French Broom

1. Plant Characteristics:
   1. Prefers full sun, will grow in oak/madrone/douglas fir forests, but declines in full canopy redwood associations.
   2. Propagated by seeds, mainly floating in water. Seed pods burst sending seeds around 6 feet from plant. Ants disperse seeds.
   3. Seed pods explode begining in May and going through October.
   4. Seeds can remain dormant in the soil for up to 37 years.
2. Plant Control (Watch for ticks)
   1. Plants begin to flower in March. The bright yellow blossoms make the plant easier to spot.
   2. Best is to pull it up roots & all. Pulling will disturb the soil and may expose buried seeds which will germinate the next year.
   3. Cut down this years growth, then pull and spray whatever grows next year. A hand held propane torch works to kill seedlings as they sprout (ie., when its wet out and the plants are very young. Be very aware of the inherent fire hazard. Check with county fire officials first.)
   4. Spray full size plants. (Read and follow label instructions) Does anyone have a correct, good working formula for Roundup for this application? How about the best time to spray during the year? I would add the important qualifications that:
      1. A good sprayer is used to jet out very small droplets. Droplet size can make all the difference.
      2. Household soap is added to the roundup to make it stick better.o.
      3. Soak the plant with spray for best results.
      4. After the plants have died, they can be chopped down to improve access to the next years seedlings. Chopped down plants and other brush could be burned in piles where the densest broom seedlings are likely to emerge - this may kill most of the seeds in the soil if the burning takes place in the winter. Consult with county fire officials first.

   More information is needed in the following areas.

3. County
   1. Plans & Efforts at control.
   2. Legal aspects of private party control efforts.
4. Control Efforts
   1. Map out where the problem areas are.
   2. Organize pulling parties several times a year.