June 2012 Gem Lake Newsletter - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Gem Lake News Page 2 of 6 It's tough being a noxious weed these days. Everyone hates you and no one wants you in their neighborhood. It wasn't always this way with the garlic mustard plant. Brought by settlers from Europe to this country in the 19th Century, the plant was widely used for both food and medicine. Later it was viewed as an unwelcome invader of wooded areas, shading out native ground cover plants. Then the hammer dropped on garlic mustard. The State of Minnesota put it on the Noxious Weed list in 1999, the plant equivalent of the FBI's 'Ten Most Wanted List.' Like most of the 'criminal element' in the weed world, garlic mustard plants grow fast, spread easily and are hard to control. But like their partners in crime, the dreaded buckthorn bush, homeowners will greatly benefit the rest of their landscaping by working on sending this one "Up the River" to the yard waste bag. This plant is a biennial, with seeds that germinate in early Spring. During the first year, garlic mustard grows in a rosette shape close to the ground. The first year the rosettes have between three and eight The Garlic Mustard Plant: Hero to Villain in Less than 100 Years.... rounded leaves with scalloped edges. The second year the plants have alternate leaves, which are heart shaped or triangular. The plant produces a stalk that can be up to four feet high during the second year, with white flowers that form on the ends of the main stems. The plant can most often be found in shady areas and places that border woodlands. To get rid of it, hand pulling works best, especially if it's done at, or just prior to, flowering. To avoid damaging other plants, tamp down the soil after you do the weed pulling. Your next best option is to cut plants close to the ground, as flowering begins and before seed development. Power tools, such as weed whipping devices can be used on large infestations. Cutting too early, such as way before flowering, can cause re-sprouting of the plants. Don't send the waste on this one to the compost pile, since the temperature for most piles here in Minnesota will not get hot enough to kill the seeds. Also, be aware that the seeds from garlic mustard plants can be easily spread from place to place, even as you are trying to obliterate it. Whenever you are doing battle with your garlic mustard, be aware that a little guerilla warfare is going on. Those seeds have now attached themselves to your pants, shoes, tools, etc. You have to be careful to clean off anything that has touched the plant. Due to the plant's sneaky ability to attach itself to anything it touches, it can take up to five years to really get rid of it. Think of it as dieting after age 50... For more information on this and other noxious weeds, consult the Minnesota DNR web-site.