🌾🌾🌾🌾 Keep your hands safe while doing habitat work with these awesome gloves: amzn.to/3NozZcH 🌾🌾🌾🌾 This video is NOT sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission. 👉👉👉👉 Learn about another widespread invasive species, poison hemlock in this video: th-cam.com/video/oTenHO5QgW8/w-d-xo.html
The other good things about stiltgrass is that it is an annual which goes to seed only once a year, in Autumn, so you have all Summer to remove it and use it as compost or to prevent erosion on stream banks.
My husband does this as a hobby !😂 can’t wait to tell him . He is always pointing out trees he “saved “ in our county park nearby . And it is one of his official “jobs “ on our community tree commission.
Great video, thank you Anthony! My only suggestion is to distinguish it from the wonderful native nimblewill grass, which I think has similar habits but is finer and shorter and I believe harder to pull up as I did for awhile before I realized it was native! I think we're keeping stiltgrass under control; surprisingly easy to pull and I must have identified it early enough before it set many seeds! I had no idea it could get so tall!!
I may do a stiltgrass vs nimblewill video in the future. They do somewhat resemble each other. Nimble will is a perennial so it has a much larger root system than stiltgrass which is why it is harder to pull.
Our yard had morning glories on fences when we moved in. It has been 5 years and I'm still finding seedlings, although significantly less each year. Controlling invasives definitely isn't for the faint of heart. A lot of monitoring and removal constantly.
My experience in Northern VA has been that the seed bank is viable for four solid years. Pull every bit of stiltgrass in an area and it will be nearly stiltgrass-free on year five, provided it is not downstream from other stiltgrass, as the seeds float readily in stormwater. Go around in June and pull the places with the highest concentrations, the thickest monocultures. This disturbance and opening the ground up to light will encourage comepteng plants to grow, and will trick a second flush of stilgrass from the seed bank to germinate. Then go heavy, pull everything by mid-August. I'm working on about 10 acres of heavily infested woodlands in Great Falls, VA, including as a volunteer in the Park. My error; better to be an obsessive completeist in a smaller area, as anything you miss will seed prodigiously, condemning your fate to that of a modern-day Sisyphus. Look for invasive wineberry, garlic mustard, and wavyleaf basketgrass amongst the stiltgrass. In lawns, use a flexible tine dethatcher, set at the tallest tine setting ,to snag and pull the stiltgrass en masse ,while leaving the yard grass alone. The seed-free, pulled stiltgrass (pulled before it sets seed) makes excellent compost- a bit alkaline and sweet. I've even been using it to control erosion, rebuild stream banks.
I need to recheck some trails I visit here in PA, certain I have seen areas that look like the pictures 😧 Luckily, I grow natives, so I will order some replacement species from prairie moon nursery, they have many native seeds for excellent prices.
There are 3 different university white papers on Stilt Grass. - Only one white papers mentions the soil temperature the pre-emergent is to be put down Other Farmers have been putting down white clover in the fall to assist in reducing germination of stilt grass in the spring by putting down clover in the fall
Pre-emerg herbicides aren't used as often as post emrg herbicides by the average landowner for controlling stiltgrass - and when and how to apply them depends on what product is being used. The label on the herbicide should always be followed when applying any herbicide. I haven't heard about planting clover to control stiltgrass . I'll have to look into it - although it is swapping one invasive for a plant that is also listed as an invasive species in many states.
Metallica, Nice! Stiltgrass loves disturbance so keep an eye on areas that have been tilled, dozed, or logged. That is usually where it shows up first.
This stuff is my nemesis. Over half of my 2 acres in Virgnina is inundated with it. I've been battling it for several years. Tried pre-emergent, pulling, weed wacking. It just keeps coming back.
super and informative video. excellent work. i do enjoy seeing how countries different to my own handle certain plants and animals. basically i am a massive nature nerd, who loves to read/watch/learn all about global wildlife flora and fauna - you know me! sorry i haven't left you a comment in a while. have yourself an awesome week :)
I hit it with 10% acetic acid with a fairly heavy coverage rate. Once it turns brown, I cut it down with a string trimmer with the head set at an angle so it picks up a bit of dirt. We'll see how that works.
Annuals are about the only thing "burn down" contact herbicides like acetic acid are effective on since they don't touch the roots. It would likely be just as effective if you just cut them down with the string trimmer before they had a chance to flower. However, setting the string trimmer so that it picks up a bit of dirt, may unintentionally encourage more to sprout by bringing more seeds to the surface.
