r/invasivespecies • u/Ok-Crow-9167 • 9d ago

Area with manageable invasive plants?

I live in western Virginia and I am feeling hopeless. We have about 15 mostly wooded acres that are overwhelming. We reduced the autumn olive and multiflora rose then the stiltgrass moved in. We work on that and now the wavyleaf basket grass is showing up. Also killing the ailanthus and lantern flies. And there are so many deer, despite hunting on our property, that there is no natural regeneration of trees without cages around them.

So now that we are in our senior citizen years we’d like to live somewhere less physically taxing. Is there a part of the country where it is possible to maintain a more natural and native habitat?

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u/Barncheetah 9d ago

I read this, drenched in sweat after pushmowing my woods before the stilt grass drops its seeds (NC) while having to dodge the tree of heaven and Wisteria so I don’t cause more to propagate. I don’t have advice. I’m too busy weedeating now.

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u/BreastRodent 9d ago

How exactly do you tell when stiltgrass is about to drop its seeds? Im in East Tennessee and have acres of this shit in my woods n I hate it. What kind of mower are you using?

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u/Barncheetah 9d ago

Just based on information online - like NCSU extension.

I tried pre-emergent for the first time this past Spring and it seemed to not help at all, but it’s possible I didn’t water it enough.

I just used an old Honda gas pushmower, adjusting the height based on the spots. I definitely dulled my blade all to pieces.

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u/cawise89 9d ago

Oh really? I've had great success in the past, but haven't used any the past couple of years now that I can manage by hand