Burning Japanese Stiltgrass
This invasive grass is found in every southern indiana county including monroe county.
Burning japanese stiltgrass. We ve tried pulling it up by hand but can t seem to get it all. Mike mcgrath shares tips and tricks to getting rid of those pesky weeds in your lawn without all the fire and fury. Japanese stiltgrass microstegium vimineum is an invasive grass that threatens native plants and natural habitats in the eastern united states native to japan china central asia and india. Growth habit bright green grass has silver hairs down the center of its short bamboo like blade.
However when you think about it it is a pyrotechnical method which does not guarantee 100 safety. Has a weak and shallow root system. This past summer i attended a workshop given by nofa organic land care on the organic management of invasive plants in the landscape. I want to share some of the information i learned especially as it relates to japanese stilt grass microstegium vimineum which i wrote about last week since japanese stilt grass is an annual grass the primary goal is to prevent it from producing seeds.
From asia in the early 1900s. Japanese stiltgrass microstegium vimineum japanese stiltgrass is a non native annual grass that was introduced to the southeastern u s. Even university extension bulletins that praise the use of chemical. Vimineum was originally documented in tennessee in 1919 and is believed to have been accidentally introduced to the united states through its use as a packing material.
Japanese stiltgrass may be driving you crazy but don t go for the torch just yet. We ve been told that herbicides are the best way to get rid of it but we don t want to kill everything else in the yard. Grows up to 2 ft. Japanese stiltgrass has a wide range of habitat preferences including stream banks river bluffs forested wetlands home lawns and gardens allow it to spread easily to new locations.
This species requires land disturbance such as mowing grazing or burning to invade an area and once it is established it can dominate the plant community. Our lawn is being invaded by japanese stilt grass. Burning japanese stiltgrass is also a method practiced by many homeowners. What should we do.
Japanese stiltgrass microstegium vimineum. Japanese stiltgrass microstegium vimineum is bright green with a distinctive silvery stripe of reflective hairs along the midrib of each narrow lance shaped blade the leaves are one to three inches long and alternately arranged on a branched stalk resembling a smaller more delicate version of bamboo. Closeup of leaf blade photo. Jason and tina in patterson new york a.