- Author: Carl E. Bell
- Posted by: Gale Perez
Some tips on grazing for invasive plant control
Using livestock for controlling invasive plants has a lot of appeal; the animals seem like a natural, green method; they're cute; and at times they can be a very inexpensive way to do some weed control. But there are also various difficulties and issues with using livestock that should be understood before you jump into a grazing program, I've discussed some below.
Livestock have different eating preferences and needs; Cattle (photo of cattle courtesy of Jack Kelly Clark, UCANR) like grass, sheep like grass and forbs, goats like browse (foliage on stems of woody shrubs, young stems and bark, like photo), and horses like grass.
They eat...
- Author: Lynn M. Sosnoskie
You just KNOW that some plants are considered weeds. Their common names give them away. They sound awful. Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum). Ripgut brome (Bromus diandrus). Devil's claw (Proboscidea lutea). Smellmelon (Cucumis melo). Itchgrass (Rottboellia cochinchinensis). Dog-strangling vine (Cyanthum rossicum).
Others...well, others seem more benign. Even sweet. For Valentine's day I present to you nine weedy plants with lovely names. Enjoy...
1. Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima). How celestial (Sigh...). How divine (Sigh...). How invasive (sigh...wait, what?). Tree-of-heaven is a deciduous tree, native...
- Author: Guy B Kyser
This Slate article talks about the Death Cap mushroom - which is adapting to new hosts and expanding its range - and how to treat cases of Death Cap poisoning: eat milk thistle (Silybum marianum) and drink lots of water.
- Reposted by: Gale Perez
- Author: Carl E. Bell
Onionweed (Asphodelus fistulosus) is an attractive but very difficult to control weed that is relatively common along highways, some irrigation right of ways and other areas in Southern California. It likely came to our area as an ornamental plant, maybe as part of a seed mix or used (I was told) in reclamation projects in the north county area of San Diego. Once you learn to recognize it, it is easy to spot in spring and summer, especially along interstate 5 from La Jolla and on north at least as far as San Luis Obispo County. Photo 2 is from a restoration site in San Diego...
- Author: Carl E. Bell
- Re-posted by: Gale Perez
My title is Regional Advisor – Invasive Plants, but I really think of myself as a Weed Scientist (which sometimes gets an interesting response from some people; those that likely have a smoking habit).
Weed is a simple word; everyone knows the word and has an idea of what it is referring to, right? It’s a plant that someone doesn’t like for some reason. Or perhaps it is a plant existing somewhere it doesn’t belong. The definition that the Weed Science Society of America (yes there really is a Weed Science Society of America, and no they do not do research on “WEED”) uses is, “any plant that is objectionable or...