Manual, Mechanical, and Cultural Control Methods and Tools

Abstract

There are many land management scenarios where chemicals are not the ideal choice for controlling invasive plants. More often than not, the best approach is the use of integrated pest management involving a variety of control methods. Maximizing the value of mechanical, manual, and cultural control methods with the added benefit of selective herbicides can offer the best results in many situations. It is important to choose durable and tested tools when utilizing manual and mechanical control as these labor intensive methods can be very time consuming. Down time due to use of inadequate tools can result in missed deadlines and often in poor mortality rates which require expensive retreatments. Land managers should also be aware of cultural methods of integrated pest management which are often overlooked. Mulching, soil solarization with plastic film, thermal weed control, water level manipulations, prescribed burning, and prescribed grazing are cultural methods that can play a key role in the reduction of invasive plant populations.