From this 2019 study I have coined the phrase, "Hit It In The Window", or "The F'ing Window", between "Flower Fade and First Frost"... a trimmed down version that laypeople can understand. (Most use ready mix RoundUp or have found an off-brand glyphosate. We remind them "The Label Is The Law" and to wear proper PPE)  So far, we're getting reports back of a 80-90% reduction in the first season of spraying In The Window. Some members are on their 5th season after spraying and reports are still good. I remind everyone to never assume that it is dead; that every year they need to be watching for "scout sprouts" and hit those in the window to "keep the alien asleep" and "send another Trojan Horse down to the roots".

I've used the analogy of a Boss at the end of an old video game to describe what this method is doing. We wait until the Boss shows its weakness (in this case, the plant has been in a huge exhale all summer, but between flowering and frost kill it is IN-haling, and that's where we can slip a Trojan Horse into the roots. Behind enemy lines they'll 'cut the power', so in the spring when the plant tries to roar back to life it will be weakened and not know what hit it. We wait until The Window again, letting the plant think "the coast is clear" and it goes "business as usual" and then we "Hit It In The Window" again. This pattern of waiting and hitting the weakness continues "as long as you own the property", checking diligently for "scout sprouts". (I've also encouraged all my members to be taking detailed notes on their patches, including pictures and measurements annually)

My UK admin, Brian, has also made the observation that spraying the stalks seems to have the same effect as spraying the leaves, which makes the "June Cut" unnecessary. The "June Cut" is primarily to "bring the canopy down to spray reach", but it also triggers growth in the roots/rhizomes and can put the plant into a 'frenzy' mode where it isn't 'in the mood' to take up the herbicide in the fall. 

A great suggestion came from the members to just add the surveying for sprout to the annual yard maintenance "To Do" list so it is not so overwhelming a thought. Another couple members have suggested PAINTING the glyphosate onto the plants to avoid overspray/drift. Still others have shared how they covered their desirable plants with cardboard or plastic to protect them during treatment. 

There HAS been pushback about the "RoundUp causes cancer!", but thankfully we have several herbicide specialists who respond and dispel the fears. (One civilian member said, "It's not like they're telling you to bathe in it or drink it! Just wear proper PPE!!!" which I got a kick out of.)  I just learned today that Bayer/Monsanto is going to be taking RoundUp off the market for domestic use this year in the US. Members have found a product called "Green Shoots" and seem happy with it but I/they'll be looking for some other alternatives.

I really hope the "Nix the Knotweed" campaign isn't getting a foothold in Michigan. The "Constant Cutting" method was proven ineffective decades ago in the UK. "Nix the Knotweed" is ACTIVELY campaigning states to ban glyphosate, too, and I'm not sure what we'll then. One of my guys from the UK (Wales, I think) has shared that he knows people that have been cutting for decades and they are now becoming too old to keep up and the knotweed is taking back the ground.  

I'm working on a series of videos and infographics to help explain how knotweed behaves. Several in the group are working on materials to help #SpreadTheWordNotThePlant I'll share what they come up with here. I'm hoping to really come up with some shareable Knotweed Awareness Campaign material this winter and start building networks in the communities represented in the group. (Massachusetts and Connecticut seem to have the highest representation for the US presently, and Quebec, Canada is starting to show up)

All worthwhile developments and ideas I will share here to help my home state's Invasive Species Network  

Tchuss! 

Well this is new. I was called to conduct a site visit for initial treatment by a woman in the city of Marquette who has knotweed. She has last year's growth still standing, so we were going to look at it this year to determine the next steps for first-time treatment for her. Upon arriving at the site, there's definitely knotweed, but nothing new growing this year. I'm stumped. I've never seen knotweed take care of itself, but she's been living in the house for 35 years, with the knotweed there for only about 4-5 years until she had someone ID it for her last year - so this year would have been the first treatment. Other knotweed sites in the UP are already at 4 feet of growth, if not more dependent on the site location, and this doesn't even have sprouts.

Any ideas? Other than aliens or divine intervention? Has anyone else encountered knotweed that limited its own growth somehow?

Is anyone aware of good general (non-site specific) public signage for invasive shrub removal? What I've heard is that the public has lot of questions about why the forest and brush is being cleared away and I was curious if anyone was aware of printable signage that could be laminated or distributed to others and set at a site for general public awareness. Perhaps something that is general enough to be set up for various species and/or locations? 

