The Weeds . . .
| ' The Weeds Index . . .
• Crown Vetch |
 Learning to control weeds early can help you prevent serious problems like this infestation of Mullein, a common weed in natural restoration. |
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Crown Vetch . . .
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A Tough One . . .
Crown Vetch is one of the toughest weeds to control if it shows up after your native seed has been planted.
The time to look for this plant is during the site evaluation. If a site is infested with Crown Vetch, you might seriously consider holding off planting natives there.
Crown Vetch is an aggressive perennial cultivar which is commonly used along steep highway right-of-ways and other hard-to-landscape areas (Photo).
It spreads quickly to the exclusion of almost all other plants.
Learn to recognize this plant and examine your land carefully as you conduct your site evaluation.
If you find Crown Vetch, you should seriously consider holding back on your planting plans until you are sure the vetch is under control.
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Controls . . .
Crown Vetch can be killed by spraying but the problem of control lies in the aggressive seed bank left behind.
A legume with hard durable seed, these vetch seedlings can continue to come up for years after the original plants are removed. This is the main problem in restoration.
Once you have planted your native seeds, it doesn't take long for the Crown Vetch to reappear and completely dominate your native plants.
If it comes back after planting, never let it go to seed. Watch closely and treat any plants immediately with (Round-Up) according to the label instructions.
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In Site Preparation . . .
Repeated sprayings may eventually exhaust the seed bank, although one must consider the monetary and environmental costs of doing this.
If you choose this method, water the site in between spraying and never let any crown vetch mature or go to seed.
Prior to spraying, it may help to burn the area which may stimulate more seed germination.
You may also kill Crown Vetch by smothering the site with tarps or other material for at least a full year.
After the site has been covered for one full season, pull back the covering and water the site to germinate vetch seeds.
When significant growth occurs, cover the area again to kill these newly-sprouted plants. Repeat as long as necessary.
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Daisy Fleabane . . .
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A Pioneer . . .
Daisy Fleabane is a pioneer species which shows up in many wildflower plantings.
A common stiff-stemmed annual weed, Daisy Fleabane grows to six feet and usually shows up in great numbers (Photo).
Looking at a native planting planting crowded with Daisy Fleabane, you might wonder how anything could survive that kind of intense competition.
But in spite of how dense a stand of it looks, Daisy Fleabane is not normally a serious long-term weed problem in restoration projects.
Since it is a pioneer weed species, Fleabane does not tolerate competition and usually disappears when the more persistent native perennials become established.
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Control Question . . .
Normally Daisy Fleabane is controlled in post-planting maintenance by mowing.
But eventually when mowing needs to be stopped, the Fleabane can grow up to about six feet and flower profusely.
The main control after this is to try to keep the Fleabane from going to seed.
Whether or not to control Daisy Fleabane is matter of debate.
If there are only a few small patches in your planting, using a string trimmer is a good way to keep it from going to seed.
Try to cut it as soon as it begins flowering to minimize seed set in the flowerheads.
If your entire site is covered with Daisy Fleabane, there are few good options besides mowing. And at some point, you must stop mowing so your native plants can grow.
The extra damage you could do to the young native plant seedlings from extra mowing plus the fact that the Fleabane will eventually leave the planting anyway . . . argues for not taking extreme measures to control Daisy Fleabane.
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An Experiment . . .
As an experiment last season, we tried controlling a thick stand of Daisy Fleabane in a second year mesic prairie planting by removing the flowers with a string trimmer.
The area was about half an acre and the work went fairly quickly.
One thing we noticed - if nothing else - that removing the Daisy Fleabane helped the planting look better . . ! !
But whether it will reduce future Daisy Fleabane is the question which remains to be answered.
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Queen Anne's Lace . . .
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A.K.A. Wild Carrot . . .
Queen Anne's Lace, a common biennial weed, is also known as Wild Carrot.
Pull one up by the roots and smell it. The carrot aroma helps to identify this plant.
Queen Anne's Lace, the reverted form of the hybrid carrot, escaped from cultivation and is now one of our most common weeds.
This Wild Carrot can spread quickly if allowed to go to seed, creating a mild to serious concern in restoration.
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Controls . . .
The most effective control is achieved by pulling.
If it shows up thick after planting and there are too many to pull, a close mowing at the onset of flowering will prevent future seed set and may kill the plants if weather conditions are dry.
Since Wild Carrot is a biennial, the plant is fairly inconspicuous the first year and becomes more noticeable the second year when it sends up its flower stalk.
It is good to scout for Queen Anne's Lace throughout the growing season as it flowers over a long period of time, and individual flowers frequently come out late.
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Site Evaluation . . .
It is a good idea to look for Queen Anne's Lace when doing your site evaluation.
If you have it growing on your site you may want to include some extra measures to help control it in your site preparation plan.
One thing you can do is water sites you suspect of having Queen Anne's Lace in between herbicide applications.
