That’s a great way to keep them in check! They are biennial or perennial, so they may grow back, but if one cuts the stems at the base when they are young, they will eventually “starve out”. EDIT: trimming this way for a few seasons.
Cutting it yearly for up to six years will eventually get rid of it. It is critical to cut it before it flowers or the seed will spread. It can be pulled out by the base by hand but wash carefully afterwards and do it on a cloudy day.
Vermont River Conservancy instructed people to wear gloves put the wild parsnip in a black trash bag then tie the bag closed and leave in the sun to kill the plant inside the bag
Gloves yes! And black trash bag will definitely kill viable roots and seeds, but I would only as that it’s reasonable after a season to dump the plant back out of the bag into compost or border lands so it can return to soil as organic waste, not stay locked on a bag in the landfill forever-ish. And those bags can be reused for the same purpose for a long time after.
It’s not really necessary, but it does desiccate the plant faster. Especially if it has fruiting bodies or seeds. It just doesn’t need to stay in the bag forever.
Cut it before it goes to seed and you can get ahead of it. Found giant hogweed on the edge of our road (same family, same photosensitive sap) and think I got it in time
FTR I still have scars on my legs from weed wacking in shorts as a teenager. Nasty stuff
FWIW: The severe burns caused by this stuff are actually a result of hypersensitivity to light that is caused by the sap. If you deal with them at night and wash the sap off, it’s much safer.
You can get a Parsnip Predator shovel and cut them all off at the root before or after they go to seed. Doing it before reduces the amount you have to address next summer. Keep at it, you will eventually win. My town’s Conservation Commission has been working on one of our parks for about five years having sessions a few times in the early summer about two hours before sunset. They are making remarkable progress for about 40 hours total each summer.
I mean how much you talking?
Just so you know, wild parsnip's root is still edible. But it's better to pick it in the fall or spring. Summer is far too late.
Do what others are saying but make sure to cover your skin and avoid the sun. Poison parsnip will release a liquid when it’s cut, if this liquid gets on your skin and then is exposed to the sun it will give a bad rash.
Basically no one… you’re on your own… good luck.
Last summer I melted the skin off my own arms with the stuff… wear long sleeves and immediately shower after working it and use dish soap to clean the skin, the poison is an oil that dish soap can collect, lather it up well and wash and rinse off repeatedly, be thorough… if you allow the oil on your skin to be exposed to sun that will massively accelerate the damage to the skin on affected areas…
You also should cover your face and eyes and head… completely covered is best… even if you are atop a tractor or large mower, particles of debris will burn your skin… use caution around that stuff… the burns will scar your skin… it’s about as bad a lye burns or chlorine burns…
It only reacts when in the sun, so what everyone here is telling you, wear a long sleeve and some sunglasses. If you get some on you it’s not the end of the world just shower and stay out of the sun the rest of the day. I’ve had it a few times and have since learned how to not have a scar for 7 years
Hot or even warm water opens the pores in skin allowing the oils or chemicals from plants to further penetrate. Cold water keeps the pores constricted and dish soap is generally the go-to to break down and wash off oils from any surface, including skin.
The substance that causes a reaction for all of these plants is an oil so you really need a good detergent to make sure you clean it all off. Cold water is so that the pores don’t open letting the oil in.
Hey thanks I didn’t know. Blessed once again by whale taco champ with a bunch of shit I already knew. What would I do without you the Reddit hall monitor?
Just mow it or clip it, they will eventually die back. For as nasty as the stuff is, it's a lot easier to control than something like Japanese knotweed.
Get one of those weed choppers that looks like a golf club with a blade on it, hit em and use it to stack em. Wear long clothes. Or just dig em and stack em. It's not that hard to keep the sap off ya.
Parsnip root is edible so we have to convince the local culinary scene to start incorporating them into their menu and pay folks to harvest wild parsnip.
