Sarah, a restoration pro, deeply connected to a high-quality wet prairie, found it infested with the invasive reed canary grass. She wanted to make the ecosystem healthy again, but in her research she found limited ways to deal with this invasive species.
Torn about using herbicide, she researched and found glyphosate was effective, but one of the only ways to truly control it. She treated the area year after year, waiting for it to get under control, but progress was slow and eventually she hit a dead end.
Ten years later, she still had a reed canary mess, not a sedge meadow like she deeply wanted. Sarah was frustrated and felt like she had failed the ecosystem and mother nature for not only using so much herbicide, but also wasting her time and money.
Like Sarah, restoration pros and DIYers often feel like they're on a treadmill – lots of effort, but no real progress. You put in the work, but it feels like you're getting nowhere fast. But there's a better way!
The Fly-Wheel-Ecology Way:
- Hit the grass with glyphosate.
- Weeks later, follow up by respraying or mowing the flowering reed canary grass heads.
- Immediately plant a native cover crop like Virginia rye, ideally in May or June.
- Come back in late summer or early fall one the rains begin again to plant your "warrior plants" – tough natives that outcompete the reed canary grass long-term.
You've felt the frustration of endless spraying and minimal progress, we get it. But there's a different path.
When you commit to using herbicide, make that effort truly count. Instead of creating a void, immediately reinvest in nature's incredible healing power.
By spending just a few dollars on an inexpensive native cover crop and then strategically planting just one warrior plant plug per patch, you'll save time, money, and your back, while swiftly transforming your site into a stable, vibrant, and significantly healthier ecosystem.
It's time to break free from the treadmill and truly nourish your land back to life.
Learn more tips and tricks of managing reed canary by checking out our blog post: Reed Canary Grass Control
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