It might kill off the blackberry but it would also introduce an invasive species. They might end up farther south or they might survive the winter. You cannot tell. It is like fighting a gasoline fire with gallons upon gallons of hydrochloric acid. Sure it might put out the fire but you run into another problem.
Stick insects afaik can be somewhat adaptable and will begin consuming other plant species if their original diet runs out. Manual removal would be much better.
Manual removal would be best. Also D. Femorata also conmonly live high up on oak(?) trees which is why they are so seldom encountered so I’m pretty sure that they’d end up moving up higher.
One part laundry detergent to 10 parts sodium carbonate sprayed liberally and repeatedly on all the leaves of the blackberry plant. Chemically burns the plant up and degrades into the environment without latent toxic effects. You must be diligent with the sprayings. Alternatively cutting the individual plants back to the roots, wait for new growth to appear and give it a selective good misting of glyphosate will kill off the entire plant and roots.
Yeah it was an actual hypothetical question. I was just thinking during math class and I was like “huh, I wonder what would happen if...” I realized it would be controversial but I asked anyway.
And also for those of you saying this stuff, I KNOW. I don’t want to be rude or anything and I know you were just trying to protect your inverts but I stated multiple times it was hypothetical.
Usually when people ask hypothetical questions like this it sounds like they're asking a practical question as a hypothetical so that people don't get mad at them. No one wants you to go ahead and release stick insects in the environment, so better safe than sorry.
Ugh, freaking garlic mustard. I hate that stuff. I spent two springs trying to control it in various habitats and I now hate it with a burning passion. Same with the honeysuckle and Asian pear, though those I'm slightly more ok with since I didn't have to spend as much time controlling them (and it was easier with them since I could use handsaw or chainsaw, plus painting the stump with herbicide). One boss didn't want me using any chemicals or motorized tools, so I was basically using a modified gold club to remove acres and acres of garlic mustard. The next boss was more open to other control methods, but he also wasn't as gung-ho about having me spend three solid weeks removing the stuff when it'd come back the next year anyway.
Garlic mustard - pull 20 plants, 100 more spring up a week later (seems like it, anyway).
Understandable and I agree. I resort to glyphosate under very controlled circumstances. In the case of blackberrys and undersireables I attempt to pull the plant out or cut it off at the dirt and put a bamboo marker stick next to it. When it starts to grow back a tiny spritz of glyphosate is all it takes. I bought a liter bottle back arounds 2010 and it's still 3/4 full. Leave wholesale spraying of large plants to the irresponsible or poorly educated. All about diligence. I've got about 150-200 mulberry seedlings/starts to deal with right now. Got to buy a new spray bottle. They plug up or quit after a few months with that stuff just sitting in them.
At least you can eat it. I eat it’s leaves in salads, plain, and in pesto and the seeds can be used as a pepper substitute. If you can’t beat it, eat it. But in all seriousness it’s the bane of my existence. At least I don’t have any creeping charlie.
I never actually got to try it, I was too busy trying to remove it and after a while I hated it enough that I didn't want anything to do with it lol. You have to eat the leaves fairly early on right? I didn't know that about the seeds either, how are those?
