Should I get rid of garlic mustard?
Garlic mustard is easy to pull by hand and efforts to remove it can work wonders for your yard and garden. Focus your control efforts on the second year (seed-producing) plants, as removing these prevents further seed dispersal. Garlic mustard is a common wild herb in Britain and Ireland. Its leaves exude a garlicky smell when bruised or chopped, although the plant is unrelated to garlic.The preferred habitat for garlic mustard can be in an upland or floodplain forest, savanna, roadside, trail edge, or disturbed area. Garlic mustard is shade tolerant and can be found in open areas (Huebner et al.Garlic mustard is a biennial herb in the mustard family (Brassicaceae). It’s called “garlic” mustard because the leaves have a distinct garlic smell when crushed.Garlic mustard greens are high in Vitamin A and Vitamin C as well as trace minerals, chlorophyll and enzymes. The roots taste like horseradish and can be pickled or used in soups as a root vegetable.Further, garlic mustard’s roots release chemicals that alter the important underground network of fungi that connect nutrients between native plants, inhibiting the growth of important species like trees. Fortunately for us, we have options to rid ourselves of this pest of a plant.
How can I control garlic mustard?
Glyphosate (Round-Up): can effectively control garlic mustard at a rate from 1 to 3%. Treatment with glyphosate should occur in early spring or late fall for the best effect. Application in early spring done before most other plants have emerged will protect other species. A glyphosate-based systemic weed killer is the most effective spray for killing wild garlic. It is absorbed through the leaves and transported down into the bulb, killing the entire plant. Apply when the foliage is fully open in spring and repeat 2 to 3 times per season.