Portland Fix It Fair - Weeds
Notes from Portlland’s 22nd Annual Fix It Fair class about weeds.
Weeds Are expensive. Weeds cause fires. They change the ecosystem.
Plant moss. It can tolerate more shade than grass. Enjoy the moss as a low-maintenance groundcover. It requires little, if any watering, no fertilizer or mowing.
Here are some of the most nororious weeds:
English Ivy
Don’t let the ivy get in the trees. It creates a lot of weight for a tree, makes them vulnerable Cut weeds at ankle and chest height. Don’t try to pull it out.
Clematis
Spreads easily. Seeds go everywhere, they attach to everything, spreading by wind and animals. Cut the vine at its base and dig it out. If you can’t dig it out, let it grow a bit, then hack it. You will defeat it.
Purple Loosestrife
Very difficult. Spreads through underground stems. It’s a rhizome. They invade ponds. They are almost impossible to eliminate once in the water. Do not pick them and bring them home.
Japanese Knotweed
This weed gets huge and is almost stimulated by cutting it. Places are getting buried by it. It’s growing along the Sandy River, almost burying it. Cut back the canes repeatedly throughout the growing season. Dig out the extensive root system only if you can sure to remove it all. Don;t let the roots get into the waterway. Shows why Multnomah County needs a “Weed Board.” It’s being discussed.
Himalayan Blackberry
It seems daunting but if you keep mowing it you can knock it back. Keep cutting it back, mow the canes down. Plant “overstory” plants to prevent it from growing in the future.
Scotch Broom
Produces tons of seeds. They spread through the air. Seeds can lay dormant for up
Reed Canary Grass
You see it a lot along any wetlands. Hand pull it.
Parrot’s Feather
Don’t dump aquarium water into ponds. Parrot’s Feather is spread by boats, humans, floods.
Butterfly Bush
Oh my gosh. We gave away a butterfly bush. It’s a weed that even diminishes butterfly populations. Butterflies are attracted to it but they don’t lay their eggs.
Garlic Mustard
This one is spreading rapidly on the East Coast. Yank it out and the seeds get back in the soil. You have to remove all the root fragments. If it infests, cut it to the ground.
Herb Robert
It’s also known as Stinky Bob. Spreads by seed. it actually expodes. It can spread 15-20 feet. Hand pull it before it flowers and seeds. Make sure no to confuse it with Bleeding Heart.
Kudzu
It’s called the plant that ate the South. It is edible bit we are not eating it fast enough. It rolls over everything. It is spreads by rhizomes. It grows really fast, like six inches per day. It could pose a greater danger than english ivy.
Tree of Heaven
Pull these plants as they are large enough to grasp. It has a seed pod that often will fall like a spiral toward cracks in the sidewalk or along your house, pulling the foundation.
Pokeweed
Berries are highly poisonous. It’s a crazy purple. It’s used as coloring for dyes. Cut it before it seeds.
Periwinkle
We have periwinkle. It’s a garden thug. It takes over. Dig it up.
Bamboo
Cut it off. Cut it down. Water the area. Cut it down again.
In review
Don’t buy weeds.Take a weed list with you when you go to purchase plants. This helps you avoid purchasing plants that are already causing problems. Avoid buying wildlfower mixes or make sure you check the contents. Many contain aggressive or invasive non-native species.
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