How to spot invasive plants during the winter
Common invasives plants include honeysuckle, callery pear, and the tree of heaven
CINCINNATI (WXIX) - During the winter, bushes and trees start to look the same because they have lost their leaves. They are simply dormant, meaning that invasive plants are still alive.
Keith Robinson is the marketing and outreach coordinator with Hamilton County Conservation District. He says that invasive plant species can be easier to treat during the winter because there is less foliage to work around.
He says that honeysuckle is easy to spot during the winter. He describes the bark as “stringy” and therefore easy to rip off the trunk, plus the plant is hollow on the inside.
Robinson also said many invasives, like honeysuckle, tend to reproduce rapidly.
“They create what’s called a monoculture,” Robinson said. “They grow a whole bunch of them together, and they don’t allow for a whole lot of diversity.”
To properly treat the invasive plant, Robinson says to cut it down and spray the stump with herbicide.
This is the same method that you’d use for other invasive plants, such as the callery pear and the tree of heaven.
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