I was thinking on the inclusion of QR code to a general website resource: 

This site has some relevant information for public awareness of thinning and invasive shrub removal, but is a case study: https://www.cullennature.org/restoration.html

And this site was interesting and provided some of the why, but is a story map specific to honeysuckles: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/6aa346fe0dc54f86a59c0f3864af9f20

Let me know if you are aware of something along these lines!

Thanks!

Patrick Canniff (He/Him/His)
Oakland County CISMA Coordinator
CanniffP@OakGov.com
Phone: (248)882-8643

My observations and experience have led me to thinking that American bittersweet is often mis-identified as oriental bittersweet. I come across the native bittersweet far more often than the non-native bittersweet when I wait to see the fruit (in northern Michigan). I don't always see fruiting material and thus have to assume that it's the native species. I was just checking a site I observed earlier in the summer that I thought would be the non-native due to its urban location and habit, but the only fruiting material I found (there wasn't much) was consistent wit the native bittersweet. 

What are your experiences and observations regarding bittersweet? What are the character states displayed by the hybrid of the two? 

Thanks for your input,

Derek

I received a call the other day about invasive jumping worms. Is anyone familiar with this species, or what to do about it? Any information would be helpful, as its not one that I'm really familiar with. 

Thanks! It was good to see many of you at the summer field trip and hear about how everyone is doing! 

I have a partner who wants to put up a boot brush station, and I'm wondering if there is any recommendations for purchasing pre-built stations, or designs for making them. Also, are there any signs that people have already made that KISMA could modify and use for the boot brush area?

Thank you in advance for time and thoughts.

Hope everybody's summer is going well.

Cheers,

Sigrid

Thanks and Happy Holidays,

Sigrid 

I noticed on Michigan Flora that there are known occurrences both north & south of the six counties of NCCISMA.

Has anyone seen this species actively outcompeting natives and impacting habitat (beyond the ROWs)?

Since the risk to human health comes from eating it, which is a bad idea for a lot of plants, I do not think the risk to human health qualifies it as invasive.

Wondering if I should make control of poison hemlock a priority?

Insight and input on this would be appreciated!

We are wondering, what other CISMAs around the state are doing / promoting to road and drain commissions for decontaminating their equipment?

Are you enforcing this protocol? If so, how?

What equipment is best used for mobile decontamination of mowers / excavators / trucks?

Have there been any suggestions to make this practice easier to implement so it is widely adopted?

Thanks,

McKenzi

Has anyone done DNA tests on knotweed to determine whether it is Japanese, Bohemian or Giant? I'm working with an Oakland University professor on this and just curious if anyone has tried it before in Michigan. Let me know if so!

Also curious once we determine which varieties are present in our area whether the treatment effectiveness may vary depending on the variety. Any insights appreciated, thanks!

As I gear up for another summer of battling black swallow wort, I thought I'd share what I've tried so far. Last year I was able to control isolated patches of swallow wort by using Round Up poison ivy killer (contains small amounts of triclopyr) by spraying each plant until dripping. I was using 8 ounces of the concentrate in my 1.33 gallon battery sprayer with a bit (maybe 2 oz, I didnt measure) of 80/20 surfactant from tractor supply. That works well for individual plants. 

Now, I'm back to tackling my giant monoculture. I obtained some used billboards and put them down mid May. I tried sailing grommets with 4 inch landscaping pins, but that didn't hold. I needed something heavier. I've moved to rocks and milk jugs, which I need more of. The billboards seem to be suppressing growth, but I think being that they're white, they're still letting too much light through. I'm going to get more and double up with two layers. The portions of the photos that show no growth is due to the billboard being blown into a tangle from last winter.

I just wanted to share since I know many of us are struggling to get this terrible invader under control. 

Cornwall Council- PDFs for almost every job that could encounter knotweed

Environment Agency's Knotweed Code of Practice (the first couple pages are changes, the pretty pictures and flow chart are after that  ) (check out the Dendro Scott root barrier use!)

2010 Article by Dr. John "Professor Knotweed" Bailey

Dr. John "Professor Knotweed" Bailey's UofL informative webpage (he retired in 2014, I'm trying to find current contact info)

Dr. John "Professor Knotweed" Bailey's 2016 Invasive Weed Conference presentation to Property Care (How deep do you want to go?)

