Do you know what this Australian pine, this oyster# plant, and torpedograss all have in common?

They're all invasive plants here in Florida.

And# believe it or not, they've all set up camp in my yard and probably yours.

How dare they?

The# trouble with invasive is they're not just hard to spot.

They're a real big headache to remove.# Take Australian pine for example.

Getting rid of them can cost a fortune.

And even then, there's# no guarantee they won't pop right back up.

So, today we're going to dig into what makes plants# invasive, how to recognize them before they take over, and the best ways to get rid of them.

We'll# also look at some of the biggest reasons these stubborn plants keep spreading, and how you can# make better choices for your own backyard.

Florida has become one of the nation's top# hotspots for invasive species.

We're talking iguanas, Burmese pythons, lionfish,# and of course, exotic plants.

Right now, we have around 1,500 non-native plant species,# and more than a hundred of them are considered invasive.

But how can we actually tell# the difference?

Let's break it down.

Native plants are the true Floridians.

They've been# here for hundreds and even thousands of years before European contact.

And over time, they've# adapted perfectly well to Florida's climate, soil, and ecosystem.

Plus, they play a vital role in# supporting our local wildlife,##like this nat... Non-native#plants are the newcomer species.

They didn't#occur here naturally, but were introduced by# people, either on purpose or by accident.

Not all of them cause trouble, but they also# don't give our wildlife the same benefits that natives do.

From there, non-natives go in# two directions.

Florida-friendly plants are well- suited for our environment.

They don't cause much# ecological harm.

For example, this podocarpus.

Invasive plants, on the other hand, reproduce# aggressively and disrupt our ecosystems.

Invasives push out native species, change soil and# water conditions, and can completely reshape the landscape.

For example, this bischofia, which we're# going to cover later.

Here's the key thing to remember: All invasives are non-native, but not# all non-natives are invasive.

Let that sink in.

All invasives are non-native, but not all# non-natives are invasive.

That's why the Florida Invasive Species Council was created.# It identifies invasives and sorts them into two categories.

Category 1 plants have already caused# ecological damage by disrupting native plant communities.

Category 2 plants are spreading, but# haven't caused much changes yet.

If they get out of hand, they get bumped up to category 1.

But# how do we know if the plants in your yard are invasive?

You guessed it.

It takes research,# research, research.

Some invasives look very similar to our harmless native.

So, you need to look# extra closely.

I like to take pictures of them and identify them on different websites or sometimes# I contact my local UF/IFAS extension office for extra#help.

Now, I'm going to show you some of the worst# invasives here in Florida, and I have just the right expert to guide us.

Hello everyone.#We're here with invasive species specialist Dr.

Kim Moore at the University of Florida IFAS# Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center.

Dr.

Moore has been working with ornamental# plants for over 30 years.

She specializes in using natives and Florida-friendly non-natives# to manage color in your landscape.

This makes her the perfect expert to help us identify potential# invasive species.

Thank you so much for joining#us.

I'm so excited that you're here with me.# Thank you.

And we're going to discuss this very important topic.

I think that living in Florida,# because we're such a hospot .. beaches, vacations, we are a hot spot for invasive# species.

And why do you think Florida is such a breeding ground for invasives?

So, that's a great#question.

I mean, we have invasives everywhere in the world.

Yep.

But what makes F.. we have sunshine, we have warm weather, we have# rainfall, and it helps us to grow year round.

So, we really don't get the cold snaps that will kill# off or knock down populations.

So, things continue to flourish.

And then we have all these people# coming from other parts of the of the world and and the United States.

They travel.

So we have# our ports.

So we have Miami and Tampa and around the state.

We also have people just traveling and# they may have a plant with them and go, "Huh... Oh, let me bring that.

And then#they're like, "Well, now what do I do with it?"

So I'll just put it in my garden, not realizing that# it can just go whoosh and take over wild.

What are some of the biggest ways that invasive# species are harming Florida's ecosystem?

So, a lot of people#don't think about their yard as... -Correct.

Because it's a micro ecosystem.

But it's an ecosystem.

And it and you put something in# that maybe takes over.

It's going to change your insects.

So, good and bad insects, changes the# water, how water moves.

So, it can impact storm water runoff.

I mean, if we have something# in our yard and it impacts the Everglades, now we're impacting nesting habits of birds.