This will stimulate more seed to germinate so they can be removed during the remaining herbicide applications.
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Thistles . . .
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Controls . . .
Most Thistles can become problem weeds if not treated within the first couple of years of post-planting maintenance.
The first round of thistle treatment begins in the spring when the plants emerge. Spot spray with Roundup or in combination with 2,4-D.
The second opportunity usually happens later in summer when the plants begin to flower (Photo).
Wait until the buds form and flowers appear then cut the thistle off at the base and apply Round-Up to the stump.
Be Patient . . .
Thistles are a common and somewhat persistent weed. It may take several years to rid your site of thistles.
Be patient and consistent in discouraging these weeds and they should not become a major threat to your restoration.
As with most weeds, be vigilant when the Thistles are in bloom and make sure you do not let them go to seed.
Thistles are stubborn weeds with deep root systems but if you are consistent in discouraging them with Round-Up, in time you should be able to eliminate them from your site.
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Foxtail . . .
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Don't Worry . . .
In many parts of the country Foxtail is the first and most prolific weed which shows up when soil is disturbed or treated with Round-up.
Some people are dismayed as they watch their project become completely overwhelmed by this opportunistic pioneer weed species.
But Foxtail is an annual weed which is not a long-term problem in natural restoration (Photo).
Since it is a pioneer species, Foxtail cannot compete with your perennial native plants and will disappear when they are established.
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As a Cover Crop . . ?
Foxtail functions so much like a traditional nurse crop like oats that we often use it this way.
Foxtail takes up space between the native seedlings and suppresses other more problematic weeds.
Foxtail is also a good source of fuel for the first few burns until the native grasses begin to catch hold.
If you are planting from seed, expect Foxtail.
And don't be surprised if it comes on heavy the first couple of years. But don't worry about it. Once your natives become established, the Foxtail will quickly fade and eventually disappear.
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Sweet Clover . . .
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Potential Problem . . .
One of the most common & potentially serious weed problems in restoration is a farm crop called Sweet Clover.
A member of the legume family, Sweet Clover ( Photo ) produces hard, long-lived seeds, which can remain viable in the soil for many years until they receive the proper conditions for germination.
In your restoration or landscaping project, you provide these conditions when you remove the existing weed cover during site preparation.
When you remove the existing weeds, other weed seeds (like Sweet Clover) in the soil are released and given an opportunity to grow. These are usually annual and biennial weeds which were suppressed by the existing perennial weeds.
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Controls . . .
Sweet Clover seeds can also be encouraged to germinate by burning your site. The heat of the fire cracks the hard seed coat, stimulating more germination.
You can use fire to control Sweet Clover. By burning your site prior to site preparation, you can increase germination of Sweet Clover seed so the resulting seedlings can then be removed during herbicide applications.
This is called exhausting the seed bank.
You may even want to water your site in-between herbicide treatments to encourage as much weed seed to sprout during the site preparation season as possible.
Sweet Clover is a biennial - which means each individual plant lives for two years.
If Sweet Clover shows up in your planting after your native species are already growing, pulling is the main control. Once you pull a biennial plant out by its root it's gone and won't come back. Sweet Clover has a fairly deep taproot, which sometimes pulls easier after a rain.
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Never . . .
The main thing to remember in dealing with Sweet Clover is, NEVER let it go to seed.
Sweet Clover blooms in late spring and early summer. This is the best time to spot it and pull it out of your planting.
If you pull it early in the blooming stage you can leave the plants on the site. But if the Sweet Clover has been flowering for any length of time, the plants must be removed from the site because they can continue to set seed.
Vigilance is the keyword. Remind yourself to keep watching for Sweet Clover through the season for late bloomers and plants you missed on your first time through.
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Damage Control . . .
The worst case scenario with Sweet Clover is a solid stand so thick it is not practicable to pull it.
If this occurs in your planting, there are a few things you can try to save your project.
If the Sweet Clover is so thick it completely dominates your young natives the first season after planting, a careful application of Glyphosate (Round-Up) can take care of the clover with minimal damage to your native seedlings.
The trick is to use a weak (one percent) solution of Round-Up and lightly spray the tops of the Sweet Clover. Do not spray so heavily that the Round-Up drips off the Sweet Clover as this can damage the native seedlings below. You should spray when the Sweet Clover is about 12 inches tall.
If you are careful and avoid herbicide dripping, young Sweet Clover plants can be easily removed by this method.
Mowing Sweet Clover the first year of its life cycle does little to control it. Mowing the first year may help keep the shading of your native seedlings down but most likely will not kill the Sweet Clover.
If you don't take care of your young Sweet Clover seedlings the first year, you will have to mow them the second year or loose your planting.
Mow Sweet Clover stands as they come into bloom. This weakens the plants and keeps them from going to seed. You may have to repeat this infinitely until you feel the sweet clover reduced to the point where pulling is practicable.
This second year control of heavy stands is less successful and not as effective as spraying Sweet Clover the first year.
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