![]() ![]() Photographs also can be shared with the council on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter by using the hashtags #TheGreatScotchBroomCensus and #ScotchBroom2020Census. A description of the size of the patch is also helpful, such as whether the patch is the size of a motorcycle, a car, a school bus or multiple school buses. Sightings should include a photograph of the plant that shows enough detail that the plant can be verified by an expert. "The information can be transmitted easily to the council by using the Washington Invasives mobile app or by visiting Report a Sighting. When pruning Scotch broom, wait until flowering has finished, then begin by removing the dead and damaged branches, working your way to the center of the shrub. "We're asking people to send us information from their neighborhoods," Bush said. While known to be spread across the state, specific locations and patch sizes are not well documented, leading to the council's call for a month-long census. It can be found in 30 of Washington's 39 counties. The information from the census will help us set short- and long-term action plans." Yellow flowered, Scotch broom is hard to miss when blooming. "Without baseline information about the location and population size, we don’t have enough details to determine solutions. "We need everyone's help to size up the problem," said Justin Bush, executive coordinator of the Washington Invasive Species Council. Replant the area to shade broom seedlings.The Washington Invasive Species Council, state agencies and researchers are calling for a census in May to help determine the location of Scotch broom throughout the state.Take steps to prevent erosion as needed.Regrade the soil after digging broom roots.Minimize soil disturbance as much as possible when removing broom.Soil disturbance encourages seed to germinate.Moist soil is easier to work with when pulling young broom plants out of the ground. The best time to pull plants out of the ground is following rain and before warm, dry weather.Use a chipper to dispose of the plants or compost plants in place.Soil disturbance encourages seed to germinate. Dig or pull out plants when the soil is moist.Grazing, biocontrol, and continued cutting are other options to control regrowth. Herbicide treatment is a common technique to control regrowth.Cut stems during the dry season (July to August), or before or during flowering (late winter through early summer), before seed pods mature.Multi-acre stands of broom are often controlled with heavy equipment that grinds or bulldozes broom plants in preparation for ongoing control actions. After you remove broom plants, new plants will grow in the same spot unless you take steps to prevent them.Look for broom on your property every year and act as needed.Plants produce many seeds that remain viable in the soil for years. In areas where broom plants grow, expect new seedlings to emerge in that area for many years.Herbicide treatment is a common technique to control broom regrowth after use of other control methods.Herbicides effectively control broom when used according to the label instructions.Grazing, biocontrol, and continued cutting are other options to control regrowth.Dig out plants with main stems less than three inches tall or use a Weed Wrench™ or similar tool to pull them out of the ground.Broom will regrow and further action will be needed to control it. ![]() Cut mature broom plants with primary stems three inches or larger, as low on the plant as you can, near the soil surface.Physical Removal of Plants & Non-Chemical Options Remove it before it becomes a bigger problem. ![]()
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