Controlling shining geranium

[olin...@earthlink.net]

Folks:

 

Anyone have experience trying to control shining geranium (G. lucidum)?  The attached pic is from a planter at our house near Airlie, but we have several expanding patches in different parts of the property.  According to the literature, it’s prolific seeding makes it very challenging to control and leads to very aggressive spreading.  As an annual whose seeds are only viable for a year or two it seems that mowing soon after emergence should eventually bring it under control.  Our patches are still small enough that I might be able to tackle them with a weed whacker.  Thoughts?

 

Olin

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Olin Allen

olin...@earthlink.net

 

[Stephanie Hazen]

they are easily pulled up. 

Stephanie

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[olin...@earthlink.net]

Yes, they are, except we already have thousands of plants in some of these patches – they’re beyond the point where they can be hand-pulled.

[tapfan]

I thought that was a very funny response! Not so easy to pull up when there are hundreds of them. Lol

Sent from my Galaxy

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[Margaret Stephens]

Hi, all; this is a very pervasive and persistent weed. Yes, they are easy to pull up if you pull at the root base as it is easy to miss the roots in the ground. Massive amounts as was mentioned need some other solution, but if the plant is in flower, the method of weed whacking it might leave the flowers intact with enough juice to develop seeds, so leaving the cuttings on the ground sounds like is not workable as seeds could continue to develop.  I read somewhere the seed bank can last 5 years also.    I am copying text from Marion Soil and Water Conservation District below.  
Control
Prevent spreading shiny geranium by cleaning shoes and avoiding walking through infestations. It doesn't have much of a root system, so it's easy to pull by hand. Hand-pull small infestations before they set seed. Mulch with a thick layer of wood chips to prevent germination of seeds. Flame weeding is also effective. It may have several flushes in a single year so it should be controlled every few weeks in spring-to-early-summer and autumn-to-winter to prevent seed set. Mowing is not effective and can spread seeds.
Disposal Methods
If shiny geranium hasn't produced flowers yet, you can pull it and place it in a dark compost pile or under a tarp to allow it to dry out. If it has produced flowers, geranium should be bagged and disposed of in the municipal waste to prevent spreading seeds.

[olin...@earthlink.net]

Thanks!  I think that mowing/weed whacking would only work if done soon after sprouting before they start to flower.  Sounds like it may need to be done several times each year.

 

The reference I found – for a variety of invasives – is Management Strategies for Invasive Plants in Pacific

Northwest Prairies, Savannas, and Oak Woodlands, available as a pdf here: https://bioone.org/journals/northwest-science/volume-85/issue-2/046.085.0219/Management-Strategies-for-Invasive-Plants-in-Pacific-Northwest-Prairies-Savannas/10.3955/046.085.0219.full

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