Bloomington has quite a few invasive plant species to contend with.
We have invasive plants like:
- Bradford pear (callery pear)
- Autumn olive
- Stiltgrass
- Japanese honeysuckle
- Garlic mustard
Some of these were brought here for their looks. Others were picked up accidentally on vehicles and in shoe treads.
Regardless of how they got here, it’s important to remove them and eventually replace them with native plants.
How to Remove Invasive Species
How Bloomington residents remove invasive plant species depends on the species itself.
Bradford pear trees are removed mechanically with saws, ideally before they start to bloom.
- These odd-smelling trees have a tendency to break due to a weak structure.
- Their weak branch unions, where the branch connects to the trunk, will eventually give in high winds and under their own weight.
- We can remove them safely from your property and suggest native species to replace them.
Garlic mustard should be removed by hand during flowering, before the plants produce seeds.
- Pull at the base of the plant and try to remove the entire root.
- Don’t leave it on the ground. It can still complete its flowering and seeding phases when it’s uprooted.
- Dispose of it as garbage.
- Mowing is not effective. Should not be done May-September.
- Check back often to re-pull plants with remaining root fragments.
Japanese honeysuckle can be trimmed back and then pulled out by the roots. The growing area should be revisited regularly to pull out new growth.
Our goal at Indiana Brush is to help Bloomington remove invasive plant species.
Helping Bloomington Remove Invasive Plants
We have an excellent opportunity to remove invasive plants from Bloomington and Monroe County.
With a little bit of knowledge and some helping hands, we can replace invasive species with native Indiana plants one home at a time.
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