10/15/06:
I do want to extend
special thanks to Mike and David for their hard work this past Saturday
helping to clear and re-cover "Area B" of the JKW site. This project proved
to be a lot more difficult and time-consuming than I ever would have
expected, but I think we did a satisfactory job. The left side had not been
dug out as thoroughly as the right, and we found a number of sizeable
rhizomes that had to be removed. There also were a lot of JKW roots and
plants that had been tossed on top of the plastic during previous removal
sessions and it took a considerable effort to clean this material up and
cart it over to the refuse pile.
We used all of the remaining rolls of plastic sheeting
that Sandra and I purchased last summer (five in all) to re-cover Area B --
four vertically and one horizontally at the top of the bank by the fence. It
might be noted for the record that we ended up discarding most of the old
sheets, as they were hole-ridden and the plastic had become brittle. We did
reuse one for additional cover on the refuse pile (which has now become much
larger), and another to fill a gap at the top left of Area B.
The part that we planted a month or so ago (I will call
it "Area A") is growing in nicely and should be in good shape for the
winter. Mike, David and I had some discussion about seeding Area B in the
spring; but on further reflection, now that we have done all this work, I
firmly believe we should leave that area covered through next summer and
plant again in the fall. - JB
10/10/06:
On Monday afternoon,
I went back to the JKW site for several hours with the weed whacker provided
by Mike and did a very thorough cleanup of essentially all of the knotweed
in the area. This should complete the JKW clearing work for the season. I
also cleaned up and removed all the trash we had gathered during our recent
work with the exception of the large steel rod and large steel bar, which I
was afraid our Lexington trash collectors might not take. Before I did the
clearing work, I took some photographs which I will pass on to David after
they are developed, but it was late enough in the day that the lighting on
the bank was not terrific, so they may not come out too well.
- This means that the only tasks left to be done to prepare this site
for the winter are:
- Cleaning up and re-covering the western half of the dig-and-cut area
- Removing the steel scraps
- Moving the new JKW root pile under the tarp, and
- Cleaning up and bringing inside for winter storage the tools we have
been keeping under the tarp, including a pick mattock and two weed
cutters
After looking more closely at the western
portion of the site yesterday afternoon, I now think this will be a bigger
project than I had anticipated. There are a lot of holes and gaps in the
sheeting on that side, and I don't think the JKW rhizomes were cleared out
as thoroughly when the work was originally done so there is quite a bit of
new growth. To do this right, we really should pull up all of the existing
plastic, dig out shoots and root systems wherever we can find them, and then
re-cover thoroughly, using new plastic sheeting where the old sheeting has
been torn or ripped. This will probably be a two or three hour project. I
have no immediate plans to do this work, but it probably should be done
before it gets cold and the ground freezes, i.e., before mid-November. - JB
10/8/06:
Don Miller and I spent about three hours at
the JKW site this afternoon. Here is a brief recap of what we accomplished
(and some other information of interest).
We picked up where Mike and I left off yesterday and
expanded the area to be seeded a bit more so that it now represents as close
as I could come to half of the area that was originally dug up and covered.
The preparation effort was significantly delayed by our efforts to remove a
very long steel rod that was embedded in the bank and stubbornly refused our
efforts to extract it until we had done a major excavation project. We were
further distracted by a number of passers-by who stopped to question us
about, and in many cases to compliment us for, the work being done.
We raked and tilled the complete expanded area and,
again, removed as much of the remaining JKW rhizomes as we practically
could. We moved a large pile of JKW that Mike and I had unrooted on Saturday
up to the top of the bank (but did not have time to move it into the large
root pile under the tarp). After neatening the area up as much as we could,
we applied two roughly 1 pound bags of 10-10-10 fertilizer (as directed by
the New England Wetland Plants, Inc. web site) and raked it in. We then
spread both bags of the New England Erosion Control/Restoration Mix for Dry
Sites that David had purchased and raked that in as well. Finally, we
applied a layer of saltmarsh hay that Don had purchased from Wilson's.
So the core project of uncovering half the area,
cultivating it and seeding it has now been done. By the time we finished,
however, it was starting to get dark so we called it a day.
