Residents fight alien species that's taking root in city
Copyright 2005, Bliss Communications Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
(Janesville Gazette, Published Thursday, May 19, 2005 10:38:33 AM CDT)
By Marcia Nelesen
Gazette Staff
It's right out of "Little Shop of Horrors."
Molly Farley recently pulled armloads of garlic mustard from the ravine in her backyard in the center of Janesville.
But she knew that mixing it into compost would only spread the seeds. And she didn't think the garbage collectors would pick up yard waste to put it in the landfill.
For lack of a better idea she loaded it in her wheelbarrow and stuck it in her cold, dark garage.
About two weeks later, the stuff was growing hardy and green right out of its own carcasses, just like something out of a science fiction movie.
This weed is practically invincible.
It's spreading down the hill toward Rotary Gardens. It's thriving in the parks. It's moving across fence lines, under landscaping, into gardens and along sidewalks. Tom Presny, Janesville's director of parks, gets at least a call a week from residents concerned about this invasive plant.
Mary Ann Buenzow, forester for the DNR, calls it a major threat to Wisconsin woodlands. She remembers the first time she saw it blanketing a forest floor.
"Wow,'' she thought. "This is really a problem.''
Dean Paynter belongs to numerous naturalist groups and has helped organize weed-pulling parties in the county. They pull 'em, bag 'em and burn 'em, all the while knowing they'll be back at the same spot next year. That's because the seeds bank in the soil for five to seven years, and Roundup is really only effective on the biennial plant's first-year sprouts.
That has left biologists scrambling to find the plant's kryptonite.
For now, the noxious weed-which is in full bloom as you read this-has foresters, gardeners and nature lovers worried.
The problem? The plants sprout up first thing in spring and crowd everything else. They shade the delicate wildflowers that depend on the spring sun that filters through the leafless trees.
"You should have Dutchman's britches, Jack-in-the-pulpits,'' Paynter said of the areas invaded by the weed. "We're beginning to lose those because our woodland is being taken over by this invasive weed.''
Cliff Englert, Janesville's park superintendent, first noticed garlic mustard five or six years ago and now calls it "pandemic.''
"It grows in incredibly dark places where other things don't grow,'' he said.
The plant also has no natural predators. Humans have trouble getting rid of it, as well.
The plants' seeds continue to mature even when the plants have been pulled from the ground. That's why residents are urged not to compost the pest: you'll simply spread the seed to everyone who uses the compost.
Horticulturist Ann Hyzer, who lives at 110 Seminole in Janesville, has been fighting garlic mustard since she moved to her home several years ago. She has noticed other residents using herbicide even though the plants continue to go seed.
She also sees them whack the stalk only to have it send up another shoot.
Residents must become aware that this is a long-term problem, she said.
When she sees the plants in other people's yards, "I have a tremendous urge to pick it for them,'' she said.
The plant's indestructible qualities continue to amaze.
Kelly Kearns, plant conservation program manager for the Department of Natural Resources, recently harvested some of the younger plants, which she eats like spinach.
But she had been pulling the weeds for hours, and the idea of eating them then wasn't so appealing. So, she threw the bunch in the refrigerator in a plastic bag.
Three weeks later, the plants had grown about 8 inches.
"The Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" has nothing on these.
How to deal with garlic mustard in Janesville
Janesville residents can bag garlic mustard and put the bags along the curb to be collected for the landfill, according to an informal ruling of the Department of Natural Resources.
Kelly Kearns, plant conservation program manager with the DNR, said people should bag the garlic mustard, clearly label the bag as being garlic mustard and note that it is approved by the DNR for placement in the landfill.
John Whitcomb, operations director for the city, was surprised to hear that the exemption for garlic mustard had been made.
Whitcomb added that his employees are instructed not to collect visible and significant yard waste placed at the curb.
Kearns was not surprised to hear Whitcomb hadn't heard of the exemption. It is an informal policy and the law has not yet changed, she said.
"We haven't gone out and told all the landfills there is this policy out there,'' she said. "Essentially, what we're doing, we're allowing the law to be broken when it's asked.''
State statutes will eventually be changed so invasive plants can be buried in landfills, Kearns said. But that is a lengthy process, and the DNR is creating a list of exempt plants.
In the meantime, the garlic mustard exemption is in force. People who have trouble with their landfill companies can call Cindy English, Rock County DNR waste specialist, at (608) 275-3240.
What is it?
Early settlers from Europe introduced garlic mustard for its supposed medicinal properties and for its use in cooking.
The plant is biennial and appears the first year as a rosette with round to kidney-shaped leaves. It remains green throughout the winter.
In its second year, the plant grows about knee-high and has heart-shaped leaves. It blooms with small white flowers in late April through early June and produces hundreds of seeds per plant.
The seeds are released when the plant dies in July and August and are spread by wildlife and humans.
What to do:
-- The plant is most vulnerable in its first-year rosette stage, when it can be pulled out or sprayed with Roundup or Touchdown. Be sure to spray early in the spring when surrounding plants are dormant.
-- Herbicides won't do much to the plant during its second year. Then, garlic mustard should be pulled before it blooms and the stalks should be scattered to dry. Plants can continue to mature if they are stacked in a moist pile. Work inward from the outer boundaries of the infestation.
-- Once the plant has flowered it must be bagged as it sets seeds even after it has been pulled. If you plan to burn the plants, poke holes in the bags and leave the tops open so the plants dry out. Protect the bags from rain and do not burn the bags.
The DNR has made an exemption for garlic mustard and will allow the plant waste into landfills. Simply label the bag as containing garlic mustard and note that it is approved by the DNR for placement in the landfill.
-- Do not compost garlic mustard. The process only spreads the seeds.
-- The success of mowing is not certain. If you mow, do so before the plants bloom and cut as close to the ground as possible at least several times during the season. There are reports that plants sprout several times even after they are sheared close to the ground.
-- Clean clothes and shoes thoroughly after walking in an infested area.
-- Keep a close eye on surrounding areas. Pulling a few plants that have not bloomed is more effective than battling hundreds of seeds later. Control methods will likely need to be repeated annually as seeds can lay banked in the soil for up to seven years.
