Match
your weed issues to the ecosystem triggering event. Then look for holistic permanent
solutions to prevent their return. *Native
Species
|
Species |
Soil
Disturbance |
Clay Soils |
Clonal
Species |
Nitrogen
Enrichnment |
Livestock
Grazing |
Early
Succession |
Road Salt |
Allelopathy |
|
Bittersweet,
Oriental |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
Forest gaps |
X |
X |
|
Black
Locust |
X |
|
|
X |
X |
|
X |
X |
|
Bluegrass |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
|
Boxelder* |
X |
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
Brome
Grass, Hungarian(Smooth) |
X |
|
X |
X |
X |
X |
Moderate |
|
|
Buckthorns,
Common & Glossy |
X |
X |
|
X |
X |
|
X |
X |
|
Burdock |
X |
|
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
Cattails* |
X |
|
|
X |
|
|
X |
|
|
Celandine,
European |
X |
X |
|
|
X |
|
|
X |
|
Clover,
Red & White |
X |
X |
|
X |
X |
|
|
|
|
Creeping
Bellflower |
X |
|
X |
X |
X |
|
|
|
|
Creeping
Charley |
X |
|
X |
X |
|
X |
|
|
|
Crown
Vetch |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
Curly
Pondweed |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
X |
|
|
Curled
Dock/Sheep Sorrel |
X |
|
|
X |
X |
X |
|
|
|
Dame’s
Rocket |
X |
|
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
Dandelion |
X |
X |
|
|
X |
|
|
|
|
Eurasian
Water Milfoil |
X |
|
X |
X |
|
|
X |
|
|
Fescue |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
|
X |
|
|
Foxtail |
X |
|
X |
X |
|
X |
|
|
|
Garlic
Mustard |
X |
|
|
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
Gray
Dogwood* |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
|
X |
|
|
Hawkweeds |
X |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
X |
|
Honeysuckles,
Bush or Japanese |
X |
X |
stems |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
Leafy
Spurge |
|
|
X |
|
X |
|
|
X |
|
Lily-of-the-Valley |
X |
|
X |
|
X |
|
|
|
|
Mulberry,
White & Hybrids |
X |
X |
|
|
|
X |
X |
X |
|
Mullein |
X |
|
|
|
X |
X |
|
|
|
Multiflora
Rose |
X |
X |
Stems |
|
X |
|
|
|
|
Olives,
Russian/Autumn |
X |
|
|
X |
|
|
X |
|
|
Parsnip,
Cow (Wild) |
X |
X |
|
|
X |
|
Moderate |
Moderate |
|
Phragmites
(Common Reed) |
X |
|
X |
|
|
|
X |
X |
|
Prickly
Lettuce |
X |
X |
|
X |
|
X |
|
|
|
Purple
Loosetrife |
X |
X |
|
X |
X |
|
X |
A Little |
|
Quack
Grass |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
|
|
Queen
Anne’s Lace |
X |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
Ragweeds,
Common & Giant* |
X |
X |
|
X |
X |
X |
|
|
|
Reed
Canary Grass |
|
|
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
|
Siberian
Elm |
X |
|
|
|
|
X |
X |
|
|
Stinging
Nettle |
X |
|
|
X |
X |
|
|
|
|
Sumacs,
Smooth & Staghorn |
X |
|
X |
|
|
X |
X |
|
|
Sweet
Clovers (Yellow & White) |
X |
X |
|
X |
|
|
Moderate |
X |
|
Teasel |
X |
X |
|
|
X |
|
|
|
|
Thistles,
Bull, Canada, Nodding/Musk |
X
X |
X
X |
Canada |
X
X |
X
X |
X
X |
|
X
X |
|
Timothy |
X |
X |
|
X |
|
X |
|
|
|
Tree-of-Heaven |
X |
|
X |
|
|
X |
X |
X |
|
Watercress |
|
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
White
Poplar |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
|
X |
? |
Solutions: If your weed problems all basically follow a pattern on this chart you can make a management plan to neutralize those weed producing
conditions.
1. Soil Disturbance: Annual & Biennial weeds & many non-natives
need soil disturbance to thrive Prevent future disturbance. Enrich soil with
organic matter. Add topsoil. Burn the site. Allow all leaf litter and dead
plants to return their nutrients
to the soil.
2. Clay Soils: This is a problem of construction, soil erosion, and
any excavation. Prevent further disturbances. Allow leaves & dead stems to
return organic matter to the soil. Add soil and/or mulch to increase
organic matter.
3. Clonal Growth: You will need to follow specific herbicide
instructions to remove them since
they spread by the root. Some
of the worst weeds!
4. Nitrogen Enrichment:
Some weeds enrich the soil with nutrients and select against native
species. Limit fertilizer
use. Restrict runoff with settling basins. Burn the site to
remove
nitrogen in leaf litter. Add wood mulch , sawdust, corn starch, sugar, or
wheat gluten.
Bacteria will use up nitrogen as those materials decompose.
5. Livestock Grazing: Weeds are frequently resistant to grazing & they gain a competitive advantage
over tasty natives. Prevent future grazing or keep it to a minimum. Plant conservative species. Burn the site
to promote conservative species.
6. Early Succession: These species can be beaten by promoting more
climax or conservative species. .Promote site stability & add conservative
species to push succession along. Burning the site will help promote climax species at the expense of weedy annuals &
biennials. Remove all seed heads.
7. Road Salt: Sodium can burn many native species & give tolerant weeds a competitive advantage. Screen site
with a salt tolerant hedge, settling basins can collect salt, spread gypsum (calcium sulfate) to neutralize road
salt,