It is beautiful blowing in the wind, or is it?

The plume of the Invasive non-native Phragmites is a perennial wetland plant that has quickly spread robbing the fish, plants and wildlife of nutrients and space and causing a fire hazard.

It may appear that the plume-topped Phragmites is just another pretty face but it is not. Phragmites are bad news for Maryland, Virginia and Washington DC local marshes. It can grow to be over 15 feet tall and will crowd out all other plants (native and non-native). Our eco-system can’t sustain a plant of this vigor. Recognizing Phragmites early in its invasion increases the opportunity for successful eradication dramatically.

Invasive plants can also increase the risk of flooding and soil erosion leading to cloudy water and lower water quality. What would your view of the bay or waterways that lead to the bay look like with all that soil erosion. Controlling the invasive Phragmites by using an integrated pest management approach which includes hiring goats not only saves the ecosystem it saves the pollinators and wildlife which depend on that environment to live. You would become a full-time weed warrior if deciding to pull the Phragmites by hand, not to mention spreading the seeds very quickly for more to grow and invade that space.

Solution

This is where the goats come in. Hire the Goats early in the season to eat down the Phragmites plant before it goes to seed. Click here to join the newsletter to learn more about how to eradicate invasive plants with goat mowing and weed abatement you will be entered in our monthly drawing for a free gift.

Hiring goats for brush removal or fire prevention in this case from Phragmites saves the environments. Goats eat the plants and when passing their manure don’t pass the seeds back into the environment. “Spraying isn’t cool”, don’t consider it. Herbicides kill the ecosystem not only at that moment you use them but for generations to come.

You were so happy the day you bought your property on the water with all your dreams of relaxing with family and friends while enjoying your view of the water. Now that the invasive plants have taken over you are overwhelmed as to a solution. Hiring goats is not an end all be all. They are the first step in a process, just as if you sprayed (but don’t Spray it isn’t cool). Using goats for land clearing allows the environment to flourish when they leave. Their manure is packed with vital minerals for the earth to grow and nourish the native plants and the acqualife.

Sign up for the goats newsletter and learn more about invasive plants and how to save the environment and save the pollinators.