I just found some IO Moth eggs on the back of a stilt grass leaf! I didn't think it was good for anything so that surprised me. I'll still on a Microstegium Murder Mission, however, unless something like good eggs jump out at me.
This is a very informative video. Thank you. I have stiltgrass in a few areas. Once I remove it, what should I put in its place so that other invasives don’t grow there? Is there another type of grass or ground cover that I should plant in its place?
Replace it with something native, the exact species will depend on what the conditions are where the stiltgrass was - light, soil and moisture. Chances are you won't get all the stiltgrass in one go, it will continue to sprout from the seedbank. It takes continued effort to eliminate stiltgrass.
Don’t have it here in Wisconsin. But I’ve got a serious problem with grass that grows 6 feet tall and spreads by it’s pink root system. I call it barnyard grass, but I’m sure there’s another name for it. Every year it’s spreads into my garden and I literally have to dig it up and dispose of the roots. ( I won’t use chemicals)😁 That grass reminds me of bamboo.
You would need to use a grass specific herbicide such as those with the active ingredient clethodim. Follow the label for stiltgrass control - it is usually a low rate for stiltgrass.
Almost my entire 1/4 acre property in MD has so much i can barely even see the natives on the ground and that happened in less than 2 weeks, I learned what it was way way too late
It can come on fast. At this point you have a couple of choices: 1) Clip it just as it starts to go to seed, or 2) hand pull it now. It comes up super easy and you can actually cover quite a bit of ground quickly.
@@BackyardEcology I think I'm going to try pulling it today and see if/when it grows back, this just sucks cause I was trying to get all the requirements for making my lot a wildlife habitat but I need all greenery to be over 80% native.. between clover, whatever random plants you find in seed bundles, stiltgrass, bradford pears, poison ivy/oak/sumac, among several other incredibly invasive plants it's very disheartening. One example: my next door neighbors yard is literally a solid 6-8 inch layer of english ivy. Thank you for the suggestions!
Only if you do it right as it is flowering. Cutting it down before that just allows it to regrow and it can still set seed. If you don't have a huge area it can be hand pulled easily.
It will depend on what else is growing in the area and what you can legally apply as a landowner (it can vary by state). Contact your local extension agent for specific herbicide recommendations for your area.
Megadeth! Dave Mustaine was kicked out of Metallica and he went on to create Megadeth - that has served as inspiration for me as a musician and small business owner over the years.
I’ve got a question you MAY be able to answer. Everytime I clean my gutters, 1st or 2nd story, there’s enough worms to go fishing for a month. How the heck do they get there? Only thing I can figure is robins.
It seems as if the stilt grass has a few stocks in our garden beds. The seed head and leaves look familiar . Thanks for the heads-up. Metallica or Megadeth? I prefer aluminum foil.
You want to get it in the early stages - once it is well entrenched it can be a real bear to get rid of. Aluminum Foil? Must be a new school metal band😂😂
How about doing a video on cleavers. My yard is full and I spend every spring pulling it out before it goes to seed, or next year it will be worse. I hate that stuff.
Cleavers can be a problem in some areas. If I can find a good patch of it I may shoot a video. At least it is super easy to pull up, except that it sticks to you!
@@davehendricks4824 The first time you pull it up you have to look to see if it broke off or if the roots came up. Its amazing those tiny little roots can feed that big long plant!
How do i kill the stiltgrass without killing all my native grasses….i have gallons of just about every herbicide but i dont want to scorch all my wild grasses ive been growing
That is going to be tough as just about anything that will take out stiltgrass will also harm your native grasses. You may need to go with a preemergent herbicide as most won't harm your established perennial grasses. Not sure what the best option for your area would be on that.
Once it starts to go to seed it will usually be able to make viable seed before the herbicide has time to kill it. Once it is at the point of going to seed the only options are mowing it and disposing of the cut material or hand pulling it and disposing of the pulled plants.
I have a war on my hands in SW Pennsylvania. I didnt notice it at first but now its overwhelming. Prior, I have been fighting awar against, privit, knotweed, invasive honey suckle, japanese barberry and multaflora. I estimate that I have eradicated over 20,000 plants in a 2 acres area over 10 years. Im winning that battle but I have to keep up the fiught.@@BackyardEcology
It is never really over. Some species you can get knocked back and they stay in check, others just seem to keep popping up. If you can get the void created when the invasives are removed with some fast to establish natives it can help keep the invasives out. At least to some extent.@@TheJohnFry
Only if it the only thing green and even then they will try to get to other things. It is just not very palatable. If there are trees in the area they will likely strip the bark from them before eating the stiltgrass.
