SLELO PRISM

Control/Management: All control techniques will need to be repeated annually until there is no sign of infestation. It is important to restore the area by planting native vegetation that competes with Phragmites such as: Jesuit’s bark (Iva frutescens), groundsel-tree (Braccharis halimifolia), and black rush (Juncus roemerianus).

Due to the similarity of non-native and native Phragmites, it is important to properly identify the species before implementing any type of management program. Since Phragmites grow in wetland habitats, it is also important to implement a restoration plan after treatment to reduce the potential for soil erosion. Phragmites can be controlled physically, mechanically, and chemically.

Physical Control:

If chemical control isn’t an option, using hand tools to control Phragmites yet cumbersome is an effective technique. Since Phragmites are a form of grass, cutting it above the stalk can stimulate growth. It is best to utilize the “Spading Technique,” and cut the stalk below the soil surface using the blade of a spade shovel. This technique works best on small stands in sandy loose soils.  CLICK HERE to view this technique. If the soil is too compact and you can’t cut the stalk below the soil surface, cut the stalks below the lowest leaf leaving no more than 6 inches of stalk above the ground.  If you chose this technique it is important that you cut the stalk in late July to reduce stimulating its growth.

Another technique for non-chemical management in a small infestation would be to smother or utilize the “solarization technique”. A thick black tarp is placed over a small infestation which blocks the sun and generates a high heat which eliminates the plant’s ability to grow. Regular garden fabric will not work for this. This is a technique often used in gardens for nuisance weeds and is often considered a more eco-friendly method, though any native species existing under the tarped area will be impacted. It is estimated that this method can take a few years to be successful, as with most other techniques.

 Mechanical Control: repeated mowing can produce short-term results; repeated stem breakage in high-water years has also shown to eradicate large portions of Phragmites colonies. These methods require repeated application as broken plant fragments can generate a new plant.

Chemical Control: Newer colonies that have smaller root and rhizome systems are easier to control using herbicides. Chemical applications are best applied in late summer or early fall after the plant has flowered. Applications can be foliar, cut stump or injected. Multiple years of treatment may be necessary to eradicated surviving rhizomes. It is important to follow specific herbicide control guidelines which can be found on the National Parks Service website.

Restoration at Your Site

The Eastern Lake Ontario Dunes and Wetlands complex (ELODW) offers important habitats for a variety of animal species and unique vegetation as well, all of which depend on intact and healthy ecosystems for survival. It is important to take care to not negatively impact but to promote native biodiversity, and one way to do this is by connecting management with restoration. Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed, in this case, by invasive species like Phragmites.

It is important to ensure that while conducting restoration at sites, you’re not introducing additional non-native or invasive species. One way to select the most appropriate species is by choosing native species and even better, those that already exist on your property. Before you select new species, you should take your geographic area, soil type, water conditions, nutrients, drainage, etc. into consideration. Many citizen science-based tools exist that can help identify species on your property, two recommendations include iNaturalist online or via the app and Seek by iNaturalist, an app that uses image recognition technology to identify the plants and animals all around you. Visit the SLELO website to learn more about promoting native biodiversity in your project sleloinvasives.org/educational-material.

Photos are very important in any project for comparing results. Be sure to capture your progress and share it via social media or with SLELO PRISM.

Photo Credits:

 Title photo: Jill Swearingen, USDA National Park Service, Bugwood.org. Phragmites Native Vs. Non-Native: Rob Williams, SLELO PRISM.  Leaf-blade/Sheath,flower and ligules photo: gobotany.newenglandwild.org.  Stem photo: illinoiswildflowers.info. 

Resources:

Phragmites-Brochure

Learn about Phragmites control techniques

To address Phragmites management/control challenges, the Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative is developing an adaptive management strategy called The Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework (PAMF). This framework will change the way Phragmites management is done throughout the Great Lakes basin and lead to approaches that maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of Phragmites management. To learn more CLICK HERE.

“Common Reed (Phragmites Australis (Cav.) Trin. Ex Steud.).” New York Invasive Species Information. Cornell University, n.d. Web. 28 July 2015. <http://www.nyis.info/index.php?action=invasive_detail&id=42>.

“Invasive Species: Aquatic Species – Common Reed (Phragmites Australis).”Invasive Species: Aquatic Species – Common Reed (Phragmites Australis). United States Department of Agriculture, n.d. Web. 28 July 2015. <http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/aquatics/commonreed.shtml>. 

“Native vs. Invasive?” Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative. N.p., 08 Oct. 2012. Web. 28 July 2015. <http://greatlakesphragmites.net/basics/native-vs-invasive/>.

Swearingen, J. and K. Saltonstall. 2010. Phragmites Field Guide: Distinguishing Native and Exotic Forms of Common Reed (Phragmites australis) in the United States. Plant Conservation Alliance, Weeds Gone Wild. http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/index.htm