Purple loose strife

deereman64 · Sep 5, 2006

This weed has arrived on my property this year. I have wetlands but the real problem is it has started to grow in a stream that goes down the middle of my yard. I spent yesterday pulling it out of the stream with my FeL and then taking it back to the wetlands. This stuff is tough but I fear it will back the stream up with the high run off in the winter.
A couple of questions
a) Reading some websites they talk about introducing certain beetles to control the growth. I live in NY ...does such a program exist?
b) By transporting the pulled weeds am I going to spread the plant even more.
c) Is pulling the weeds out an exercise in futility. Do I have to go up stream and destroy the "crop" there.

Woodbeef · Sep 5, 2006

Quite the problem up here from something that was once thought to be pretty by the people who brought it over. The beetles have been tried in the certain areas,not sure what the outcome was. Unfortunately you might be your own worst enemy,by doing what you have in the past. Best way to remove is by hand pulling,putting into garbage bags,then burning from what I've seen. Other than that you only send the seeds airborn.

jimmysisson · Sep 5, 2006

If you pull it early in its season before flowering or just flowering it will not have formed seeds. Very tough to pull all roots, esp as usually growing in wetlands. Tough booger to eradicate.
Jim

ToadHill · Sep 11, 2006

Call your local Co-operative Etension. The plant is considered an invasive in NYS and many counties have eradication programs. Your extension should know if one is avaliable in your area.

Rob_H · Sep 12, 2006

There was an article in last Thursday or Friday's Wall Street Journal about a state run lab in New Jersey that breeds the beetles that will eradicate Loosestrife. Here's another commercial source for the beetles, but they seem really expensive considering it will take 5,000+ to establish a colony.

Biological Control of Weeds, Inc.

I've got a similar problem, and a very sensitive ecosystem / wetlands / river to keep in mind.

deereman64 · Sep 13, 2006

Thanks I called the local Cooperative Extension. They suggest for limited areas cutting the flowers off and bagging them. They were not sure whether this plant was an annual or the roots survived the winter. More research was required.

Rob_H · Sep 13, 2006

This plant is a perennial. The beetles work because they defoliate the plant in the summer (which doesn't do much damage), and then eat the roots in the spring, which kills it.

Hunt around on the web, there are a lot of resources for controlling loosestrife. Most recommend controlled application of herbicides (roundup) on individual plants for small infestations. For larger stands, the beetles seem to be the way to go. We have several acres around us that are now mostly loosestrife, so I'll be building a beetle colony in the spring.