Manual control is the hand-pulling and digging up of whole plants. This method works well for dealing with singular species like trees and shrubs, or small infestations of species, like garlic mustard or water chestnut, that can be eradicated with a small amount of labor. Manual control is most effective with shallow rooted invasive plants where soil is loose or moist.
Manual control may not be effective for species like invasive knotweed, which reproduces by roots and rhizomes. Hand pulling plants like that can sometimes increase an infestation size, as little pieces of rhizome left behind go on to propagate new plants. This is why properly identifying a species is the first step in managing an infestation. APIPP is always available to help guide you.
Benefits of manual control:
- Can be used in environmentally sensitive areas
- Can be used to manage small patches or individual plants
- Works best in moist, loose soils
- Persistent pulling can control some creeping perennials over time
Limitations of manual control:
- Physically intensive
- Limited to small infestations or singular, shallow rooted plants
- Can propagate rhizome spreading species
- Plants must be pulled before seeds develop
- Must be carried out repeatedly to exhaust soil seed bank
