Friday, June 15, 2012

New weed could cause serious problems

Cogongrass seed heads

If you are a gardener there are probably lots of weeds that
top your list as being among the world’s worst. Plants like
crabgrass and
chamber bitter come to mind. These prolific garden weeds are
certainly annoying
but at least they stay confined to cultivated areas. Some weeds
don’t. Some
weeds invade natural areas, smother out native species, and alter
ecosystems
forever. One of the world’s worst is cogongrass, which was
recently found in
North Carolina for the first time near Burgaw.

Cogongrass is most easily recognized by the fluffy white
seed heads
produced in early summer before most other grasses bloom.Plants
grow two to four feet tall, with coarse, light green, one inch
wide leaves that
have a prominent off center white main vein and a pointed tip.
They are usually
distributed in dense, round patches. Further identification tips
and images can
be found online at www.cogongrass.org.

Learn more about cogongrass by reading the entire article available on the Pender Extension website at: http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=news&ci=LAWN+188

If you think you have located a patch of
cogongrass, contact
Charlotte Glen at the Pender County Cooperative Extension office
in Burgaw,
910-259-1235. Learn more about invasive plants in our area online
at the
Southeast Exotic Plant Pest Council’s website: http://www.se-eppc.org.

If you have gardening questions, contact your local Cooperative Extension office. If you live in Pender County, call
259-1235. In New Hanover
County, call 798-7660. In Brunswick County call 253-2610, or
visit http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/
where you can find your local office, or post
your questions to be answered via the ‘Ask an Expert’ widget
online here:
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=askanexpert