Purple Loosestrife Noxious Weed

Native to Europe and grown around the world, the purple loosestrife looks like a beautiful purple flower. Unfortunately, it’s a weed and needs to be controlled and managed. Like many other weeds, it will replace the native plants and vegetation of anywhere it takes over extremely quickly.

Where the Purple Loosestrife Noxious Weed Grows

The taprooted perennial will grow anywhere it can, including ditches, along shorelines, and around riverbanks. It’s one of the fastest growing weeds around, and prefers wet areas, including meadows and canals. Not only does it take over natural vegetation, but it can affect the flow of water around ditches and canals because of the areas it likes to grow. Due to the watery locations, the seeds are easily spread around the area (and the world!). The seeds will drop into water and get carried along until they have the ability to plant into soil. It is possible for one plant to produce three million seeds in just one year, and those seeds can reach anywhere! It’s not surprising that the population of the weed is so big, considering seeds can live in soil for 5-20 years!

It’s Not Just the Seeds

While the seeds are the most problematic parts of the purple loosestrife noxious weed, the roots and stems of the plant also cause a problem. They can also lead to the growth of new weeds, and the stems can grow to 8ft! However most are between 2ft and 8ft. While they can look pretty, the weeds offer no nutritional benefits to the ground and no other benefits to the wildlife. Instead they take up space and resources, affecting the life of other plants and vegetation.
When you see purple loosestrife noxious weed growing, you want to get rid of them as soon as possible. That means good management from a reputable noxious weed control company due to the speed that they grow. Contact SprayTech at 720.248.0000.