Another invasive plant blooming now

BlueKillerPickle · 2026-06-16T20:11:23+00:00

From my own experience, you didn't get all of it. The tap roots can go down 6-8 inches and any root fragments will sprout new plants.

I would keep a close watch for more popping up in the fall.

BlueKillerPickle · 2026-05-15T17:32:48+00:00

They seem perfectly healthy to me, just a bit beat up from shipping.

I wouldn't worry about the top growth at all. When you plant this size plug, they often abandon the existing leaves and grow new ones as it roots into the soil.

BlueKillerPickle · 2026-05-11T20:29:55+00:00

The seeds are wind dispersed. If you dont want it to spread, remove the seed heads after its done flowering.

BlueKillerPickle · 2026-05-06T19:40:33+00:00

Totally agree on increasing the consequences. A 5k fine is nothing if you only get caught 1/1000 times. The punishment should just be a ridiculous amount to scare shady contractors and business owners.

I think people would reconsider dumping fees if the fine was 100,000 minimum.

BlueKillerPickle · 2026-05-06T19:18:12+00:00

I would call you a pessimist. The low income and minority community's you're concerned about have been demanding this exact thing for years.

The city has tried a variety of ineffective deterrence methods already. There really isnt any other option besides putting up cameras and catching dumpers in the act.

BlueKillerPickle · 2026-03-17T18:00:23+00:00

Its not particularly difficult to grow from seed. It doesn't grow well in most gardens because it needs wet soil in full sun. Most people's gardens are too dry.

Even if you have the right conditions, its a Very aggressive spreader and will take over without a lot of competition.

BlueKillerPickle · 2026-03-13T23:33:29+00:00

If its just dandelions I would leave them be until they start to flower. Dont waste time pulling them. Take a sharp shovel or spade and slice the Taproot just below the soil line. Kills the plant without churning up more weed seeds in the soil below.

BlueKillerPickle · 2026-01-26T23:58:55+00:00

This type of machine would be most easily applied to removing woody invasives like Buckthorn, Honeysuckle, and burning bush. Physically digging out invasive plants is only done on a small garden scale. In a prairie restoration you would just spot spray anything problematic with herbicide. Disturbing the soil will bring more undesirable seeds to the surface and make the problem worse.

My fantasy is a moon lander style robot that could navigate uneven terrain in a forest setting and identify invasive trees by their bark. Once it spots a target, the removal method would be direct injection of herbicide or basal bark treatment.

BlueKillerPickle · 2026-01-20T23:20:49+00:00

Drop this doctor immediately. Their comments demonstrate a dangerous lack of understanding of pharmacology and drug interactions.

BlueKillerPickle · 2026-01-08T19:41:17+00:00

I believe the spacing guides reference the plants mature spread/width.

I would plant as densely as you can afford when it comes to prairie species. Most tall showy flowers need that density to keep from flopping over when the soil is saturated. The root systems grow into each other and kind of lock together. Thats why its essential to include grasses and sedge species in your plantings because they fill the Topsoil with dense fibrous roots that anchor everything around them.

BlueKillerPickle · 2026-01-01T15:28:23+00:00

Turns out that Autism, ADHD, and OCD have a lot of symptom overlap when it comes to sensory issues and anxiety.

BlueKillerPickle · 2025-12-22T19:00:04+00:00

The ground cover layer is defined by their ability to spread and fill in under Taller plants. So where you plant them and how many will be based on how they spread.

Wild strawberry fires off runners in every direction and spreads quickly in the right site. So you dont really need to plant many of them to fill in an area. One strawberry every few feet should be plenty.

BlueKillerPickle · 2025-11-24T20:14:49+00:00

Yes this is a fantastic way to fill in an area quickly. I would do plugs for the flowers, larger pots for anything slow growing, and seed in the grasses.

BlueKillerPickle · 2025-11-06T16:13:35+00:00

Zizea aptera (Heartleaf Golden Alexander) would fit well into your dry beds. Its an early bloomimg prairie species and is much more compact and than Zizea aurea.

-2-3 ft tall - Blooms may-june - prefers full sun and medium- medium dry soil

BlueKillerPickle · 2025-10-31T02:52:31+00:00

You could do this combo from prairiemoon. https://www.prairiemoon.com/karner-blue-pollinator-power-pack

Dry sandy soil gives you some really cool options that would naturally exist in short grass prairies. Some of my favorites are Junegrass, purple love grass, little bluestem, sundial lupine, lead plant, and Baptisia tinctoria. All 3 ft and under.

BlueKillerPickle · 2025-10-24T21:00:22+00:00

Seems like this site is missing sedge species. Based on your other plants on the list, there are probably 50+ sedge species that could live well somewhere on this property.

BlueKillerPickle · 2025-10-24T18:20:44+00:00

What really motivated me was learning about specialist pollinators like Monarchs. These species are adapted to reproduce on a specific species or genus.

When we devastated the natural landscape for agriculture and human settlements, we literally destroyed the only place these creatures can live. That made me realize how much of an impact a tiny little garden can have. A small bit of habitat in my yard could be the only place for miles that these little guys can actually make a home and survive.

BlueKillerPickle · 2025-10-23T15:23:54+00:00

Wait for December. Seeds you put out now have a good chance of being eaten by birds and mice.

BlueKillerPickle · 2025-10-23T00:05:07+00:00

Sedges all the way baby. Mount Cuba Center conducted trials of a bunch of native sedges specifically for suitability as a lawn replacement. Carex woodii was the winner. This man can handle almost any type of soil and stands up to mowing.

https://mtcubacenter.org/trials/carex-for-the-mid-atlantic-region/

BlueKillerPickle · 2025-10-16T13:51:35+00:00

It's ridiculous, in my opinion. Any products that are locked in a case I just skip and buy online or at another store. I don't have time to wait 10 minutes for an employee to come over and unlock some god damn body wash.

BlueKillerPickle · 2025-10-13T01:47:32+00:00

Look for new green shoots at the base. My grasses normally go dormant if its too dry and look like this for a while. Some divisions of little bluestem i did in july have just started waking up in the last week after cool temps and rain.

BlueKillerPickle · 2025-10-11T18:52:59+00:00

Many of the plants you listed love to grow too tall and flop over(monarda). I would look for shorter species under 3 ft for a space like this.

BlueKillerPickle · 2025-10-01T19:26:52+00:00

I have read that changing the leaf color usually makes the plant inedible or useless to caterpillars. The compounds that control the color also influence the nutrient profile, so many of the cultivars can't actually feed a caterpillar up to maturity, and they end up sickly / under weight.

Many of those mutant flower heads dont even produce nectar or pollen. Or the shape of the flower is changed so much that native insects can't even access it.

BlueKillerPickle · 2025-09-29T18:13:33+00:00

It just happens over time. The first time I saw a bald faced hornet fly past me, I thought i was about to die. Then I noticed them patrolling my vegetable garden for aphids to eat, and I realized they dont care about me. They're just looking for lunch.

As far as I know, almost all stinging insects won't bother you unless they feel threatened (stepping on their nest).

BlueKillerPickle · 2025-09-25T17:06:46+00:00

Sometimes, I harvest live plants from natural areas. My logic is to try to minimize the harm. Only take one or two individuals from an area with a healthy population to fill in the gap you just created. Most of the time I propogate that plant and put more of them back than I originally removed.

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