We're# talking about water patterns in the Everglades.

We don't realize that our urban, our yard is connected# to this beautiful ecosystem that we have right in our backyard here in South Florida.

-No.

And we#also have to acknowledge that Florida ha... canals and they're all interconnected.

So planting# something in your area, in the suburban area of Florida ultimately affects the Everglades or us in# the long run because birds spread seeds.

We have wind that carries seeds and I like to say, you# know, sometimes that we carry seeds on our own.

Absolutely.

Because many times we can be walk.. And what do we#do?

We stop where we're at and we just take them#off of our, right?

Correct.

And then we realize that we're just, we're helping cause this issue# that is harming ou.. landscape that we have here.

-Absolutely.

That's#the problem.

It's not that you it's in your yard.

It's that the potential for it to spread to the# Everglades and some of our natural areas is really high.

And that's where our concern is.

So, right# here at UF, we're doing a lot of research on how to control different invasive species.

So, we have# a lot of examples if you'd like to see some.

Yes,#of course.

Show us what you have so we can# know what we're doing and making sure that we're making the right choices for our own#backyards.

-Absolutely.

Let's go.

Let's go.

So, Dr.

Moore, what do we have here?

What# do you have to show us?

-Well, I want going to show you something that's really common in a# lot of people's gardens and you might even have it in yours and it's called torpedograss.

-Yes,#I have too much of it and I'm trying to control it and it's not fun.

-It's not fun.

So, this is#your normal grass.

Okay, so this is your normal Florida lawn, your St.

Augustine lawn and you can# see that it's growing straight up.

So, the blades go straight up and you're going, okay, this is# -And it comes straight down because these are the roots as well.

-Right?

Now, look at torpedo grass.

So# this goes straight up, but each blade is going out like at an angle, like opposite each other.

So it's# like alternating up up.

And these blades look like little torpedoes.

-So they grow horizontally.# -They grow horizontally.

And this this goes vertically.

Okay.

-And we've got this really long# white root.

Look how white that is.

Sort of like#a little onion.

-Looks like an onion.

So t... a category one.

That means it's highly invasive.

So we don't want this.

And that's a problem.

But# the problem is is that a lot of people go, "Well, I'm just going to remove the top and they don't# realize that it's attached to this huge runner of all these other.

So, they might only remove# this part, but they've left all of this.

It's just shocking to me that this is, this can grow as long# as you let it grow.

Yeah.

-What's the best way to control something like torpedograss?

The most effective#way, and I I hate to say it, is chemical control.

'Cause a lot of people don't want to use chemicals# in their yards and we want to go all natural.

And I respect that because I want to as well.

But the# herbicide is safe.

It's going to it's a contact.

So it hits the leaves, it kills it down, and then# it goes down and will go all the way down into the roots It only#kills what it comes in contact with.

Okay.

Now, there are other ways.

So maybe you removed# your bed and you've covered it for the summer.

So that's called solarization.

-Solarization.

So if# you were to clear your area, put on a tarp and what it will do, it will kill other, it'll if it# gets hot enough, it will kill it and we get hot enough in the Florida summer.

-That can help as well.# -And then you can turn it over, but this is one of these things that will keep coming back so# they're going to see it over and over again.

It's hard to control.

-It's hard to control.

So Jeannie, I have another invasive to show you right#over there.

I know a lot about.. -You know that one?

Yes.

The Australian pine.

-Australian pine.

Yes.

Well, it's across the way, but I brought a sample# here.

And so, a lot of people like this.

They like the look cuz it's got that wispy.

-It actually looks#very similar to our Florida native.

Looks very,#very common to our Florida native.

It's not a true# pine.

It just mimics a pine.

But what's different?

So, if you look at these blades, they have they# look like they have little scales.

So, the leaves are are round.

These, that's a leaf, but they're really tiny and and that's one way you can notice that you've got an Australian pine that# and that that fuzzy kind of weepy look.

So, if you look I took this branch, it's kind of got that# weepy look to it and that's how you would identify#it.

And what makes this this species invasive?

-So, it reproduces and spreads really rapidly.

The other problem with this plant is that it's really# weak wood.

So you have a hurricane.

This is one of the first trees that's going to fall or destroy# a landscape.

