[MAIPC] Italian Arum

Mon Mar 1 18:51:25 PST 2021

We usually have some, but not enough, volunteers. So spray the mono-cultures .

From: MAIPC <maipc-bounces at lists.maipc.org> On Behalf Of Nathan Hartshorne
Sent: Monday, March 01, 2021 5:01 PM
To: Randall, Johnny <jrandall at email.unc.edu>
Cc: MAIPC Listserve <MAIPC at lists.maipc.org>
Subject: Re: [MAIPC] Italian Arum

I have no experience spraying either of these, but I have found for some troublesome invasives, spraying earlier in the spring gives them a bad year in growth and reproduction, so when you go spray in the fall, it's easier and more effective. Obviously if you have the volunteers and time, do the digging, but if you're just solo and have a large area, I would recommend two sprays.  The early spring spray is also often good since invasives often leaf out early and you're less likely to bother a native.

On Mon, Mar 1, 2021 at 4:52 PM Randall, Johnny <jrandall at email.unc.edu <mailto:jrandall at email.unc.edu> > wrote:

Mark – thank you for pointing this out! Most all of the places we have dug Ficaria are in the alluvial benches of streams (where there is no soil stratification). Although not generally a ‘nozzle-head,’ chemical control seems to be, by far, the best way to control Ficaria. BUT – since chemical control is not particularly effective on Arum – digging is probably necessary (in stratified soil zones). Can you help with this dilemma? 

Johnny  

From: MAIPC <maipc-bounces at lists.maipc.org <mailto:maipc-bounces at lists.maipc.org> > On Behalf Of Mark Frey
Sent: Monday, March 1, 2021 4:08 PM
To: Randall, Johnny <jrandall at email.unc.edu <mailto:jrandall at email.unc.edu> >
Cc: MAIPC Listserve <MAIPC at lists.maipc.org <mailto:MAIPC at lists.maipc.org> >
Subject: Re: [MAIPC] Italian Arum

Just a caution for the soil sieving method. In areas subject to erosion (floodplains and slopes in particular) the major soil disturbance can result in significant erosion. And, soil disturbance disrupts the soil structure, alters water infiltration, and brings deeply-buried seeds to the soil surface. In soils with stratification (such as forest and grassland soils) it has been my observation that soil inversion or major soil disturbance creates a long-term negative impact to the native flora. I have seen the methods you are suggesting work in young sand dunes where the soil particles experience regular mixing and there is no obvious stratification. These considerations do, of course, need to be weighed against the impacts of the invasive plants themselves and the alternate treatment methods. Ficarai in particular can create bare ground subject to erosion in the summer and the exclusion of ephemerals in the spring. As Johnny recommends, herbicide provide a proven method with no soil disturbance.

Mark

On Mon, Mar 1, 2021 at 3:42 PM Randall, Johnny <jrandall at email.unc.edu <mailto:jrandall at email.unc.edu> > wrote:

Judy: Hardware screen mesh is as small as 1/32-in to 0.5-in. For Ficaria, I am planning to first use a ½-in screen to reduce the volume of soil (and catch some tubers), but then use a ¼-in screen on what gets through. (This is really only practical in areas that have only a handful of plants, and is particularly useful when using volunteers who are not equipped or comfortable using herbicide.) 

Here’s a how-to-dig Ficaria video we put together last year, which is useful. BUT – my preferred technique is 2% aquatic-approved glyphosate. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecm9jRHnbzU <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecm9jRHnbzU&feature=youtu.be> &feature=youtu.be

Johnny

From: Judy Fulton <jfulton5 at gmail.com <mailto:jfulton5 at gmail.com> > 
Sent: Monday, March 1, 2021 1:45 PM
To: Jil Swearingen <jilswearingen at gmail.com <mailto:jilswearingen at gmail.com> >; Randall, Johnny <jrandall at email.unc.edu <mailto:jrandall at email.unc.edu> >
Cc: MAIPC Listserve <MAIPC at lists.maipc.org <mailto:MAIPC at lists.maipc.org> >; Ruth Douglas <cvilleruth at gmail.com <mailto:cvilleruth at gmail.com> >
Subject: Re: [MAIPC] Italian Arum

Johnny,

I agree with Jil that the screen frame is a great idea. What size mesh do you recommend for Ficaria verna and what size for Arum italicum? You should go into business -- I would definitely buy one of each from you.

BTW, I was just trying to convince a neighbor on Saturday to get rid of the A. italicum she'd planted on her property, but she didn't want to hear what I was saying. She said it was filling a bare slope that was eroding. And, she's even helped with a native plant symposium for ~30 years, and noted that it was spreading to another person's yard. In addition, I had just warned another neighbor in February about the Italian arum that his landscaper had planted for him in 2020. I'm wondering whether this difficult-to-eradicate invasive is becoming increasingly popular.

Judy

____________________________________________

Judith P. Fulton
EcoPlant Consulting: Native and Invasive Plants
Master Gardener, University of Maryland Extension
Chair, Maryland Invasive Species Council's Committee on Invasives Lists
Board, Mid-Atlantic Invasive Plant Council
Voice: 410-337-3701, Text only: 410-404-8201

On 3/1/2021 9:31 AM, Jil Swearingen wrote:

Johnny,

That's a great idea! Tell us more about the size of the mesh screen you've found to work best for filtering out the tubers.

Jil

On Mon, Mar 1, 2021 at 8:53 AM Randall, Johnny <jrandall at email.unc.edu <mailto:jrandall at email.unc.edu> > wrote:

Ruth: Jil is unfortunately correct! We haven’t found a herbicide treatment that works very well. 

I recommend building a screening frame with the proper hardware cloth dimension for trapping tubers, but allowing soil to sift through. (I’m building some of these now for Ficaria verna diggings….) The only thing you’re putting in the trash is vegetation and not heavy soil.  

Johnny  

From: MAIPC <maipc-bounces at lists.maipc.org <mailto:maipc-bounces at lists.maipc.org> > On Behalf Of Jil Swearingen
Sent: Monday, March 1, 2021 8:43 AM
To: Ruth Douglas <cvilleruth at gmail.com <mailto:cvilleruth at gmail.com> >
Cc: MAIPC Listserve <MAIPC at lists.maipc.org <mailto:MAIPC at lists.maipc.org> >
Subject: Re: [MAIPC] Italian Arum

Ruth,

That plant is a monster. Italian arum is or was at the national arboretum (that's where I first got to know it about a decade ago). It's very hard to get rid of. It's best to dig plants up - you have to get ALL the underground tubers and bag and dispose of the material in a landfill. You could leave it in the bags for a while to let it rot before disposal. It would be best to remove most of the soil in the area where the plants are, if that's a possibility. That would help ensure removal of all tubers.

Here's a good fact sheet from the State of Washington.

https://www.nwcb.wa.gov/weeds/italian-arum

Thanks,

Jil

On Mon, Mar 1, 2021 at 8:33 AM Ruth Douglas <cvilleruth at gmail.com <mailto:cvilleruth at gmail.com> > wrote:

Help! A well-meaning person or persons planted Italian arum (Arum italicum) an unknown number of years ago at my church, and it's been spreading. I've seen the Maryland info on this plant (http://mdinvasives.org/iotm/nov-2015/) and  it's discouraging about how to get rid of it. 

However, no mention is made of tarping or laying black plastic on areas where it is spreading. Has anyone tried this, and if so, with what success? I know its underground structures can be fairly deep, but does that preclude use of this technique?

Any advice is welcome.

Thanks.

Ruth Douglas

Charlottesville, VA

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