@@BackyardEcology Wow......that's amazing, because goats will eat almost anything........I am battling this grass on just my 2 acres. The only thing good about it is that it's easy to pull out. 🤦🏻♀
Burning plastic releases toxic chemicals into the air and is illegal in most states because of that. Some of the things released from burning plastic include nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, VOCs, POMs, heavy metals and dioxins. None of those are things you want to be breathing or in the atmosphere.
It has a wide range across Asia. Its common name of Japanese Stiltgrass is kind of misleading. In some areas it is known as Nepalese brown top which hints at its wider range.
🌾🌾🌾🌾 Keep your hands safe while doing habitat work with these awesome gloves: amzn.to/3NozZcH 🌾🌾🌾🌾
This video is NOT sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission.
👉👉👉👉 Learn about another widespread invasive species, poison hemlock in this video: th-cam.com/video/oTenHO5QgW8/w-d-xo.html
Very informative! Great video - I find that pulling stilt grass is kinda fun and relaxing because of how easy it is lol.
Thanks! That is the only good thing about stiltgrass - it is so easy to pull!
The other good things about stiltgrass is that it is an annual which goes to seed only once a year, in Autumn, so you have all Summer to remove it and use it as compost or to prevent erosion on stream banks.
My husband and I have been performing the circle of life English ivy cut on trees we see on walks.
English Ivy isn't too bad around here, unless you are near town and then it starts to be a bigger issue.
My husband does this as a hobby !😂 can’t wait to tell him .
He is always pointing out trees he “saved “ in our county park nearby . And it is one of his official “jobs “ on our community tree commission.
Great video, thank you Anthony! My only suggestion is to distinguish it from the wonderful native nimblewill grass, which I think has similar habits but is finer and shorter and I believe harder to pull up as I did for awhile before I realized it was native! I think we're keeping stiltgrass under control; surprisingly easy to pull and I must have identified it early enough before it set many seeds! I had no idea it could get so tall!!
I may do a stiltgrass vs nimblewill video in the future. They do somewhat resemble each other. Nimble will is a perennial so it has a much larger root system than stiltgrass which is why it is harder to pull.
Our yard had morning glories on fences when we moved in. It has been 5 years and I'm still finding seedlings, although significantly less each year. Controlling invasives definitely isn't for the faint of heart. A lot of monitoring and removal constantly.
I tis never a one and done when it comes to invasives.
My experience in Northern VA has been that the seed bank is viable for four solid years. Pull every bit of stiltgrass in an area and it will be nearly stiltgrass-free on year five, provided it is not downstream from other stiltgrass, as the seeds float readily in stormwater. Go around in June and pull the places with the highest concentrations, the thickest monocultures. This disturbance and opening the ground up to light will encourage comepteng plants to grow, and will trick a second flush of stilgrass from the seed bank to germinate. Then go heavy, pull everything by mid-August. I'm working on about 10 acres of heavily infested woodlands in Great Falls, VA, including as a volunteer in the Park. My error; better to be an obsessive completeist in a smaller area, as anything you miss will seed prodigiously, condemning your fate to that of a modern-day Sisyphus. Look for invasive wineberry, garlic mustard, and wavyleaf basketgrass amongst the stiltgrass. In lawns, use a flexible tine dethatcher, set at the tallest tine setting ,to snag and pull the stiltgrass en masse ,while leaving the yard grass alone. The seed-free, pulled stiltgrass (pulled before it sets seed) makes excellent compost- a bit alkaline and sweet. I've even been using it to control erosion, rebuild stream banks.
I need to recheck some trails I visit here in PA, certain I have seen areas that look like the pictures 😧 Luckily, I grow natives, so I will order some replacement species from prairie moon nursery, they have many native seeds for excellent prices.
There are 3 different university white papers on Stilt Grass. - Only one white papers mentions the soil temperature the pre-emergent is to be put down Other Farmers have been putting down white clover in the fall to assist in reducing germination of stilt grass in the spring by putting down clover in the fall
Pre-emerg herbicides aren't used as often as post emrg herbicides by the average landowner for controlling stiltgrass - and when and how to apply them depends on what product is being used. The label on the herbicide should always be followed when applying any herbicide. I haven't heard about planting clover to control stiltgrass . I'll have to look into it - although it is swapping one invasive for a plant that is also listed as an invasive species in many states.
I'm going with Metalica. I haven't seen any of this on our farm, yet, but will keep my eye out for it.