No. That specific species has chemicals in its leaves and stems that cause phytophotodermititis: bad rashes and blisters when skin exposed to the plant are also exposed to sun. So I asked if that was the species because that would make a HUGE difference in choosing to take on the project.
It's definitely that kind, I unknowingly found out last year, and I don't feel like fighting that fight this year.
Does anyone know someone who is experienced and willing for such removal?
I may. I’ll ask around.
If you end up doing it yourself: a long sleeve “dress” shirt from a thrift store will keep most of the oils off of your skin, as well as the sunlight until you can wash your skin indoors with dish soap and cold water.
Why are you so upset about this? That plant has several names, and other plants are mistaken for it. They didn’t post a picture or any other descriptive words, so I asked the most clarifying question I could.
In my professional experience it isn’t obvious. I’ve been working in invasive removal, landscaping, conservation, arboriculture, and horticulture for 22 years: the first thing is to establish the common ground of which plant. I had a customer ask me to remove 250 feet of “cow parsnip” that ended up being queen anne’s lace when I arrived to do the estimate. I’ve had people assume it’s one plant or another. It’s professional to clarify. I’ve also only heard cow parsnip called “poison parsnip” once in my whole career. It may seem obvious what the OP said, and it turns out it is that plant, but it’s absurd to spend this much time defending an empty hill because someone asked one question to clarify and assure it was mutually agreed information, especially if the task in question could be a run of the mill removal, or, in the case at hand, result in painful rashes and burns. Without a picture or any other descriptive dialogue, the difference in which plant matters. Read the other comments here stating the same stance. It matters.
A clarifying question doesn’t assume the answer is or isn’t known: it creates a mutual point of understanding, or clarity. If the person reading the question knows the answer-no lesson. If they don’t know the answer they get the opportunity to ask more questions, search for the answer themselves before responding, or walk away from the question not knowing (and I’m sure there’s many more responses I haven’t listed). If the answer to the question is given as yes, (as the OP answered: yes, that one), then were all get to move on from a mutual platform of information, if we want to. You don’t seem to want to, yet the answer still doesn’t change. “ Is it this one: yes it is” then we move forward. Or the rest of us do who want to mutually arrive at a culmination of solutions and information.
If you're up to the task, you can cut it near the ground and treat the cut 'stump' with concentrated Glysophate. There's a product called [Buckthorn Blaster](https://shop.naisma.org/collections/buckthorn-blaster) that makes this really easy.
The use of targeted herbicides applied directly with a buckthorn blaster is recommended by a state forester. It's applied directly to the stump with essentially a bingo marker. I don't know if it's necessary in this plant's case, but for multiflora rose or buckthorn it's almost the only option. https://northernwoodlands.org/articles/article/woody-invasive-plants
Take loppers or a machete and cut the crown off before they go to seed.
That’s a great way to keep them in check! They are biennial or perennial, so they may grow back, but if one cuts the stems at the base when they are young, they will eventually “starve out”. EDIT: trimming this way for a few seasons.
Cutting it yearly for up to six years will eventually get rid of it. It is critical to cut it before it flowers or the seed will spread. It can be pulled out by the base by hand but wash carefully afterwards and do it on a cloudy day.
Check to see if the state will remove it for you: https://vtinvasives.org/contact
Emailed! Fingers crossed
Can you DM me what they tell you please? This year we had a crazy amount pop up from nowhere!
Vermont River Conservancy instructed people to wear gloves put the wild parsnip in a black trash bag then tie the bag closed and leave in the sun to kill the plant inside the bag
Gloves yes! And black trash bag will definitely kill viable roots and seeds, but I would only as that it’s reasonable after a season to dump the plant back out of the bag into compost or border lands so it can return to soil as organic waste, not stay locked on a bag in the landfill forever-ish. And those bags can be reused for the same purpose for a long time after.
Do you know why it's necessary to put them in a bag and not just uproot it?
It’s not really necessary, but it does desiccate the plant faster. Especially if it has fruiting bodies or seeds. It just doesn’t need to stay in the bag forever.
