Invasive plants are weeds that infest natural ecosystems, rangelands and pasture. They can cause dramatic ecological changes that affect both plant and animal communities. Once established, invasive plants are difficult to eradicate.
In California, exotic plants were originally introduced by humans who planned to use them for ornamental or aquarium use, or for use as forage, food, fiber, medicinal or soil stabilization purposes. In some cases, the unintended outcome has been plants that have become invasive.
Some invasive plants are still for sale at retail nursery and garden centers. Some examples of available invasive plant species include pampasgrass (
Now is the time to prepare your garden and landscape for winter. The simple tasks recommended below will help prevent perennial weeds, insect pests, and certain disease pathogens so these problems don't get established and become difficult later.
- Manage weeds using nonchemical methods such as cultivation, handweeding, or mowing.
- Prevent weeds using competitive plants, mulches, and hand removal.
- Herbicides (weed killers) are rarely needed in established landscape plantings when nonchemical controls are used regularly.
To learn more about managing weeds, see the UC IPM Pest Note: Weed...
If you have ants climbing up and down trees and shrubs in your landscape, and your trees and shrubs appear to have a sticky substance covering their leaves, you'll want to watch UC IPM's newest YouTube video, “Using a Sticky Barrier to Prevent Ants on Trees and Shrubs”.
The short video explains that the sticky substance on your leaves is honeydew, a sugary substance excreted by aphids, psyllids and a few other plant pests. Ants harvest this...
Using mulch in your garden or landscape helps conserve water and prevent weeds. This new UC IPM video explains how to prepare the site, describes various types of organic mulch available, and demonstrates useful techniques for effective weed control.
For more information on mulch, see the UC IPM website about using mulch in the garden.
See UC IPM's pages on weed identification and control:
Most people deal with ants around their home at some point. Because most ants live outdoors, focus efforts on keeping ants from entering buildings by caulking entryways. Follow good sanitation practices to make your home less attractive to ants. Spraying ants inside the home will not prevent more ants from entering. Use baits to control the ant colony. Pesticide baits work by attracting worker ants who then take the poison back to the nest where the entire colony, including queens, can be killed. In the landscape, ants protect.../h2>