Organic Invasice Removal and Control Workshop

Last week, NOFA's Organic Land Care Program hosted a workshop on Organic Invasive Removal and Control at the Beardsley Zoo Hanson Exploration Station.  The workshop started off in a classroom at the Station.  Dr. Charlotte Pyle, a landscape ecologist for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, first explained how to identify Connecticut's invasives.  Mike Nadeau of Plantscapes, Inc then discussed his first-hand experience controlling invasives species organically.  The classroom portion of the workshop concluded with Donna Ellis, a Senior Extension Educator in the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture at UConn, discussing her successes with biological control of invasive plants.  

 The workshop then moved to the field. Pictured below is Mike Nadeau demonstrating the use of a large weed wrench to remove unwanted plants (all photos credited to Bill Duesing) 

This photograph is of purple loostrife which has been controlled through the release of targeted, beneficial insects. This use of biological control can perhaps be more widely implemented to effectively control this invasive species in other areas.  

Donna Ellis discusses biological pest control with Charlotte Pyle to her right in the photograph.

Mike Nadeau demonstrated removal of Japanese knotweed using a specially type of bladed shovel that removes the plants deep roots.

For more information on the Organic Land Care program and resources for land care professionals or homeowners, please visit www.organiclandcare.net.  If this workshop interested you and you missed it, we have another summer workshop on August 23 in the New York Botanical Gardens titled Compost Tea: First Defense in Organic Land Care.