So a lot of people had these planted because they were pretty and they go look how# pretty this is around their house.

First hurricane came and could actually fall on your house or# fall into the street.

So that makes them really dangerous trees to have.

Yes, it's a category#1 invasive.

It spreads aggressively, but it also could be a danger.

To remove them, how we, we# even consider, we can't consider solarization.

We can't consider herbicide here because these are very# very big trees.

-So unfortunately the only way to control this tree is to remove it.

You have# to hire a certified arborist to come in to cut the#tree down.

And another thing that I do not like# about the species is they create a monocultural area around my area.

So there's nothing that will grow# around it or under it or near it.

So it basically blocks out our natives and -It blocks out all the#light.

-Yeah, correct.

and all the light so nothing grows.

And what's crazy, not even grass will grow# under this.

And that's how you know it controls the space.

It doesn't want anyone around# it.

And it's sort of like I'm here and no one else will#come.

-Correct.

So Jeannie, we're standing underneath# another tree that you may recognize.

I do.

And#it is beautiful, but... It's a beautiful tree, but#this is Bischofia.

And it is another category 1#invasive.

It's so hard to think because you see# this tree and the canopy it provides, the shade it provides.

- And you're thinking this is a great tree.

I want this#tree.

But this tree is invasive in that it's got really messy berries.

It drops a lot of berries.# Um, a lot of fruit and it's got one of the most aggressive root systems I've ever seen.

So, this# is one tree that'll send roots underneath your lawn and you'll send little suckers up underneath# your lawn.

I had a bischofia in my front yard in our villa, grew underneath the villa all the way up# and up through the drain in my bathroom at the back of the house.

-So this is not someone you want to mess with.

You do not want this tree.

Again, it's another one that in a storm, it's# weak wood and it's going to crack in.. I actually am experiencing the same thing you're# experiencing.

My home came with probably four of them.

I can't control them.

Like you# said, the the seed pods are falling.

They're spreading like wildfire and it's very costly.# So, this is not something you can treat with herbicide or solarization.

-Again, you're going to want# a certified arborist to come in and remove the tree and then remove the roots or to grind# the stump because it's one that will resprout.

And even if you grind the stump, you might see suckers popping up through your yard, either leftover from the seed or the root system until -And overtime garner off.

So, Dr.

Moore, is there any other trees you# recommend?

-So, I would love to put say a native tree like the live oak.

Beautiful for shade,# wildlife, beautiful canopy, same and there are so many other native trees and there are a lot of# resources that you can find native tree lists and your local nursery give you recommendations as# well.

-And easy, IFAS extension office is a great help.

Oh yeah.

-I know you have more to show us.

Absolutely.#Let's take a walk right over here.

-Let's go!

So here we have another plant I'm sure you're familiar with.

Very common here in South Florida.

-Very common in South Florida.

Another category one invasive.# This is the oyster plant.

We basically weeded and removed all the oyster plant and it came back.# 'cause it's very aggressive.

Um, now I can see why people like it.

It's got these really# pretty purple leaves.

-Correct.

We always hear that Florida doesn't have enough flowers, but this# is probably what drives, what sort of makes people want to buy this plant is because the contrast# between the the purple and of course our wild native coffee.

I mean, it's beautiful, but this# is aggressive.

And I think every homeowner at some degree or in a space, in a park has dealt with this# or sees it and doesn't realize how invasive#it is.

I know I was told, "Well, it grows really# quick.

Let's put it in."

At my church, we removed it, put in a native frogfruit, and then they go,# "It's not growing fast enough."

So, they went back and put this back in.

And I'm like.. -That's a good# point because a lot of consumers want fast-growing plants.

-Fast-growing, something that's going# to fill in, give you a ground cover that's not mulch.

They don't want mulch.

They want something# green and it makes them feel good.

In gardening, people want success.

-They want instant gratification.

-They want to feel like they're a good gardener, that they've got a green thumb.

You# buy something like this and put it in, it grows, and you go, I have a green thumb.

-It's beautiful.# It grows fast, but it's it's very dangerous and it's very hard to control.

What's a good method to# control this oyster plant or to remove it?

You're just digging it up manually.

-I mean, it pulls#up really easy.

We just pulled these up really quick.

Um, it pulls up.