I'll post more as comments as I come to them.

Happy reading!

We are a relatively new CISMA and I am wondering if any other CISMAs have developed interpretive signs for Japanese knotweed that we could have permission to edit and use. 

Thank you!

Erin Jarvie, MM-CISMA Coordinator

• Knotweed can be dormant in the soil for around 20 years. (according to many sources in the UK, including their Environment Agency)
• Countless 'knotweed' businesses have been developed in the UK, whose sole purpose is to treat and monitor properties with knotweed infestations.
• These companies sell their services in 10-year contracts: application of herbicide (roughly 3 years) and then monitoring for regrowth the rest of the 10 years.

Some declare it eradicated after two years of no regrowth, but given the 20-year potential dormancy, this is- in mine and others opinion- not wise.

• The Invasive Species Council of British Columbia (CAN) is offering the public classes on how to start an Invasive Species Treatment Business. Not plant specific, but more of the BUSINESS side of the deal.

I think this idea is something we in Michigan should latch on to, and see about replicating in our service areas. 

During the field trip to West Michigan CISMA this year, I heard it over and over: "We just don't have enough people to monitor all this property for knotweed!"

Also, with funding running out and grants not being awarded (among other reasons for dissolution), CISMAs and others who have been treating knotweed for the public run the risk of having poked the bear for a year or two, only to not be there when it rages back in an explosion of growth. (which could leave the problem worse than when the strike teams first arrived- this plant fights back).

I encourage any organization with the ability, to explore providing the entrepreneurial public with opportunities to start an Invasive Species Treatment Business.

I understand the risk and fear of people being out there, 'going crazy' with treatments and things, but I feel that that is where -> WE <- can provide the guidance and support so that it is done RIGHT. Legitimately. (Think: partnerships in the community with business training associations- like ISCBC did with the Aboriginal Business Centre for their event. Maybe DNR/MDARD can be involved to create a 'fast track' program-...hate the name...- to promote this or make it easier to get information on herbicide training/certs...)

They promoted the following:

• Finding the Entrepreneurial Mindset
• Goal Setting and Business Planning
• Financing Your Business and Understanding Cash Flow
• Business and Financial Administration
• Market Research and Marketing Your Business
• Requirements to Start Up and Invasive Species Management Business

And required the following:

* Underemployed resource industry workers

* Interested in starting up their own invasive species service-based business

* Hold a valid Industrial Vegetation and Noxious Weed Pesticide Applicators Certificate

* Aware of invasive species and management issues in the region

*Attendance to Orientation

We CAN'T fight knotweed alone. It will suck up all our resources in a short amount of time.  We need to build an 'army'... for lack of better terms.... A private sector army that HAS the time and resources to watch this stuff for 10+ years at a time. I'm diving into research papers and I keep coming up with the same result: We are going to be overrun by knotweed. (This researcher says forests are going to be a thing of the past because of knotweed: http://gearsofbiz.com/poison-ivy-an-unlikely-hero-in-warding-off-exotic-invaders/196733  The paper is here: https://bdj.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=20577

But we still have time to do something about it. I'm looking forward to working with anyone who wants to chat/come up with some state plans/ideas 

Here is the link to the course being put on by Invasive Species Council of British Columbia: http://bcinvasives.ca/resources/programs/invasive-species-training/northeast-bc-invasive-species-business-development-workshop/invasive-species-business-development-workshop-dec-5-6

Here is the link to an article about a guy quitting his job to start up a knotweed company WITH DRONES!: http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/local-news/sourge-japanese-knotweed-moves-dolgellau-13852836

And just for some extra fun, here are three FANTASTIC two-minute videos from Invasive Species Council of Metro Vancouver:

 Knotweed video #1 -Intro

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J99e_rTJ66U" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 Knotweed video #2 –How it spreads

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZTgoan0jLnQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 Knotweed video #3 -Handling

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZzG63ujtCo8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I hope everyone is having a productive beginning to their field season.  KISMA has been very busy battling knotweed (both species), wild parsnip, knapweed, etc in the great white North! 

I was wondering if any of you had informative pamphlets/handouts that focus on giant knotweed.  We have several different ones which talk about Japanese knotweed, but none that give any details about giant knotweed specifically.  If any of you have some you would be willing to share, KISMA would really appreciate being allowed to hand them out to our private landowners.

Thanks,

Sam