American Chestnut Land Trust

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Fighting Chinese Lespedeza in ACLT’s Meadows

August 14, 2023 By Community Relations Manager

By Grace Mayer, Chesapeake Conservation Corps Intern

This summer, ACLT is testing the effectiveness of two different control methods on Chinese lespedeza. Many of ACLT’s meadows have been home to lespedeza, an invasive forb that spreads quickly and out-competes native grasses and flowers. ACLT has had success in controlling lespedeza in the past using a combination of herbicide, controlled burns, and mowing. However, one meadow that is heavily infected with Chinese lespedeza sits between ACLT’s Double Oak Farm and Food Forest. Organic herbicides and solarization were tested in an attempt to find a successful organic method of control that poses the least risk to the food production happening on both sides of the site. 

 

Lespedeza in control plot

Upon first application, the organic herbicide d-limonene and vinegar both showed some effect on the lespedeza. Many of the plants sprayed with d-limonene were brown and wilting, while plants sprayed with vinegar showed similar but lesser effects. D-limonene acts as a degreasing agent, dissolving the plant’s cuticle and drying it out. Vinegar ruptures the plant cells’ walls, causing the leaves to leak water. Both act to dehydrate the plant, and while both caused some lespedeza to wilt; more leaves on the plants sprayed with d-limonene were brown and dried out compared to the plants sprayed with vinegar. After spraying the plots a second time, the plot sprayed with d-limonene had a visibly lower density of lespedeza and the remaining plants were shorter. While the area sprayed with vinegar did have a slightly lower density of lespedeza than the control plot, the d-limonene was much more effective. 

Lespedeza sprayed with d-limonene twice
Lespedeza sprayed with vinegar twice

In addition to testing the effects of the organic herbicides, the plots are meant to test the effectiveness of solarization on lespedeza. ACLT has tested solarization in the same meadow in the past, so this year solarization was tested in tandem with the herbicides. A total of three plots were covered with black plastic. Two of the plots were covered with plastic after being sprayed with either d-limonene or vinegar, and a third was solarized without being sprayed as a control. The plastic will be left in place for 5 weeks during the hottest months of the year. The results will determine whether solarization and/or organic herbicides are worth using as a lespedeza control method at ACLT after factoring in cost, labor intensity, risk mitigation, and effectiveness.

Stay tuned … 

Solarization plots
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Filed Under: Front Page, Uncategorized

Slowing the Spread of Phragmites in Parkers Creek

September 19, 2023 By Community Relations Manager

By Grace Mayer, '22/'23 Chesapeake Conservation Corps Member Phragmites australis is a common invasive reed that is all-too-familiar to many environmentalists in Maryland. Phragmites was introduced to the region in the 19th century from Europe and Asia by ship and grows in brackish and fresh … [Read more...]

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The Rills are Alive….With Strands of DNA

July 27, 2023 By Community Relations Manager

By Ron Klauda, Mary Hoover, and Evan Klauda   With apologies to Julie Andrews and “The Sound of Music'' for the titular pun, we want to tell you about an exciting biological sampling tool tested by the Friends of Hunting Creek (FOHC) for the first time in Calvert County streams (or rills, if you … [Read more...]

Filed Under: SMCA Blogs, Uncategorized

June at ACLT – A Month of Celebrations & Events

July 5, 2023 By Community Relations Manager

The month of June began with a celebration of good food, fellowship, and appreciation for the beauty of our land at the Dining in the Field event and the celebrations continued with not one, but two events on the same day – the Yoe Property Open House and the Juneteenth Celebration at Jefferson … [Read more...]

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE YOE FAMILY & FARM

June 14, 2023 By Community Relations Manager

At the Yoe farm: dogwood tree and grain sorghum crop. Photo by Beth Yoe Fiddler, October 2021. Introduction This blog was researched and written by Beth Yoe Fiddler with the help of her sisters and brothers. As documented in the first section, Beth and her four siblings represent the ninth … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cultural History, Uncategorized

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Recent Posts

  • Slowing the Spread of Phragmites in Parkers Creek September 19, 2023
  • Fighting Chinese Lespedeza in ACLT’s Meadows August 14, 2023
  • The Rills are Alive….With Strands of DNA July 27, 2023
  • June at ACLT – A Month of Celebrations & Events July 5, 2023
  • A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE YOE FAMILY & FARM June 14, 2023
  • USFWS Land Protection Plan received positively by Southern Marylanders April 19, 2023
  • Change Is Coming. Grow Into It. April 19, 2023

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