Tasks that are less time-critical but still remain to
be done are: Re-covering the western portion of the covered area to secure
it for the winter and eliminate holes or gaps Weed-whacking the remaining
JKW in the area to complete the fall clean-up Cleaning up and removing a
fair amount of trash, including the large steel rod that we excavated today,
another large steel bar that I excavated on Saturday, and other odd bits and
pieces of rusted metal, broken bottles, tin cans, etc. Moving the new JKW
root pile under the tarp, and Cleaning up and bringing inside for winter
storage the tools we have been keeping under the tarp, including a pick
mattock and two weed cutters - JB
10/7/06:
Mike Tabaczynski and I got a
healthy start yesterday afternoon on the JKW reseeding project, but we did
not finish.
Mike weed-whacked most of the area (but not quite
all), and we pulled by hand all the new JKW growing on the bottom of the
bank, below the black plastic area, at the border of the marsh. We then
removed the plastic cover on the eastern side, dug out all the pale JKW
shoots and whatever evidence of remaining root masses we could find, and
raked and tilled the soil to prepare it for seeding. We did not apply any
fertilizer, seed or hay cover, figuring it was best to do this all at one
time.
What remains to be done? When I left at the end of the
day, I realized that we did not quite uncover the complete eastern half, so
I would like to peel back one more strip of plastic and prepare that area.
Then we need to apply the fertilizer and rake it in, apply the seed and rake
it in, and cover with the hay. Finally, we need to clean up and recover the
western portion of the site and, if there is time, complete the
weed-whacking. All of this would probably take one person two to three
hours, two people somewhat less.
I am planning to go back out again this afternoon at
3:00. The sun is a little less burning at that hour, and the meadow really
is quite beautiful as the sun westers late in the afternoon. - JB
7/26/06:
Here is a very brief JKW update.
On Sunday afternoon, I was finally able to get the time
to visit the JKW site with Mike's gas-powered weed whacker. Luckily, Don
happened to be there as well. (It was good to know that someone would be
able to call for help if I severed a finger or toe.) After some Keystone
Cops efforts to get the thing started, I finally discovered the hidden
on-off switch located on the handle and had no trouble after that.
In less than half an hour, I was able to cut down the
entire stand of JKW, by then about 3-6 feet high depending on the location,
to the east of the covered area. The results were a bit rough, but it was
much faster than doing it by hand.
Don and his crew had taken care of the JKW on the west
side of the plastic a week or two earlier. They had also pulled up JKW
growing between the cracks of the plastic and about half of that growing
along the bottom of the bank between the plastic and the marsh. There was
still a pretty healthy stand of JKW growing at the bottom of the bank, and I
was able to dig this out by the roots pretty quickly with the mattock.
So I think we have the area pretty much in control at
this point, and it should be good for another few weeks at least. At some
point I still want to remove the plastic, dig out remaining rhizomes and
recover thoroughly. I'm not sure when I'll get to that. - JB
6/25/06:
The JKW plot is getting out of control. The last time I was there
was Wednesday, June 21. If no more work has been done since then, here is
the current status of the three sub-plots:
1. East of the black plastic (managed by John): This is
probably the most in control of the three, but the JKW was up about three or
four feet on 6-21.
2. The black plastic area: JKW has grown tall in the
gaps between the sheets of plastic and from under the plastic on the west
side (maybe the east, too, I'm not sure). A lot of pulling or cutting is
needed, and the plastic needs to be adjusted. Since it is growing all along
the wetland side of the plastic, it seems we need another sheet or sheets
there after the thick JKW is removed. From all the JKW growing up in the
gaps between the sheets of plastic, it seems we need much more overlap
between sheets.
3. The west end of the plot (managed by me): Since my
last report to you, I've worked an additional four times, a little over an
hour each time. I've accomplished a lot, but with rainy days and some
too-hot-to-work days, it got a bit away from me. This past Wednesday I took
down nearly all the very tall JKW down low on the slope, and I worked on a
lot of the shorter plants. But (guess what?) it keeps growing fast. Now
there is still quite a bit at the 3 to 4 foot height which I haven't taken
care of yet, and probably some taller than that. Unfortunately, my wrist and
elbow are giving me sharp reminders to take it easy, so I'm going to have to
use less "enthusiastic" techniques in the coming weeks. Also, I will be
out-of-town from Thursday, June 29 until late on Wednesday, July 5. I am
hoping someone else can also help with this. A lot can be accomplished in a
single hour. - DM
4/27/06:
It was a great day out in the JKW fields.
