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Discussion on Garlic Mustard Weed
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Member:
twhgait
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Posted on Friday, Mar 30, 2007 - 6:35 pm:
We have a very small pasture which we seeded last fall and this spring. It is only intended to be used for grazing 2-3hrs a day, based on how it does.
My problem is, and has been, this Garlic Mustard Weed. It's horrible! When we first bought the property, it was all over the back pasture (which was a forest then). Last summer we cleared trees and somewhat tilled the ground. Unfortunately, we didn't know to remove the pods of seeds from the weed and just tilled everything into the ground. We planted our pasture seed and it's sat all winter.
With spring coming again....the Garlic Mustard Weed is coming again! It's threatening to overrun my brand new pasture. I've read that you can use Round-up to kill large areas of it and that's my plan.
I was wondering how long you have to keep horses off the pasture after using the round-up and also, if the Garlic Mustard Weed is poisonous to horses, if they do decide to eat what I can't get!
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Member:
canter
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Posted on Saturday, Mar 31, 2007 - 10:26 am:
Kim, please let me know if the Roundup works to kill the plant. We are infested with it - the only good thing about it is right now it's the only green part of my lawn. I've pulled it up, chopped it down, but have resisted a weed killer because of my dog, but it continues to spread. When I mow, I don't get the smell of fresh cut grass, I smell onions! I'be been told the best way to get rid of it permanently is to pull it up and burn it. It's a $%^%#$ to pull, tho, and I can't imagine pulling it from a large space such as a pasture.
If the RoundUp works, I'm ready to try it.
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Member:
twhgait
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Posted on Saturday, Mar 31, 2007 - 10:36 am:
I sure will Fran! This stuff is worse than ANY weed I've ever had to deal with. It spreads like wildfire and pulling it out by hand is just too big of a task. They're saying if you do pull it up, be sure to get the roots and all, or else it just comes back again 
LOL about the green lawn! I was looking out into the back acre thinking to myself "WOW that pasture grass is coming up soooo nice!!", only to walk back there and see that it's just more mustard weed!!
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Saturday, Mar 31, 2007 - 1:24 pm:
Hi Kim, I have killed the weed with 2-4-d weed killer. 2-4-d won't kill you grass also like roundup will. After a rain or 2 it is safe for horses to graze. I buy it at a farm store and mix it in a hand sprayer. It will take a few years application, but mine is gone now. Anytime I see anything resembling a weed it gets sprayed and the grass is fine. Good Luck
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Saturday, Mar 31, 2007 - 7:01 pm:
Hello Kim,
I can find no evidence of toxicity from exposure to garlic mustard. This highly invasive specie is a growing problem in many areas. As Diane notes in established pastures 2,4,D herbicide should be used instead of RoundUp as it will not kill well established grass stands. Efficacy may be improved using some of the commenrcial 2,4,D / Dicamba combinations. Here are other control recommendations that I can find on the internet:
Initial effort in areas of heavy infestation
Fall or early spring burning is an effective control treatment in oak woods. Repeated burns over several years may be necessary to achieve adequate control and to eliminate plants produced from the seed bank. Prescribed fires should be of sufficient intensity to burn the affected site thoroughly. Low intensity fires that leave unburned areas will not control garlic mustard effectively. Any isolated plants that are not burned should be removed by hand prior to flower production.
Research by Victoria Nuzzo indicates that cutting flowering stems at ground level results in 99% mortality, while cutting at 4 inches (10 cm) above ground level produces 71% mortality and reduces total seed production by 98%. Plants cut near ground level when in full flower usually do not resprout. Viable seed may be produced after stems are cut: pending further research, cut stems should be removed from the site when possible.
The Nature Conservancy has successfully controlled or eliminated this plant from several sites by a combination of spring burning, hand-pulling, and cutting flowering stems with a scythe. When garlic mustard occurs in nearly pure populations with few other plants, scything is advantageous in that large areas can be covered quickly and the soil is not disturbed.
