A Grasslands Naturalists volunteer pulls downy brome by a city stormwater pond.--Submitted Photo
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
The Grasslands Naturalists is reminding residents to check their property and back alleys for invasive weeds, before they have the chance to go to seed.
The weed in question, downy brome, is unfortunately quite common in Medicine Hat and area, says Cathy Linowski, a volunteer with Grasslands Naturalists.
“It can occur in lots of areas, but the one that we’d like people to pay attention to is in the back alleys around their homes in Medicine Hat,” said Linowski. “Right now it is kind of a soft green plant with a fuzzy leaf. And the heads that it makes are the seeds that have a little hair on the end, not unlike needle and thread grass.”
The plant will begin to deposit its seeds and dry up within the next few weeks, repeating the cycle for the annual plant. Fortunately, said Linowski, they possess a very shallow root system, making them easy to pull and remove.
For instance, five volunteers moved to clear out a large patch of the plant at the pond between Somerside Road and S. Boundary Road, as part of the Adopt a Pond or Path Program.
“If we’d had more people, we could have even done a larger area,” said Linowski. “But you know, it doesn’t take very long even for a few people to clear a large area of downy brome.”
Unlike some other species, said Linowski, there is no risk to collecting downy brome, as it lacks sharp points, and will not cause dermatitis or any adverse reactions in most people. She does warn however, not to put the pulled plants in the compost, as that may allow for intact seeds to be re-introduced to the soil later on when the compost is used.
“If you do have a really major infestation, one of the things you can do is try to smother it,” said Linowski. “Cover it up with layers of cardboard or newspaper, or I’ve even used old carpet. So if you, if you smother it out like that over a period of time, it will also kill it as well.”
Linowski recommended against the use of sprays or vinegar to kill the plant.
She continued to explain that in destinations where downy brome has been able to seed for several years, it may take several more to see the number of plants each spring reduced.
For those interested in helping to control the number of infestations in the community, or learn more about invasive species, Grasslands Naturalists is hosting two more weed workshops for the general public.
“They’ll be on June 8 and June 22. We got a City of Medicine Hat microgrant to go into different people’s neighbourhoods,” said Linowski. “So the one on June 8 will be Riverside, at the park there, and the one on June 22 will be by the Veiner Centre. and we are encouraging local homeowners to come up and meet their neighbours, and we’ll go on a walk where we identify common weeds that they might be having to deal with. And give them some real good practical alternatives for how to control the weeds.”
The events are free and require no registration, and will run from 10 a.m. until noon.
