How to Handle Invasives, Feb. 3 at Pound Ridge Library

Many of you have asked for advice on how to handle invasives. Below are five important "TIPS" to get you started during the winter months. Also be sure to mark your calendar and join us at the TIP -- PR planning session this Sunday February 3 from 7 -- 8:30 pm at the Pound Ridge Library!

1.  Invasive plant species are much easier to manage before they get established.      Start learning how to identify which invasive species are here and which ones        are starting to emerge. We currently know of 16 invasives in the area that are      listed on the chart below. For help identifying invasive species on your please        email: invasivesPR@BedfordAudubon.org.   

Herbaceous

Shrubs

Vines

Trees

Japanese stilt grass

Japanese barberry

Oriental bittersweet

Norway Maple

Japanese knotweed

Wine berry

Japanese honeysuckle

Tree of Heaven

(Ailanthus)

Garlic mustard

Rosa multiflora

Porcelain berry

Mugwort

Winged euonymus

Black Swallow- wort

Phragmites

Mile-a-minute

2.  Make a plan for removing the invasives on your property. But before you start        pulling, consider the service the plant is providing. For example, does it                help with erosion control or is it an active nesting sites? If so, then it's                  important to include a replacement plan with comparable native plants.

3.  Managing invasive plants is repetitive work so it is especially important to keep      track of the progress you are making. Create a log and be sure to take                  photographs during the intervention. Remember, these plants are aggressive.      Planning and recordkeeping helps stay committed to the challenge. 

4.  Winter is the perfect time to tackle and remove Japanese barberry (Berberis          thungergii) from your property. Cutting barberry during this time will help            reduce the deer tick population later (barberry is a vector for immature                ticks). Be sure to cut barberry stems at the base and try not to disturb the soil      around the base of the plant. Be sure to monitor for new growth. Barberry is        one of the relatively easy invasives to suppress if you tackle it through cutting      or by removing the root to prevent new growth.

5.  Bring nature home to Pound Ridge: when you make your garden plans this            winter plan on using native plants. To give the natives a chance to take root,        be sure to fence the plants or a small area of your property to create a refuge        from the deer.  

Hope to see you on Sunday!