4 Invasive Plants in Arizona

Everyone worries about garden bugs, animals, and other dangerous pests that destroy their lawn. Not enough people worry about the invasive plants in Arizona. When you hear the term invasive species, you think of bugs and animals that were brought here from other countries and states, but invasive species are more than that.

Invasive species also include plants, and plants can be just as dangerous to your local ecosystems and yards as an invasive animal. If you don’t believe us, you should hear about the different invasive plants in Arizona. If you realize that you have some in your yard, we have some tools to help you get rid of them and landscaping material to replace what you’ve lost at Pioneer Landscape Centers.

What Are Invasive Plants?

To understand what an invasive plant is, you first need to know about non-native species. We’ve talked about these before, so to summarize, they are species of any type of living organism that has been moved from its natural habitat to a new one by some means. 

An invasive species is a non-native species that survives and thrives in a new environment at the cost of the native species. While some invasive species have dire consequences for the ecosystem, they do not always drive other species to extinction or endangerment. 

An invasive plant is a plant species originally from an outside environment that causes damage to the new environment it's placed in.

Fountain Grass

This menace to landscapes across Arizona and other states originally comes from Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. It was first brought to Tucson, Arizona in 1940 and spread across the state from there. Its widespread use on resorts and golf courses has allowed it to run rampant. Now you can find it on roadsides throughout Arizona. It hasn’t been legal to sell since it was categorized as a noxious weed in January 2020.

A noxious weed is a plant that actively steals resources from other plants at a rate that makes life unsustainable for them. 

Stinknet

This plant is originally from South Africa and was categorized as a noxious weed in Arizona around the same time as Fountain grass back in January 2020. These not only cause harm to the plants around them, stealing the water and leaving them to die, but they also stink. They have an interesting appearance, looking like yellow mothballs, but they have a strong odor.

They also are known to inflame people’s allergies and spread along roadways, growing underneath them. They're damaging not only to our yards but also to our vehicles with the potholes and road cracks they contribute to.

Buffelgrass

This grass grows in the warm seasons, so expect to see it relatively soon. Like most weeds, they drain the ground of moisture, but what sets them apart from other weeds is how drought-tolerant they are. Many other weeds will die out after a bad drought. While we wouldn’t suggest waiting for a drought to kill your weeds, a drought will kill most of them. Then you can replant your grasses, flowers, and shrubbery afterward.

Buffelgrass doesn’t always die during droughts. They can go long periods of time without water and steal what little water is given to them from other plants. It’s a true nuisance to get rid of and almost never goes away on your own. This is an invasive plant you need to dig up yourself.

Thistle

There are a lot of different plants that are a part of the thistle family, and two of them are invasive species to Arizona. These include: 

• Bull thistle 
• Canadian thistle
• Musk thistle
• Scotch thistle

They share a common appearance with the shape of their flower. They can also both be common in similar colors, such as purple. 

While these invasive plants aren’t as damaging as others, they are plentiful. They’re good at attracting pollinators away from other plants, which helps them grow far and wide more often than other plants.

Contact the Experts at Pioneer Landscape Centers for Landscape Repair

If you find that your lawn has been infested with invasive plants, you can get tools from our store to remove them. There are several tools that can make plant removal easier and faster. Once that’s done, you’ll also need to replace some of the soil and mulch to make sure your native plants survive and thrive. We have the soil materials you need as well.

For more landscaping help, contact our experts at Pioneer Landscape Centers today.