Day 239
Spelling of disturbed land, people might think I am disturbed if they see me wandering my big backyard with a machete. Trust me, things aren't quite what they appear.
While our land was altered and disturbed in the 1930’s to prepare it for farming, when we tried to turn back the clock and naturalize the land back to its native state by attacking the invasives, we are also disturbing it.
Most of the disturbance will actually wake up the dormant native seed bank and allow the plants we want to see grow and seed thrive. However, not everything that replaces the invasive reed canary grass (RCG) is what we want. While native land that is disturbed attracts invasive plants, land dominated by invasives that is disturbed attracts more invasive and native weeds. However, with proper maintenance and observant eyes, these new problematic plants can be neutralized early on and continue to allow for native plants to make a remarkable comeback.
Some of that proper maintenance requires targeted mowing, string trimming, and an occasional middle-aged man wielding a machete. I'm happy to be that machete-wielding man as long as it helps me better understand and improve the land.
Since the last treatment of the entire land, I have tried to keep a close eye on the plants that are popping up. Since I am a novice on many of these plants, I have sought assistance and guidance form our restoration partner. With hsi help, I have focused on a plan to help maintain the progress we are seeing. Some areas need specific herbicide treatment that is thistle-specific. Everything else can be strategically trimmed. Some larger patches can be trimmed down using a mower. Other sporadic popping up plans require string trimming. I actually will occasionally use my machete. It's more fun than the trimmer and doesn't require as much battery recharging.
Ultimately, removing these unwanted plans requires accurate timing. You want to hit the plant when it is close to dropping seeds so it expends a huge amount of its energy reserves and won't seed again before winter. If it does drop seeds, you have much more work to do.
I don't need any more work.