The students worked really hard for about 3 hours, but I am afraid we did
not get the whole plot finished. The covered plots were looking pretty good,
but we still dug up more rhizomes.
We uncovered, cleared, and recovered 4 sheets worth
which was more than half, maybe almost 2/3’ s of the area. We started on the
5th section, but didn’t have time to complete it and it was the worst as far
as having rhizomes, so we covered it up with an old sheet again and that is
where we need to resume work. We added our newly dug rhizomes to the pile
under the tarp. The girls were worn out after a while working on the JKW, so
they actually were happy to sit and pull up the garlic mustard in the cut,
cut, cut plot and at the top of the covered area near the fence. They
gathered 3 bags full. Several people stopped to thank us over the course of
the morning. - SR
8/2/2005
This early evening Barbara Strell, Sarah Garner, and I worked on the JKW
site for somewhat over an hour. A man named Kenny joined in after some
encouragement from us. Someone else had already cut down the
three-foot-high JKW growing up between the black plastic and the pile
under the tarp -- thank you.
The four of us worked on the following:
1. We pulled up some of the short new shoots just west of the tarp.
2. Over on the other side of the plastic, we cut back the knotweed
along more of the margin with the marsh, right back to the purple
loosestrife, and hauled the stalks up the hill where they will get more
sun. We also pulled up some of the young new shoots just up the slope
from there.
3. We lifted up the tarp and found that the stuff under it is really
foul, almost completely brown and just a few thin, whitish anemic stalks
that don't amount to much. My suggestion at the last meeting of hauling
that stuff out to where the sun can get at it seemed a less appealing
idea tonight, and we didn't get into it. However, it may be the best
way to get this stuff to burn eventually. If we do it, we will probably
need garden spades and wheel barrows, at least for some of it.
Sarah and Barbara said they can do some additional work in the near
future, which is great. I will be out of town from this Thursday
evening until Wed morning of next week, so it will be a while before I
can do more.
Buckthorn: On the west side near the marsh we have three or four glossy
buckthorn plants in TREE form, with single stems and a lot of branches
and leaves that form pretty high off the ground -- almost like lollypop
trees.
I would like to cut those down, since they are an invasive species and
are creating lots of berries (and seeds), and they do block part of the
view.
Any thoughts on this?
Don
8/2/2005
Just for the record, and to keep our
"log" complete, I spent a fair amount of time last Saturday evening at
the JKW site. I cut down all the re-emerging JKW on the right-hand
side, facing the marsh, all the way down to the marsh line. I also cut
another twenty or thirty feet or so into the 7-8' high bordering JKW on
the right-hand side -- but there is still more to go.
Someone (I assume Don) has been keeping
after the "cut" area on the left-hand side, so that seemed pretty well
controlled.
At some point before the end of the
summer, it would be great if Mike could borrow that weed cutter and we
could cut down the rest of the bordering JKW. David, do you have any
sense of the timing on that to maximize impact on the rhizomes?
A footnote: On these late mid-summer
evenings, just before the sun begins to set over the marsh, the vista
over the marsh -- now in full bloom with purple loosestrife -- is
stunning. The loosestrife may be an invader, but unlike the JKW it sure
is attractive. The experience walking through the marsh on the newly
constructed boardwalk as the last sun rays light up the meadow is also
quite impressive. What an improvement.
John
7/28/2005
I stopped by the JKW site Thursday
evening.
The good news is that the area covered
in plastic is still well-covered and doing fine. The bad news is that
the JKW on the sides, particularly the right-hand side facing the
meadow, is already starting to grow back up again. I would say it has
grown at least a foot or two since Laurel and I last left it essentially
flattened a week ago.
