CABOT — ‘Tis the season for nursery visits, plant swaps and sharing divisions with friends and neighbors. But hold on just a minute. Are you being safe and smart about what you bring into your yard?
Bringing home new plants, or having a big load of mulch or garden soil delivered is, of course, quite a lot of fun. However, it is not without risks. Along with that nifty plant, might you also be bringing home unintended (and unwelcome) guests?
And how much do you actually know about this plant? Will it prosper as a tidy little mound, or will it spread everywhere and be impossible to contain? By giving a bit of thought to the materials you bring
home, you can save a lot of headaches down the road.
Headache-inducing mistake: jumping worms
Jumping worms are originally from eastern Asia. They are highly problematic, changing the soil to an inhospitable, coffee-grounds texture, devoid of organic matter and stripped of nutrients. This changed soil isn’t conducive to native plants, ornamentals, or veggies (or much of anything, except for aggressive and invasive plants).
How do jumping worms get to your yard? The fastest method of spread is from soil brought in from elsewhere. In April, jumping worms are just starting their life cycle as tiny black cocoons. Trust me, you won’t see them mixed into a handful of soil. Potted plants from a nursery, or a plant swap, or your friend’s yard, all can harbor jumping worm cocoons.
They are sometimes found in bulk soil, mulch, or compost. Soil stuck to shared tools, or on the bottom of boots can also spread cocoons.
Headache inducing mistake: aggressive plants.
There are plants sold by nurseries and plants shared in earnest good will, that will cause you no end of trouble. Nearly all the worst invasive plants were originally sold by nurseries, and intentionally brought to the places where they wreck havoc: Bradford pear, burning bush, Japanese barberry, goutweed, and
purple loosestrife, just to name a few.
And plants don’t need to be exotic to be a problem; some native plants are too aggressive to let loose in the typical garden setting (Anemone canadensis, I’m looking at you). Though some invasive plants
have been banned from the nursery trade, there are unfortunately many more that are still legally sold and widely available, such as chameleon plant (Houttuynia cordata), vinca (Vinca minor), and butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii).
That division you pick up from a plant swap or friend could certainly be an overly-aggressive spreader.
In fact, if you think about it, that may be exactly why the plant swaps or friends have plenty of these plants to give away.
Headache-inducing mistake: weedy stowaways.
Unwanted plants can hide as stowaways, traveling as bits of roots in the soil of an otherwise perfectly nice potted plant. Goutweed and quackgrass are often spread this way. Soil may also have weedy seeds in it, ready to germinate.
Plant swaps and divisions from friends are the biggest culprit, as many nurseries (though not all) use weed-free soil for potting and keep their potted stock well weeded.
So what can you do to garden safer and smarter? Mostly, it comes down to two things: don’t bring in contaminated materials and know what you’re planting.
Some specific actions that can help include buying bare-root nursery stock, starting plants from seeds and purchasing bagged compost/mulch or soil, rather than bulk materials stored on the ground.
If you need to buy bulk, ask if they have a management plan to keep their product free of jumping
worms.
When sharing plants with friends, wash off the roots thoroughly, and wrap with damp paper towels for
transport. Ask them to do the same for you. At nurseries with potted plants, ask about their jumping worm controls. If they don’t have an answer or seem unconcerned, request that they wash the roots clean for you, or just shop elsewhere.
Wash tools thoroughly before sharing with neighbors or even when using on different parts of your own property. Before visiting others, wash off muddy boots and work shoes in an area where it will be hot and dry (like a driveway). Consider keeping some loaner boots for visitors to your place.
Find out a little about the plant before planting. Check multiple sources, not just the tag it came with. Once adding plants, soil or mulch, keep an eye on it. Check for unwanted weedy plants popping up (within a few weeks of planting) or signs of jumping worms (generally obvious in late
summer). If a plant seems to be spreading very rapidly, consider control measures before it becomes an
unmanageable problem.
Susan Socks, aka the Garden Goddess, lives in Cabot. For gardening help, visit the Garden Goddess page at SocksFamilyFarm.weebly.com, email [email protected] or call (802) 498-7785.