You put them in a black trash bag after uprooting. My apologies I forgot to clarify that
I’ll do it for $20, a ride, and a sack of weed
Buddy, I'll buy you any oz you want from a shop
a hero has risen
Cut it before it goes to seed and you can get ahead of it. Found giant hogweed on the edge of our road (same family, same photosensitive sap) and think I got it in time FTR I still have scars on my legs from weed wacking in shorts as a teenager. Nasty stuff
Do it at night and take a shower and you’ll be fine
Goats
FWIW: The severe burns caused by this stuff are actually a result of hypersensitivity to light that is caused by the sap. If you deal with them at night and wash the sap off, it’s much safer.
Go to Walmart. Get some cleaning vinegar and pour on each of the crowns
You can get a Parsnip Predator shovel and cut them all off at the root before or after they go to seed. Doing it before reduces the amount you have to address next summer. Keep at it, you will eventually win. My town’s Conservation Commission has been working on one of our parks for about five years having sessions a few times in the early summer about two hours before sunset. They are making remarkable progress for about 40 hours total each summer.
I mean how much you talking? Just so you know, wild parsnip's root is still edible. But it's better to pick it in the fall or spring. Summer is far too late.
Like, cumulatively 30 square yards? Rough, rough guess
Do what others are saying but make sure to cover your skin and avoid the sun. Poison parsnip will release a liquid when it’s cut, if this liquid gets on your skin and then is exposed to the sun it will give a bad rash.
Basically no one… you’re on your own… good luck. Last summer I melted the skin off my own arms with the stuff… wear long sleeves and immediately shower after working it and use dish soap to clean the skin, the poison is an oil that dish soap can collect, lather it up well and wash and rinse off repeatedly, be thorough… if you allow the oil on your skin to be exposed to sun that will massively accelerate the damage to the skin on affected areas… You also should cover your face and eyes and head… completely covered is best… even if you are atop a tractor or large mower, particles of debris will burn your skin… use caution around that stuff… the burns will scar your skin… it’s about as bad a lye burns or chlorine burns…
Yuppppp sure seems like I'm s.o.l.
It only reacts when in the sun, so what everyone here is telling you, wear a long sleeve and some sunglasses. If you get some on you it’s not the end of the world just shower and stay out of the sun the rest of the day. I’ve had it a few times and have since learned how to not have a scar for 7 years
Showering alone isn’t enough - you need to wash with cold water and detergent type soap. Same with poison ivy/oak
Huh?
Hot or even warm water opens the pores in skin allowing the oils or chemicals from plants to further penetrate. Cold water keeps the pores constricted and dish soap is generally the go-to to break down and wash off oils from any surface, including skin.
Really? I had no clue thanks for your insight
The substance that causes a reaction for all of these plants is an oil so you really need a good detergent to make sure you clean it all off. Cold water is so that the pores don’t open letting the oil in.
Hey thanks I didn’t know. Blessed once again by whale taco champ with a bunch of shit I already knew. What would I do without you the Reddit hall monitor?
Huh?
Just mow it or clip it, they will eventually die back. For as nasty as the stuff is, it's a lot easier to control than something like Japanese knotweed.
What a beast that plant is. It does eventually “starve out” as well. It’s rhizomic in nature so it takes a bit more diligence.
Get one of those weed choppers that looks like a golf club with a blade on it, hit em and use it to stack em. Wear long clothes. Or just dig em and stack em. It's not that hard to keep the sap off ya.
Parsnip root is edible so we have to convince the local culinary scene to start incorporating them into their menu and pay folks to harvest wild parsnip.
It’s delicious, but it takes forever to break down the root fibers.
Do you mean the yellow flowered one: pastinaca sativa?
I think that's the one, it's like 6ft tall right now lol
I ask, as per my other response, because that species can cause serious rashes and blisters, which is a decisive point in removing it.
Are you just trying to show off how you know the scientific name for it or?
