Tweeters Tweeters Tweeters. If you've time enough to spare to pull
purple loosestrife by hand, you need another hobby or perhaps to visit
your mother more often, 'cause you're not making efficient use of your
time and energy.
P. loosestrife doesn't just spread by seed, even though it is a very
prolific seed producer, it also spreads by rhizomes, so every time you
pull a stem or stock you are actually speeding it's spread unless you are
pulling every fragment of the roots and it's not possible to get every
fragment of the roots by manual or mechanical means unless you excavate
the entire area of infestation down to a depth of 18+ inches. Also, any
stem fragment broken off and dropped in the water or on the mud will most
likely take root also. Just what is the size of the areas where you all
were conducting these exercises in futility? 1,000 sq. ft.? 1/4 acre?
If so, then if it made you feel like you were doing something important
to save the planet, whoopie, I just hope you didn't break your arms
patting yourself on the back, but in my humble opinion, you were wasting
your time. And just what is the point of all that manual labor when
there is Rodeo and at least one formulation of 2-4-D, both approved by
the EPA and Washington Dept. of Ag. for use in wetlands, which when used
according to label instructions, kills P. loosestrife dead all the way to
the tips of it's roots.
The areas of infestation on this side of the state run a little
larger-some into the thousands of acres. I've been fighting this hateful
plant in the 100 acre wetland that I manage for the last 8 years and so I
hope you'll forgive me for being amused at the suggestion that pulling
this plant is an effective method of controlling it. I have managed to
make some headway against it with herbicides, but I'm mighty glad to
learn that biological controls are coming that will, hopefully, relieve
me of the need to spray. However, if you just like pulling weeds, why
don't you just come on over, 'cause we could sure use some help with the
rush skeleton weed, dalmatian toadflax, star thistle and the various
knapweeds, etc., etc. Be sure to bring gloves. :-)

Good birding, love & peace you all, and especially you D.B., you'll
always be my favorite stalker. ;-)

Dennis K Rockwell
denniskrockwell at juno.com
Kennewick, Washington



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