How to Identify and Manage Invasive Plants on Your PEI Property

Confirming what the plant is comes before anything else when an invasive plant turns up on a PEI property. After that, report it to the PEI Invasive Species Council, choose a control method that suits the species and expect to follow up for several years. Complete removal is not always possible once a plant has spread, so the usual goal is to contain it and replace it with native plants.

How Do You Confirm a Plant Is Invasive?

Identification comes first because the wrong identification can lead to the wrong tools and methods, the council warns. It suggests clear photos of the whole plant plus close-ups of the flowers and seeds, and it cautions that identification apps are not completely reliable.

The council will also identify a plant from photos sent by email with the location and date, and usually replies within a week. Giant hogweed is the case where certainty matters most: its sap reacts with sunlight on skin to cause severe burns, and it can be confused with cow parsnip, woodland angelica and Queen Anne's lace.

Which Invasive Plants Are Found on PEI?

The council's species list includes 28 invasive plants, among them Japanese knotweed, glossy and common buckthorn, multiflora rose, Scotch broom, garlic mustard, dog-strangling vine, Himalayan balsam, periwinkle, wild parsnip and giant hogweed.

Japanese knotweed and woodland angelica draw the most questions, according to the council, while giant hogweed and Scotch broom are current eradication targets.

Should You Report an Invasive Plant?

Every sighting is worth reporting, even an uncertain one, because the council says it would rather receive 100 false reports than miss one that turned out to be important. Reports can go to the council by email or social media message, or through the iNaturalist and EDDMapS apps, where council staff verify invasive species reports.

The council has limited capacity for work on private land. It gives on-site help mainly for species that are still rare on PEI and offers advice remotely for widespread ones such as Japanese knotweed.

How Are Invasive Plants Controlled Without Chemicals?

The PEI Invasive Species Council favours physical removal, mowing, covering and planting native competitors, and it does not recommend chemical controls at this time. The right method depends on the species.

Japanese knotweed is one plant where cutting and digging, the usual first instincts, do not work. The council's management sheet says cutting does not control it and advises against digging, since a piece of root as small as 0.7 grams can grow a new plant. Covering the patch with thick, opaque material is a common approach, with the edges watched closely.

Buckthorn calls for a different method again: small plants can be pulled by hand or with tools, but cutting tends to make the stumps resprout, and the council expects control work to be repeated.

Herbicide use comes with provincial rules of its own, separate from the council's advice. Pesticides are generally not allowed inside the 15-metre buffer zone along water, and anyone hired to apply a commercial pesticide needs a provincial Pesticide Application Business Licence.

How Long Does Invasive Plant Management Take?

Invasive plant management usually runs over several years rather than one season. The council's planning guide says eradication can usually be achieved when a species is still localized, but once it has spread, eradication is unlikely and the focus shifts to limiting the population. Its knotweed sheet notes that a stand can persist for many years even under intense management and recommends monitoring the site for many years after.

A plant that has only just arrived is far cheaper to deal with than an established stand, and the council calls prevention and early action on newly arrived species the most effective and cost-efficient approach. Once control work is finished, its riparian protocol recommends replanting native trees and shrubs promptly.

How Should Invasive Plants Be Disposed Of?

Bag invasive plant material in clear plastic bags, seal them and mark them "INVASIVE SPECIES," then put them in the black waste cart, never the green compost cart. The council's disposal guidance says composting can spread the plant later, and it says no management effort is complete until the material is disposed of properly.

Bagged material can also go to any Waste Watch drop-off site, as long as the scale attendant is told the bags contain invasive species.

Can Red Earth Help Manage Invasive Plants?

Red Earth Restoration offers invasive plant management and planning on PEI properties. Complete removal is not always possible and the work is often a longer process, so a first enquiry with photos of the plant and how far it has spread helps Brandon and Becky judge what is realistic for the site.

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