I cut all the new JKW growth on the
bike path side of the fence. I also cut everything for about 5 or 10
feet on the other side of the fence. Finally, I attacked and cut back
some of the 7' high JKW thickets on the far left side of the project
area, although there is a great deal more still there.
I think we're going to have to just
keep cutting and cutting the uncovered areas of JKW. It sure isn't
showing much signs of diminished strength.
John
7/21/2005
John
7/17/2005
Don
and I did some more work on the JKW site, as planned, last Friday
evening.
We covered with new sheets of black
plastic the entire area between the bottom of the existing plastic
sheets and the marsh. Before laying down the new plastic, we rolled
back the bottoms of the existing sheets eight or ten feet, pulled
out new stalks of knotweed that were growing underneath (they were
pale and pretty sickly), and then layered the old sheets back over
the top of the new plastic sheets shingle-style so the water would
run off.
Spotted underneath the plastic as
we were rolling it back: one field mouse and two garter snakes
(amazing the mouse was still alive).
One other issue we had hoped, but
were not able, to deal with is the gaps that have emerged between
the existing plastic sheets, where the JKW had regrown profusely.
Plan A was to remove all the plastic sheets and re-lay them closer
together, with more substantial overlap. Because of all the debris
on top of the sheets, however, this proved impracticable. Plan B
was to simply add a new piece of plastic sheeting on top of each
gap. We think this would have worked just fine, but it turns out we
had only enough plastic sheeting to cover the bottom area (I
mistakenly thought there was more than one sheet in each of the two
packages I bought), so we had to abandon this plan, at least
temporarily, as well.
I have since bought several more
roles of plastic sheeting, and when I get a chance, I will try to
lay it down over the gaps, thus completing the project.
I also chopped back some of the
now-huge JKW stalks growing on each side of the cut area, but once
the JKW gets this tall, it is very difficult. If we don't do
something about this JKW on each side of the project, it will
eventually spread right back into the area we have been working on.
The bottom line is that the JKW
control area is now in excellent shape (at least for the time
being). Go by and take a look sometime.
John
7/14/2005
I went back to the JKW site
again last night and finished the project of pulling up, by the
roots, all the JKW growing between the black plastic sheets and
the marsh. This was (quite literally) back-breaking work, but
the results, I think, are great.
Picking up on and extending
Mike's suggestion, this really would be an opportune time to
cover over the area I have now cleared with more black plastic
sheeting. Why just let it all grow right back again?
For that matter, I think it
would make sense to re-cover the whole area better than we did
the first time. One of the obvious improvements, it seems to
me, would be to try to cover the area with significantly more
overlap between sheets, so that we won't have the ever-widening
gaps that we experienced the first time. We can certainly
re-use the plastic that is there, but we would need, I think
four or five new sheets.
Since Mike is quite
appropriately up to his ears planning for the boardwalk
construction, I may just try to do this myself one of the next
two evenings, or possibly over the coming weekend. I trust no
one would have any objection to purchase of another box of
plastic sheeting.
If anyone wants to help with
this (Don?), maybe we could arrange a time to meet. It
shouldn't take more than half an hour.
John
7/10/2005
I went back to the JKW
control area this evening with my son Chris to see where
things stood and to do a little maintenance work. It was
pretty discouraging. Between rain showers, we spent nearly
an hour but probably weren't able to cut down half of what
has grown up again. Particularly on the fringes, the JKW has
grown back tall and tough. It is growing quite thickly in
the cracks between the plastic sheets, and is even starting
to grow through holes in the sheets in places. Doesn't
look like much has been done there since my last clearing
effort two or three weeks ago, except perhaps some in the
area immediately to the right of the plastic sheeting.
Chris wielded the weed whacker, and I pulled up as much JKW
by the roots as I could in the plastic sheeting
area. Between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. the tse-tse flies were
swarming viciously, and finally we were driven out. My back
had healed up a bit, but this type of exercise did not help
it. The weed whacker is still functional but it needs to
have its screws and nuts tightened up. My impression is
that the area that was dug up and covered in plastic will
produce much better results than the area that is just being
cut. It seems like the greater amount of up-front work is
worth it in the long run.
Bottom line: THIS PROJECT
IS OUT OF CONTROL, and needs a healthy dose of labor.
John