Metallica, Nice! Stiltgrass loves disturbance so keep an eye on areas that have been tilled, dozed, or logged. That is usually where it shows up first.
Geez! I thought it was SPIDERWORT! Pulling it up. Grateful!
Spiderwort can look grassy when it is coming up, but with much longer and more narrow leaves than stiltgrass.
This stuff is my nemesis. Over half of my 2 acres in Virgnina is inundated with it. I've been battling it for several years. Tried pre-emergent, pulling, weed wacking. It just keeps coming back.
If it was growing there for a long time it will take quite awhile to exhaust the seed bank.
super and informative video. excellent work. i do enjoy seeing how countries different to my own handle certain plants and animals. basically i am a massive nature nerd, who loves to read/watch/learn all about global wildlife flora and fauna - you know me! sorry i haven't left you a comment in a while.
have yourself an awesome week :)
Glad you are enjoying the videos! Hope you have a great week too!
I hit it with 10% acetic acid with a fairly heavy coverage rate. Once it turns brown, I cut it down with a string trimmer with the head set at an angle so it picks up a bit of dirt. We'll see how that works.
Annuals are about the only thing "burn down" contact herbicides like acetic acid are effective on since they don't touch the roots. It would likely be just as effective if you just cut them down with the string trimmer before they had a chance to flower. However, setting the string trimmer so that it picks up a bit of dirt, may unintentionally encourage more to sprout by bringing more seeds to the surface.
I just found some IO Moth eggs on the back of a stilt grass leaf! I didn't think it was good for anything so that surprised me. I'll still on a Microstegium Murder Mission, however, unless something like good eggs jump out at me.
There are a few lepidoptera that will use it as a host plant. Io moths seem to use just about anything, they are incredibly polyphagus.
This is a very informative video. Thank you. I have stiltgrass in a few areas. Once I remove it, what should I put in its place so that other invasives don’t grow there? Is there another type of grass or ground cover that I should plant in its place?
Replace it with something native, the exact species will depend on what the conditions are where the stiltgrass was - light, soil and moisture. Chances are you won't get all the stiltgrass in one go, it will continue to sprout from the seedbank. It takes continued effort to eliminate stiltgrass.
Don’t have it here in Wisconsin. But I’ve got a serious problem with grass that grows 6 feet tall and spreads by it’s pink root system. I call it barnyard grass, but I’m sure there’s another name for it. Every year it’s spreads into my garden and I literally have to dig it up and dispose of the roots. ( I won’t use chemicals)😁 That grass reminds me of bamboo.
Could be a few grasses but sounds like johnson grass which can be found in some parts of Wisconsin. It is everywhere in the southeast.
@@BackyardEcology just looked it up. You’re right!
@@davehendricks4824 Johnson grass is one of the most common rhizomatous invasive grasses. We have fields of it in the southeast.
What herbicide can you use if there are wood asters and ferns among the stiltgrass?
You would need to use a grass specific herbicide such as those with the active ingredient clethodim. Follow the label for stiltgrass control - it is usually a low rate for stiltgrass.
I use pool water because it bleaches the area of seeds and goes away fast
If pool water has enough chlorine in it to kill seeds it is also killing everything else in the soil. I would advise against that.
Almost my entire 1/4 acre property in MD has so much i can barely even see the natives on the ground and that happened in less than 2 weeks, I learned what it was way way too late
It can come on fast. At this point you have a couple of choices: 1) Clip it just as it starts to go to seed, or 2) hand pull it now. It comes up super easy and you can actually cover quite a bit of ground quickly.
@@BackyardEcology I think I'm going to try pulling it today and see if/when it grows back, this just sucks cause I was trying to get all the requirements for making my lot a wildlife habitat but I need all greenery to be over 80% native.. between clover, whatever random plants you find in seed bundles, stiltgrass, bradford pears, poison ivy/oak/sumac, among several other incredibly invasive plants it's very disheartening. One example: my next door neighbors yard is literally a solid 6-8 inch layer of english ivy.
Thank you for the suggestions!
My stilt grass is just coming up. If i cut it down with a mower or weed wacker, will that be effective?
Only if you do it right as it is flowering. Cutting it down before that just allows it to regrow and it can still set seed. If you don't have a huge area it can be hand pulled easily.
Which herbicide do I use?
It will depend on what else is growing in the area and what you can legally apply as a landowner (it can vary by state). Contact your local extension agent for specific herbicide recommendations for your area.
I had no idea this stuff was so bad, it does look good from a distance but now I wish I attacked it earlier(since nothing likes to eat it)
It can get out of hand very quickly.
