The enemy: Invasive plants are ones that grow and thrive in a foreign place, or an area to which they’re not native. While exotic flowers and trees might not seem like a threat, the problem lies in the plant’s thriving and choking out natural species. As animals rely on native foliage for food and shelter, invasive species often upset an area’s ecosystem.

Getting personal

“Hyacinths have the ability to thrive in the environments that they have invaded and spread at a very high rate; they often compete with the area’s native species,” according to Alexander Peeples, a student at the Alabama School of Math and Science and team leader of an environmental project to remove invasive water hyacinths. “In the Mobile Bay area and in other warm areas near freshwater, water hyacinths have been and still are causing many problems. They have established populations in 13 states, as well as 53 countries. They grow in large, thick mats that can cover entire bodies of water.”

Anna Word, a fellow team member, explained some of the negative effects this can cause.  “The mats prevent sunlight from reaching underwater plants, reduce the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water by blocking the air-water interface and clog water ways, preventing vessels from traveling through them, which reduces the water's recreational value,” she revealed. “The reduced oxygen levels negatively affect fish populations.

Hyacinths are also capable of physically crushing native plant species. This can affect the animal populations that feed on the plants.”  Peebles said impacts on ecosystems and recreation lead to economic issues.  “It contributes to the $138 billion per year of environmental damages and losses in the U.S. caused by invasive species,” he divulged. “Removing the hyacinths would help to reduce the effect of these problems and if continued, eventually eradicate them completely from the area.”

You can help 

Peebles explained on an individual level, one of two methods can be used. “Pull on long rubber gloves and waders or hip boots — water hyacinths can irritate your skin and this is a messy activity,” he began. “Wade into the pond where the plants are floating if you can't access them from the bank.  Grab a handful of the floating water hyacinth plant at the water's surface, and pull it straight upward.  The selected plants will break away easily,  bringing a large wad of root system with them.”

A less hands-on approach may also be used.  “Alternately, plunge a pitchfork into the water just beneath the plants and scoop them up if you'd rather not harvest them by hand,” he suggested. “Deposit them in five-gallon pails for easy transport.  Toss thinned or unwanted water hyacinths  onto your compost heap. They degrade rapidly and are excellent for adding nutrients. The plants are commonly used in manufacturing commercial fertilizers. Don't dump them into unconfined bodies of water, or any body of water not situated on your own property.”

For a more widespread invasion, other methods might be more useful. “On a large scale, harvesting and chopping machines are used to remove the plants; the harvesters remove the plants from the water and transport them to the shore for disposal,” he offered. “The chopping machines grind the hyacinths into tiny bits and spray the bits across the water. A form of biocontrol using the hyacinths' natural predator (two species of Neochetina weevils) is also used.”

Learn more

Peebles and others are working to spread knowledge of this invasion and to educate the public on dangers and eradication.  “We hope that our efforts will help to inspire other areas with similar ecological problems to work towards improving their own environments,” he said.

For more information, visit www.gardenguides.com/78455-cut-water-hyacinth-plant.html/