{"id":179,"date":"2015-09-05T14:59:37","date_gmt":"2015-09-05T18:59:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/crcwma.org\/?p=179"},"modified":"2016-02-03T12:26:25","modified_gmt":"2016-02-03T17:26:25","slug":"strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crcwma.org\/index.php\/2015\/09\/05\/strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"Strategy – Life History"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/a>Life History<\/h2>\n

Learn the growth pattern of the target invasive species, because it will determine the main options for the timing of control and removal. No matter what the growth cycle of a plant is, the key is preventing the plant from reproducing by seed or by vegetative cloning.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Annual<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Annual plants live fast and die young. They complete their life cycles in one year, from germination from seed, through flowering and seed set. After the seeds mature, the plants die. Everything from seedling to seed production happens only once. The trick to managing these plants is removing them before they produce and distribute seed. Subsequent treatments are used to deplete the seedbank. Knowing what the seedlings of annuals look like is helpful for surveys and follow-up treatments.<\/p>\n

The plants you see in the spring will certainly be gone by the fall; however, they will produce seed before they go. By applying herbicide during the growing season, annuals can be killed before they go to seed, reducing the odds of their survival in the next season. An alternative to using herbicide is to mow the plants when they are beginning to flower. Small infestations can be hand-pulled, but the resulting soil disturbance could promote germination of weed seeds.<\/p>\n

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