Apr 15, 2021 at 12:31 PM Marc Imlay <ialm at erols.com> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Over a decade ago it was found that garlic mustard is one of the few invasive plants that will regrow if left in a pile.
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> Marc
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> From: MAIPC <maipc-bounces at lists.maipc.org> On Behalf Of Kenny, Colleen
>>>> Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2021 11:44 AM
>>>> To: MAIPC at lists.maipc.org
>>>> Subject: [MAIPC] Garlic mustard disposal
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> Hello everyone,
>>>> 
>>>> Does anyone have experience pulling garlic mustard and piling it on site? I am having a large volunteer event to pull it, and am limited in how much we can cart out. I'm hoping if we pile it up it will decompose and not reroot or spread. Has anyone had a positive or negative experience if not bagging and removing?
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> Thanks!
>>>> 
>>>> Colleen
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> Colleen Kenny
>>>> 
>>>> Natural Resource Manager
>>>> 
>>>> Upper Dublin Township Parks and Recreation Department
>>>> 
>>>> 267-615-3731
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
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>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
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