What Comes Arundo Goes Arundo

Giant reed or noxious weed? Donax!

© 2009 Wendy Dager

It’s an old fable that’s manifested itself in slightly different versions through many countries and cultures: man acquires cats to help rid him of his rodent problem; then finds he needs dogs to fetter the flood of felines; then an even larger animal to curb the cumulating canines; hence, the cycle goes on. The moral: man should have left well enough alone. But, by then, it’s too late.

This turn of tragicomic events is reflected in modern times by the wellmeaning use of plants for erosion control, with the result that those plants often become more nuisance than solution.

One of the worst offenders in California is Arundo donax, a giant reed that now has the distinction of being labeled “noxious weed” by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

Who Let the Weeds Out?

Resembling bamboo, Arundo was once used to create the pan flute, an early musical instrument that was introduced from India to Europe hundreds of years ago.

The charming story of this plant ends there. The reed was then brought to North America where it proliferated. By 1820, according to Tom L. Dudley of U.C. Berkeley’s Department of Integrative Biology (http://ceres.ca.gov/tadn/ecology_impacts/arundo_ww.html), “...it was abundant in the Los Angeles River, where it was harvested for roofing material and fodder.” Subsequently, Arundo was grown in plantations and gardens, and was widely used for erosion control. That’s when, writes Dudley, “Invasive populations almost certainly resulted from esscapes and displacement of plants from managed habitats.”

Rise of the Rhizomes

Arundo donax doesn’t produce much viable seed, but it does propagate through its rhizomes, which are roots that travel horizontally underground and develop shoots away from the main plant, which are sometimes referred to as creeping rootstalks. This process is known as vegetative reproduction, and, with Arundo, generally occurs when its rhizomes and plant fragments are carried downstream, particularly during flood season.

In Southern California much ofthe area’s annual rainfall occurs within a two- or three-day period. Sometimes, after a wildfire that has left hillsides barren, Arundo donax is spread by erosive rainfall.

Arundo is capable of growing four inches per day and, as a reed, the plant thickens with age, making it even stronger and tougher to get rid of. Even worse is that the plant thrives in a broad range of soil types. This ability to adapt and spread also makes Arundo a devlish control problem if there’s a fire.

Burn, Baby, Burn

According to the USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information System (http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/graminoid/arudon/all.html), “...the effects of giant reed on fuels and fire regime characteristics in plant communities in which it is invasive in North America is limited to accounts from Southern California. Because giant reed grows quickly and produces large amounts of biomass in dense stands described as having ‘large quantities of dry material,’ it is conceivable that its invasion introduces novel fuel properties to the invaded ecosystem. Giant reed is…(fast growing)…(and) in the Santa Ana Basin in southern California, the invasion of giant reed into riparian corridors has doubled and in some areas tripled the amount of fuels available for wildfire.”

What can be done about this invasive plant, once a musical instrument, but now a menace?

Controlled burns are not recommended For eradicating Arundo donax, because the reed is so combustible that a burn could easily go out of control. In addition, burning the plant above ground will not affect its method of reproduction, the spread of rhizomes.

Glyphosate, a herbicide found in the Monsanto product Roundup®, can be used, but S&S Seeds does not recommend chemical weed control (see http://www.albrightseed.com/weedcontrol.htm).

Manual methods such as handpulling are recommended with newer plant growth, but rhizomes also must be removed in order for successful eradication.

Is there a better way?

A Kid’ll Eat Ivy Too

Angora goats might be the answer.

The Leaf-let first told you about grazing goats for wildfire abatement in 2001 (http:// www.ssseeds.com/leaf-let/wildfires.htm). More recently, we spoke with Dick Otterstad of otterstad’s Brush Clearing Service in Albany, California. Otterstad, who generally removes brush from smaller properties such as private homes or vacant lots, once participated in a large project that relied on goats for clearing brush.

“Goats are not cost-effective on a small scale,” said Otterstad. “It’s a very selective niche that works on a larger scale, like public properties.”

In back yards, goats must be protected from predators such as dogs. Also, goats are not particularly thorough, and homeowners tend to want a well-manicured final product.

However, says Otterstad, a herd of goats will work well on open parkland, chewing up as much as 90 percent of brush.

“You don’t have the aesthetic criteria to work with,” he said.

And, unlike other imported methods of eradication, goats are rounded up at the end of each job and not left to become pests themselves.

While the goats’ effectiveness depends on what they enjoy eating, most that are raised for fire control are “browsers,” meaning they’ll feast on brush and thistles, unlike cattle, which are “grazers” that tend to prefer grasses and forbs. The problem is that cattle are generally available for free to the USDA Forest Service, but goats have costs attached.

With the State of California currently in financial crisis, it seems that bureaucrats are loath to part with funds to eradicate Arundo donax and other volatile invasive plants. Yet, one must wonder if there have been any cost comparisons made between preventive measures such as the use of goats for brush clearance, and the emergency fire services that are needed every summer due to the fuel that is inevitably ignited on Southern California’s hillsides.

Perhaps more important is the immeasurable cost of lives lost by firefighters and citizens during these events. The Leaf-let hopes that politicians will some day realize that an ounce of prevention could also be the cure.

Seed Mixes: Wildflowers | Turfgrasses | Reclamation / Erosion

Other Products | New! Erosion Control Blankets

Plant Database | BMPs - Cost vs. Benefit | Inventory | Request Information
About S&S Seeds, Inc. | S&S Services | Newsletter | Contact Us | Home

Retail Sales/Small Orders

S&S Seeds, Inc. P.O. Box 1275 Carpinteria, CA 93014-1275 (805) 684-0436 (805) 684-2798 fax

© 1998-2009 by S&S Seeds. All Rights Reserved. Text, graphics, and HTML code are protected by US and International Copyright Laws, and may not be copied, reprinted, published, translated, hosted, or otherwise distributed by any means without explicit permission Web Development: CogniText.