Garlic Mustard

 

As an AmeriCorps member working at Stone Park one of my main duties is invasive plant removal, and one of the biggest target species is Garlic Mustard. Garlic Mustard is a biennial herb that was first brought to the United States from Europe by the early settlers for food and medicine. It is a short rosette the first year, and then forms a tall stalk the second year, which produces small white flowers, followed by the formation of seed pods, producing up to 200 seeds per plant. Once introduced into an area it spreads quickly and crowds out the native plants. If no control efforts are made then a site that was once full of a large variety of native wildflowers can become a vast  expanse of nothing but garlic mustard.

To prevent this we have been spending much of our time on Garlic Mustard removal. There are various techniques we use. The most basic method is hand removal. This requires simply pulling the plants by hand, making sure to remove as much of the root as possible. Another method is to use a propane torch to burn the plants. This is only effective on first year plants, but it is a much faster way to control large patches. We usually go through an area and pull the second year plants, then go back through and torch the first year plants. However, if the area has too many second year plants we can also use a string trimmer to cut them. This doesn’t always kill the second year plants, but it does hinder the growth, and any plants that resprout will produce less seeds. We will also be doing this after plants have produced seed, but before seed release (late June or early July). We will make sure that plants are bagged and disposed of properly so that seeds are contained.

As I previously mentioned, Garlic Mustard is an edible herb. A quick internet search will lead you to several different recipes. If you are interested you can come pick some at Stone Park and take it home to try. Every plant you pick will help the park and it just might become the secret ingredient in all your best dishes!  Contact us here at the park and we can direct you to a patch of first year plants (second year plants are bitter and undesirable). Just be sure to clean your clothing and shoes after walking through an area of garlic mustard, so that you don’t spread seeds to new areas of the park or your home. Also, if you just want to spend some time outdoors, and want to help keep the park beautiful and healthy, we would be glad to have you join our team for a day, or even an hour. Every plant pulled is 100-200 less for next year. Think of the difference you could make!

-S.H.