Stinkwort Removal at Erickson Ranch

BEFORE STNKWORT REMOVAL

Before the winter rains, three volunteers assisted Mother Lode Land Trust for a mini-work day. The task: to remove stinkwort from Erickson Ranch, our newest conservation property in Sutter Creek, CA.

Mother Lode Land Trust recently acquired Erickson Ranch, an area protected to mitigate the loss of oak woodland habitat from the Highway 49 bypass project. The parcels to the east of Highway 49 are open to the public for non-motorized recreation.

AFTER REMOVAL

Stinkwort (Dittrichia graveolens) is an invasive annual that hasn’t been in California long, but is spreading rapidly. This weed is stinky and poisonous to livestock. Wear gloves when removing, as stinkwort can also irritate skin. Since stinkwort is a late-season bloomer, it is one of the few green plants around this late into fall, which helps in its identification.

STINKWORT

The stinky bugger loves roadsides and disturbed fields, and if you’re not careful, it can soon get out of hand. Fortunately, the stinkwort patches were spotted and controlled on Erickson Ranch this year. Removal was fairly easy. They pulled up from the ground without too much trouble.

Oneto and Moné (2019) suggest tilling or hand pulling is effective as long it is done before flowering to prevent seed production. Mowing may be effective when plants are just beginning to flower, although multiple mowings may be required. Broadleaf herbicides and glyphosate may also be used, but hopefully you won’t do this unless mechanical removal is not feasible. For our workday, mechanical removal worked just fine.

Many hands make light work. Thanks team!