No. That specific species has chemicals in its leaves and stems that cause phytophotodermititis: bad rashes and blisters when skin exposed to the plant are also exposed to sun. So I asked if that was the species because that would make a HUGE difference in choosing to take on the project.
It's definitely that kind, I unknowingly found out last year, and I don't feel like fighting that fight this year. Does anyone know someone who is experienced and willing for such removal?
I may. I’ll ask around. If you end up doing it yourself: a long sleeve “dress” shirt from a thrift store will keep most of the oils off of your skin, as well as the sunlight until you can wash your skin indoors with dish soap and cold water.
Thank you!
You’re welcome! I’ve removed a decent amount of it this way and avoided any serious results.
No shit that's what they're asking about. That's my whole point. Wtf else would they be asking about???
Why are you so upset about this? That plant has several names, and other plants are mistaken for it. They didn’t post a picture or any other descriptive words, so I asked the most clarifying question I could.
It’s just so obvious that this is what OP was asking about I don’t understand the need to be so hyper specific
In my professional experience it isn’t obvious. I’ve been working in invasive removal, landscaping, conservation, arboriculture, and horticulture for 22 years: the first thing is to establish the common ground of which plant. I had a customer ask me to remove 250 feet of “cow parsnip” that ended up being queen anne’s lace when I arrived to do the estimate. I’ve had people assume it’s one plant or another. It’s professional to clarify. I’ve also only heard cow parsnip called “poison parsnip” once in my whole career. It may seem obvious what the OP said, and it turns out it is that plant, but it’s absurd to spend this much time defending an empty hill because someone asked one question to clarify and assure it was mutually agreed information, especially if the task in question could be a run of the mill removal, or, in the case at hand, result in painful rashes and burns. Without a picture or any other descriptive dialogue, the difference in which plant matters. Read the other comments here stating the same stance. It matters.
You can call it whatever you guys want, but I want to call it "get it out off my property parsnip"
I pulled it out in college for some folks and have scars all over my hands/arms to prove it. Never again.
Yuuup. Totally understand
Are you always so bitter? Every time I see you comment it’s nit picking everyone’s comments. It’s gotta be so exhausting being you man.
Nah but you’re just trying to be an ass
I just don't see the point in being like "oh you mean the only poison parsnip in our state??" like wtf was the point of asking that?
Then don’t comment. Clearly you miss lots of points
Idk man plenty of people accurately answered OPs question without having to do a taxonomy lesson on it first.
So, you just hate knowledge. Whoosh
Lol yeah that’s the takeaway here.
The only lesson in a question is if you can’t answer it.
Huh?
Exactly.
I could have answered OPs question completely fine without a full identification.
A clarifying question doesn’t assume the answer is or isn’t known: it creates a mutual point of understanding, or clarity. If the person reading the question knows the answer-no lesson. If they don’t know the answer they get the opportunity to ask more questions, search for the answer themselves before responding, or walk away from the question not knowing (and I’m sure there’s many more responses I haven’t listed). If the answer to the question is given as yes, (as the OP answered: yes, that one), then were all get to move on from a mutual platform of information, if we want to. You don’t seem to want to, yet the answer still doesn’t change. “ Is it this one: yes it is” then we move forward. Or the rest of us do who want to mutually arrive at a culmination of solutions and information.
Just like your original comment, this amount of depth is not required lol.
If you're up to the task, you can cut it near the ground and treat the cut 'stump' with concentrated Glysophate. There's a product called [Buckthorn Blaster](https://shop.naisma.org/collections/buckthorn-blaster) that makes this really easy.
Please do not encourage anyone to put that toxic crap into our soil. And water system.
The use of targeted herbicides applied directly with a buckthorn blaster is recommended by a state forester. It's applied directly to the stump with essentially a bingo marker. I don't know if it's necessary in this plant's case, but for multiflora rose or buckthorn it's almost the only option. https://northernwoodlands.org/articles/article/woody-invasive-plants
I am killing invasives on my 30 acre property with just vinegar. Works very well.