Common Invasive Plants | Garlic Mustard
Garlic Mustard
Alliaria petiolata
Garlic Mustard is a notorious woodland invasive weed that rapidly dominates the forest floor. Its biennial habit allows the plant to optimize growth in early spring months before native vegetation greens up. One mother plant can produce thousands of seeds that may remain viable in the soil for up to 10 years and while it is growing, the roots of the plant produce chemicals in the soil that help it out compete native plants.
How to Control
Any control method selected must be repeated for several years until residual seeds from previous plants have germinated or otherwise degraded. Smaller garlic mustard infestations can be controlled by hand pulling in spring, ideally before flowering. The plants are easy to pull but they are brittle. Take care to lift the entire plant out of the ground and not just breaking off the top. Remove plants completely from the site to avoid re-rooting and seed production which can continue until they dry down. Bag and dispose of pulled plants with municipal waste headed to the incinerator. Do not compost or place in brush piles.
Garlic Mustard is a notorious woodland invasive weed that rapidly dominates the forest floor. Its biennial habit allows the plant to optimize growth in early spring months before native vegetation greens up. One mother plant can produce thousands of seeds that may remain viable in the soil for up to 10 years and while it is growing, the roots of the plant produce chemicals in the soil that help it out compete native plants.
How to Control
Any control method selected must be repeated for several years until residual seeds from previous plants have germinated or otherwise degraded. Smaller garlic mustard infestations can be controlled by hand pulling in spring, ideally before flowering. The plants are easy to pull but they are brittle. Take care to lift the entire plant out of the ground and not just breaking off the top. Remove plants completely from the site to avoid re-rooting and seed production which can continue until they dry down. Bag and dispose of pulled plants with municipal waste headed to the incinerator. Do not compost or place in brush piles.
