Shining Geranium (Geranium lucidum) on Apr 9, 2024

Submitter has sample

Description of specimen

The plant is heavy along the road where I have left to native growth for a pollinator garden while continually pulling the shiny geranium. It is also rampant in areas where I garden as well as the forest.
We have many native plants including hundreds of trillium, columbia lily, and many others. The land is very sloped and the weed has not yet reached the stream. I am concerned that they are going to be smothered out.
As much as I have tried to pull the weed to eradicate, it is too rampant to control.

Commentary

Shining geranium is very hard to control, especially without herbicides. It takes many years of diligent hand-pulling in addition to using thick cover of mulch. These two activities should be done before plants flower and go to seed. Another management tactic for large areas is using a propane weed burner to destroy the plants before they go to seed. King County (WA) has more info: https://kingcounty.gov/en/legacy/services/environment/animals-and-plants/noxious-weeds/weed-identification/shiny-geranium

Wyatt Williams
April 11, 2024, 2:21 a.m.