Megadeth! Dave Mustaine was kicked out of Metallica and he went on to create Megadeth - that has served as inspiration for me as a musician and small business owner over the years.
Nice! Metallica gets a lot more press, and play on the radio, but in many ways I think Megadeth has done more for the metal scene than Metallica.
I’ve got a question you MAY be able to answer. Everytime I clean my gutters, 1st or 2nd story, there’s enough worms to go fishing for a month. How the heck do they get there? Only thing I can figure is robins.
Very likely ending up there due to birds. Earthworms do tend to show up in some very strange places!
It seems as if the stilt grass has a few stocks in our garden beds. The seed head and leaves look familiar . Thanks for the heads-up.
Metallica or Megadeth? I prefer aluminum foil.
You want to get it in the early stages - once it is well entrenched it can be a real bear to get rid of. Aluminum Foil? Must be a new school metal band😂😂
How about doing a video on cleavers. My yard is full and I spend every spring pulling it out before it goes to seed, or next year it will be worse. I hate that stuff.
Cleavers can be a problem in some areas. If I can find a good patch of it I may shoot a video. At least it is super easy to pull up, except that it sticks to you!
@@BackyardEcology sticks to you? That stuff is natural Velcro. And you’re right. They have tiny red roots that barely stick in the ground.
@@davehendricks4824 The first time you pull it up you have to look to see if it broke off or if the roots came up. Its amazing those tiny little roots can feed that big long plant!
@@BackyardEcology I’ll say!
How do i kill the stiltgrass without killing all my native grasses….i have gallons of just about every herbicide but i dont want to scorch all my wild grasses ive been growing
That is going to be tough as just about anything that will take out stiltgrass will also harm your native grasses. You may need to go with a preemergent herbicide as most won't harm your established perennial grasses. Not sure what the best option for your area would be on that.
Since it dies each year, does it matter if already turned brown/dead?
If its already died back for the year there is nothing that can be done, and unfortunately it also has produced seed.
If I spray round up on the living grass when it has seeds, will the seeds die also?
Once it starts to go to seed it will usually be able to make viable seed before the herbicide has time to kill it. Once it is at the point of going to seed the only options are mowing it and disposing of the cut material or hand pulling it and disposing of the pulled plants.
I have a war on my hands in SW Pennsylvania. I didnt notice it at first but now its overwhelming. Prior, I have been fighting awar against, privit, knotweed, invasive honey suckle, japanese barberry and multaflora. I estimate that I have eradicated over 20,000 plants in a 2 acres area over 10 years. Im winning that battle but I have to keep up the fiught.@@BackyardEcology
It is never really over. Some species you can get knocked back and they stay in check, others just seem to keep popping up. If you can get the void created when the invasives are removed with some fast to establish natives it can help keep the invasives out. At least to some extent.@@TheJohnFry
Keeping up is easier than catching up.@@BackyardEcology
Absolutely!@@TheJohnFry
Not looking forward to this. Just moved in and realized it’s taken over the back yard
Will goats eat it?
Only if it the only thing green and even then they will try to get to other things. It is just not very palatable. If there are trees in the area they will likely strip the bark from them before eating the stiltgrass.
@@BackyardEcology Wow......that's amazing, because goats will eat almost anything........I am battling this grass on just my 2 acres. The only thing good about it is that it's easy to pull out. 🤦🏻♀
It is very easy to pull, which like you said is about the only good thing about it. @@mskimsoprano8582
I'm curious to know what is your reasoning when you say don't burn the plastic bags
Burning plastic releases toxic chemicals into the air and is illegal in most states because of that. Some of the things released from burning plastic include nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, VOCs, POMs, heavy metals and dioxins. None of those are things you want to be breathing or in the atmosphere.
lol really?
Not from China but Japan!
It has a wide range across Asia. Its common name of Japanese Stiltgrass is kind of misleading. In some areas it is known as Nepalese brown top which hints at its wider range.
Metallica or Megadeth? Both!
That is the correct answer!
Metallica, but only their first three albums
By far there best!
Metallica
Metallica is well in the lead.
+ 1 OBEY YOUR MASTER 🙌🤘
@@austintrousdale2397 A great album, and song!
I like hearing Dave Mustaine talk trash, but for actual music, I (I guess this is the boring choice) prefer Metallica.
Dave is the king of trash talk. I do find myself listening to more Metallica, but there are some Megadeth songs I love.
Metallica
Metallica kind of ran away wit it!
@@BackyardEcology of course they did.