Early spring is garlic mustard control season- WI DNR:
“Before the spring wildflowers emerge is the ideal time to search out and contain this highly invasive plant. In most woodlots it will be one of the only green plants on the forest floor this early, so it is easy to spot,” says Kelly Kearns, plant conservationist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Kearns says that because just about all forests in Wisconsin are vulnerable to being invaded by this Eurasian transplant, every woodland owner should learn to identify it and search their woods carefully, marking and removing all plants before they go to seed in May and June...
What is at risk from a garlic mustard invasion?
Kearns says that the garlic scented plants can carpet a forest floor, crowding out native wildflowers. Tree and shrub seedlings can also be displaced, preventing long term regeneration of canopy trees and native shrubs. Recent research has shown that chemicals in the roots of garlic mustard can inhibit the mycorrhizal fungi that certain tree roots use to draw nutrients from the soil. It appears that these 2- to 3-foot tall plants have the ability to stunt the growth of trees that tower over them. MORE on Garlic Mustard
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