Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma

Volunteers remove invasive fountain grass

FALLBROOK – "Give Them an Inch and They'll Take an Acre" is the title of the Southern California version of the brochure prepared by the California Invasive Plant Council. Several plants everyone knows are listed with suggested alternatives that could be used instead.

Invasive fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum) is one of those in the brochure that has invaded Fallbrook. Save Our Forest has launched a battle to eliminate this grass from the community landscape. Educating the community about it is important.

Be aware there are colored varieties that are somewhat sterile and rarely reseed. However, some unknowing residents have taken advantage of the prolific stranger that pops up in their yard, cultivating it and allowing the seed to blow onto neighboring properties. The question is will everyone join the battle to help stop this prolific plant from taking over Fallbrook?

"Not in our back yard," said SOF and the Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce at a SOF monthly work party this past week. Volunteers from both groups turned out to help clear the gutters and sidewalk crannies of invasive fountain grass in the core of downtown.

A small crew of five people filled five huge trash bags with the grass growing in just three major blocks. Past efforts in parking lots and other public places have occurred to eliminate the seed source.

Other grasses, shrubs, trees and ground covers are in the brochure. Fallbrook Land Conservancy/SOF has provided the brochure which is available for pickup at the Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce office. It includes many trees that are a fire hazard such as the Mexican fan palm and Canary Island date palm, shrubs such as myoporum, broom, Western coastal wattle, pampas grass, and more.

These aggressive non-native plants crowd out treasured native plants and take over vast areas

First, residents need to know what it looks like, carefully capture the seeds that are carried by the slightest breeze, vehicles, and rain, and then remove the entire plant. Tough wiry roots make it really difficult but worth the effort.

For further information, see http://www.cal.ipc.org, or contact SOF through the office of the Fallbrook Land Conservancy, 760-728-0889.

Submitted by Save Our Forest.

 

Reader Comments(0)