Why winter is a great time to take action on invasive plants

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It’s tempting to take winter out of the relentless calendar of invasive plant removal. But invasive plants have become incredibly well-established since we brought them to our shores during the last two centuries and restoring our native balance is going to take a long time.

It’s tempting to take winter out of the relentless calendar of invasive plant removal. But invasive plants have become incredibly well-established since we brought them to our shores during the last two centuries and restoring our native balance is going to take a long time. Here are some reasons why invasive plant action and winter belong together.

Leaflessness

For the bigger invaders, it’s all about structure: stems, trunks and roots. Once their leaves are gone, and protective thorns are easier to see and avoid, it’s a whole lot easier to target and cut the base of plants like Japanese barberry, MF rose, winged euonymus, and Russian and autumn olive. When the soil is not completely frozen, ax action can chop brittle roots more easily than during the growing season.

You’ve got time

Lots of invasive plants are herbaceous—invisible and untouchable in the winter—and can be ignored. No need to put energy into garlic mustard, henbit, dame’s rocket, narrowleaf bittercress, bishop’s weed, leafy spurge, mile-a-minute vine, among others.

Find your solitude

Chances are, you’re the only one in your household who would consider venturing out in the cold to kill plants. Invasive action is a great excuse to get away from tiresome relatives and overstaying houseguests. You will return rosy-cheeked and exuding virtue. The follow-up news stories, before-after photos, podcasts and social media posts are more opportunities to ignore your family while you create high quality content.

Find your soul mate

Dating sites have begun to catch on to the emerging potential of invasive plant events such as “pulling parties” for forming long-lasting relationships based on shared values and manifested vigor. Evolutionary scientists are documenting the role of invasive plant activism in the progression of our species from problem-makers who import invasive plants, to problem solvers who remove them. Chemical changes have been seen at the cell and even DNA level. Plus, invasive plant people are fun to socialize with, any time of year.

Flattening

There’s little more disheartening than cutting a mature MF rose or Japanese barberry at the base, then returning months later to find it a resilient, impenetrable mess. In winter, heavy wet snow crushes and compacts newly cut shrubs and starts the decay process. Boots and mowers can then make mulch of the enfeebled stems and branches.

Cut-and-Paint

Dormant shrubs and trees too large to pull up by the roots may seem immune to poison. But there’s evidence that careful cutting and painting stumps with liquid herbicides during the winter does work, especially later in the season. Prime candidates for this last resort strategy are mature examples of autumn and Russian olive, Japanese barberry, MF rose, Asiatic bittersweet, and winged euonymus. It’s also safer to cut and paint established poison ivy vines (a native plant) in winter than to spray their leaves during the growing season.

Health

More and more studies are confirming the startling recent discovery that the most effective tool in fortifying the human immune system against a host of maladies—cancer, diabetes, hypertension, Alzheimer’s, COVID and hypochondria to name a few—is to combat invasive plants. The key appears to be year-round activity because continuous production of the healthy anti-toxins is more effective than the shock of sudden high levels in the spring.

Girdle

Suckering invasive trees like tree of heaven, and sumac, which is not invasive, may cause them to respond to the usually effective method of decapitation by sending up new shoots nearby. Instead, use a sharp hatchet or chisel to chop continuous slices around the trunk, cutting through the bark and sapwood to the inner heartwood, all the way around. The tree will die over time and not spawn a new generation.

Plan to plant

Rosy-cheeked and virtuous after your winter killing spree, curl up with catalogues to plan sturdy native replacements. Check the June 2020 Not Wanted column for a list of alternatives at granbyinvasiveplants.weebly.com Sources for native seeds and plants include Earth Tones Natives in Woodbury, Nasami Farm in Massachusetts, Fedco in Maine, and Ernst Seeds in Pennsylvania.

For humans, it’s cold outside, but invasive plants don’t mind the cold and don’t take the winter off. They scheme and plot their next moves and launch powerful new coalitions with allied plants year-round. If we could penetrate their thought processes, we might better understand their superpowers—and we might be less likely to hang up our pruners, loppers and saws ‘til spring.

Next Invasive Action Day

Join us Saturday, Feb. 12, 9 a.m. to noon, to continue the fight. The second Saturday of the month is Invasive Action Day in Granby. Drop a note at granbyinvasiveplants.weebly.com for more information.