Spot application of 2% Roundup (a formulation of glyphosate) to the foliage of individual plants is effective during spring and fall when most native vegetation is dormant but garlic mustard remains green. Herbicide should be applied when air temperatures are above 32o F (0o C). Managers should exercise caution when applying herbicide to garlic mustard to avoid contacting nontarget plants. Roundup is a nonselective herbicide (kills all vegetation) and should not be used during the growing season in high-quality areas because of the possibility of harming nontarget plants. Do not spray so heavily that herbicide drips off the target species. The herbicide should be applied while backing away from the treated areas to avoid contacting the wet herbicide. By law, herbicides only may be applied as per label instructions and by licensed herbicide applicators or operators when working on public properties.
Initial effort in areas of light infestation
Removal of plants by hand-pulling is effective if the root is removed. If the stem snaps off from the root crown of a non-flowering plant, the plant may resprout. When hand-pulling, disturb the soil as little as possible, and tamp the soil firmly after removing the plant. Soil disturbance can bring garlic mustard seed to the surface and create a favorable environment for garlic mustard germination and growth.
Maintenance control
Vigilant monitoring and hand removal of first- and second-year plants prior to flower production can be effective. A regular burning regime in oak woods can control garlic mustard.
Fall or early spring burning in oak woods can control this species. Repeated burns may be necessary over several years. Spot application of 2% Roundup to individual plants as described above can be used in severely disturbed woods. Cutting or scything flowering stems, as described above, is effective. Maintenance control is the same as given above.
In addition, hand spraying individual plants with an amine formulation of 2,4-D is an effective control when applied according to label instructions. To reduce vapor drift, use an amine formulation of 2,4-D rather than an ester formulation. A 1% solution of Mecamine (2,4-D plus Dicamba) applied to the foliage of young plants is also effective. Either herbicide should be applied only during spring or fall when most native vegetation is dormant but garlic mustard remains green. The herbicide 2,4-D amine is selective for broadleaf plants. As with Roundup, managers should exercise caution when applying these herbicides to garlic mustard to avoid contacting nontarget plants. Do not spray so heavily that herbicide drips off the target species.
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Member:
twhgait
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Posted on Sunday, Apr 1, 2007 - 9:32 am:
Aha! Thanks so much Diane and DrO!!! My husband saw "scythe" and "fire" and got excited **insert eyeroll here**! He's volunteered to do this and wants to try this first instead of the weed killer because like Fran, we have dogs and cats that go back there frequently. I'm sure I'll be the one doing the hand-pulling on the smaller clumps of this stuff!  . I'll let you know how it goes.....cross your fingers!!
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Member:
canter
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Posted on Sunday, Apr 1, 2007 - 7:17 pm:
My fingers are crossed, Kim! Looks like I'll be along with you in the handpulling (wondering if I can convince my husband to take this fun chore over??).
DrO, thanks to you as well. The info on killing this pest is good to have and burning the stuff (which I never did before) sounds like it will cut down on it re-seeding.
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Member:
twhgait
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Posted on Friday, Jun 15, 2007 - 6:51 pm:
Update!
We were very successful in getting rid of most of the Garlic weed!!
We ended up using scythes and then burned the piles out of the pasture and then we went back to the smaller bunches and used the 2,4-D. We did this in early April and after the rains of Spring, we had wonderful, lush pasture.
I do have another question..because this area is so small I can't really rotate it (they'd eat down the side they are on long before the resting side would be ready), so I've opted to just removed them from it completely when it needs resting. If they are on it 2-3hrs a day, then off for however long it takes to recover (I think I read 3 weeks), do I have to start all over again with weaning them onto it? I did 15 min/day x3, then 30min/day x3, etc mostly because it was new spring grass. I'd hate to have to do that all over again!! It's not fun trying to get horses off pasture that were only on it for 15 minutes!
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New Member:
3morgans
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Posted on Sunday, Nov 14, 2010 - 7:08 pm:
Mustard is not an easy thing to get rid of. True, Round up will work, but you are killing everything else in the area as well as polluting the ground water. If at all possible, cut low to the ground and burn the tops. You see, mustard has little seed pods all along its branches, so if you do not burn it, they will simply tumble across your pasture with the first wind and reseed it. Also, if you till it into the ground you are simply doing the same thing. Fall is a great time to cut and burn when the ground is damp and less likely to catch everything else on fire. Check with your county for burn restrictions and regulations. Spring spraying of new foliage is necessary and expect to do this for a few years until the grass can fill in where the mustard was at. Mustard is like a homing pigeon, it always comes home. Good luck everyone!
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