Comments for The MN wildflower blog

Comment on Comment on USFS Land Exchange with PolyMet Mining by K Chayka

K Chayka — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 13:56:44 +0000

Nope

Comment on Comment on USFS Land Exchange with PolyMet Mining by Victoria

Victoria — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 23:13:56 +0000

Did they respond to your comment on the land-swap?

Comment on The joys of creeping charlie…? by Lori Askelin Chase

Lori Askelin Chase — Thu, 05 May 2011 19:49:19 +0000

My husband and I virtually rid our yard of creeping charlie w/o any chemicals. By good old yard work. It’s actually very therapeutic to get your hands into the soil. It takes time, and every year a little comes up, ut not much any longer – as it comes up, we’re on it and it’s gone again. The only reason it comes back is because neighbors still have it. I’m very happy with the fact that we refused to use chemicals to kill it because it would have also harmed our soil, plants, flowers, trees. We are planting a vegetable garden this year and I have no worries on whether or not my soil could poison us. Good luck to all.

Comment on The joys of creeping charlie…? by Paul

Paul — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 08:09:07 +0000

Glechoma hederacea, a.k.a. creeping charlie is not difficult to control in a yard if you are willing to use a herbicide designed for broad-leaf control in lawns. Treatment should be done when the plant is actively growing in late spring/early summer or late summer. Do not cut the the grass in the area for two week before spraying, this will allows the plants to present all their foliage above the grass and it will produce larger leaves. Spray your herbicide at the recommended concentration (keep in mind that it is against the law to use any pesticide in a way that is not recommended on the labeling) Slow acting products are more effective than those that promise results in 24 hours. (You want creeping charlie to take in the herbiced and translocate it threw out its body – quick acting produces often kill the foliage befor the herbiced is moved into the stems).

Do not cut the area after treatment but spray again in one week. After the second spraying you can cut the area in five days.

One reason that creeping charily is difficult to control in yards is that lawn mowing forces the plants to produce much reduced leaves and long leafless spreading stems that do not have a good surface area to take in the herbicides used on it.

Adjoining flower beds and edges are usually where new invasions originate after successful treatment.

Simply stated – don’t mow for a few weeks, spray, then spray again a week later.

Comment on The joys of creeping charlie…? by Beatriz Moisset

Beatriz Moisset — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 22:04:18 +0000

So, instead of getting angry, why don’t you provide a list of what plants would be beneficial in the lawn after explaining nicely what is wrong with the non-native invasive?
I am struggling to come up with such a list for my region (Southeastern Pennsylvania). I would welcome suggestions and corrections and would like to see similar lists for other regions.
Here is my list:
• Blue eyed grasses (Sisyrinchium, several species) not a true grass but a member of the iris family, with pretty blue flowers.
• Cinquefoils, (Potentilla).
• Wild strawberries (Fragaria, several species). The five lobed leaves of this and those of cinquefoils are very similar in appearance.
• Yellow violets (Viola pennsylvanica), and other kinds of violets too.
• Spring beauties (Claytonia)
• Wild geraniums, crane’s-bills (Geranium)
• Azure bluets (Houstonia caerulea).
• Creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum) has been used as ground cover sometimes.
• Speedwells (Veronica), there are several species, some of them are native others introduced.
• Wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella), used as ground cover by some gardeners.

Comment on Obedient Plant by K Chayka

K Chayka — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:10:43 +0000

As I understand it (and I am not a gardener), obedient plant may be an aggressive breeder in moist soil, but not so in drier soil. In a garden you might control its spread by regular dividing or putting up a barrier, such as planting it in a container with the bottom cut out.

Comment on The joys of creeping charlie…? by nancy

nancy — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 07:39:49 +0000

I only wish MN would ban this creeping charlie. It got into my lawn about 5 years ago. I have battled it with repeated spraying of what I was told to use. some years it was worse so 2 years ago I sprayed all the lawn it was in with a product that killed my lawn also. i didnt care, I got rid of it OH ya/ This spring, 2010 it came up in my whole yard. Now one place where it has not invaded. I have a large yard and am on a lake so I cant spray the whole lawn and kill it.
Now I have to have someone come in with the know how and spray it. He told me its hard to kill and will take several sprayings but the spray will not kill the lawn. this is going to cost me a arm and leg for some years to come. I hate the stuff, and have written and asked that it be put on the NO list for this state.

Comment on Obedient Plant by nancy

nancy — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 07:31:31 +0000

A “friend” gave me a huge bag full of this plant early this spring. I planted some and then wanted to find out more so looked it up
I sure was glad. Its very invasive and hard to get rid of. I took the plants out of my garden the next day and took the whole bag full and planted them across teh street in wet lands that I own. I sure didnt want my expensive plants killed off .
One person wrote it took his whole garden over in 2 years and he had to till the whole thing up over and over and leave it unplanted for a year

Comment on The joys of creeping charlie…? by K Chayka

K Chayka — Mon, 10 May 2010 23:27:31 +0000

John, I do not intend to insult people but Petyer is far less tolerant. Mr. Ohio knows very well the invasive nature of Glechoma hederacea, a.k.a. creeping charlie, as do most people who have ever had to battle it in their yards (myself included). People like Mr Ohio are part of the problem. They don’t generally care about the local ecosystem and the damage they cause. He never responded after I wrote back to him with reasons why creeping charlie is A Bad Thing, and I was not insulting about it. His lack of response says a lot to me. Had he written back I probably would not have blogged about it.

cheers,
Katy Chayka

Comment on The joys of creeping charlie…? by John

John — Sat, 08 May 2010 13:37:11 +0000

meant to say “condemming” not condoning