You're just going to have#to continue to go... Monitor the area and I see this one we pulled it out and You can already see# the new baby and the little baby coming up.

So, as much of, as much of the root as you can get.

I# mean, it's got a really long root system.

That's like 12 inches.# -Right.

You want to pull up as much as you can.

So what do you recommend to replace?

-Well, we have# some beautiful natives.

Um, like the frogfruit and salvia.

-I love the frogfruit because# the wildlife loves it.

My bees enjoy the Oh yeah and salvia.

Um, so there are a lot# of beautiful plants.

-Stokes' aster is another one that has the same patterns but doesn't have# the undertone.

-But it has the beautiful flowers.

And I would rather see flowers.

But I# think the the key is that we have to be patient with our natives.

Natives take time.# Give them time to grow.

Give them time to thrive.

They will fill in.

They will look# beautiful, but just not.. -Aggressively.

Just like our wild coffee here that's native.

-Yep.

Okay, Jeannie.

So, you probably recognize this last plant.

I do.

It's the infamous Melaleuca.# -Melaleuca.

And it's an interesting story because in the 40s and 50s, they were trying to develop# the area, develop the Everglades, and they said, "What can we plant that's going to dry up the# Everglades so we can then go in and plant?"

So, they over-seeded the area with Melaleuca seeds.

And of# course being invasive, it took off.

And it spread#throughout the entire state.

Absolutely.#And it's a really aggressive, likes moisture.

You can see its beautiful flower.

But# the seed pod holds thousands of seeds.

They burst and it's windblown and it's everywhere.

-So# like a windy day today, you have seeds everywhere.

So, there's so much history on# this, on this tree and there's a lot of management that and research has been happening.

-Correct.# So, there are biological controls now.

It's not chemicals, it's biological.

So, we have insects.# They went to Australia to find the insects that#are Sort of like a soldier to come in.

-Natural predators for this tree.

Tested it#to make sure it wouldn't eat anything e... we don't want to eat any of our natives.

And now# they're controlling it.

So it actually bores into the seed pods and into the bark and control# is we have now control for this tree.

That's#interesting.

And when you say that there's been# so much research, but you haven't mentioned the air potato or the Brazilian pepper 'cause they sort# of fall into the same category.

-Absolutely.

And they're both category ones as well.

Air potato# is a vine, very similar to kudzu, again introduced accidentally and we've got research being done# with USDA on with a beetle that will actually eat the air potatoes.

So they have now found# a beetle that they're releasing to control air potato.

So air potato is another plant like Melaleuca#where we've done a lot of research to say how can we#control it.

So how is the Brazilian pepper#being managed?

-Well, that's a hard one to manage because a lot of people actually like it when they,# I know it's weird, because of the red berries and people happen to like it and they go# well it makes a nice hedge and nice shade but we have other hedges, other plants.

So again there,# we're working on other control methods but people, a lot of people are like but I want the wildlife,# I want the birds.

-Correct because it does feed the bi... it's poisonous to some degree.

-And it's spreading# around the state, it's moving up the state so we don't really want to encourage Brazilian pepper.# Again collaboration is looking at biological controls, insects that will control this plant# as well.

-These are great management tools that the research center, the IFAS extension and with USDA# has created to allow a better management for these these category 1 invasives.

-Absolutely.

Did you#spot any invasives in your yard?

Don't worry.

As Dr.

Moore mentioned, removals can be challenging# but not impossible.

You can try manual pulling, solarization, chemical treatments, or hire a# professional team.

That's why it's so important to research Florida's invasive plant list early on# so you can catch them when they're still small and easy to manage.

The tricky thing about invasive# is how easily they spread.

Birds snack on their fruit and drop the seeds in new places.

Even tiny# clippings left behind can sprout all over again.

Sometimes all it takes is one piece and before you# know it, that one piece has spread like wildfire.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife,# non-native plants have already impacted over 1.7 million acres of our remaining natural areas.# And every year, Florida spends, listen to this, $45 million just on invasive plant management.# Isn't that crazy?

But here's the surprising part.

Invasive plants often keep spreading because we# keep buying them without realizing it.

I think the biggest misconception is that if a nursery#sells it, it's okay to grow and you can put it in your yard.

-And I think that's a really good point because some of us don't know what we want to# buy, so we rely on nurseries to kind of guide us.

And what happens is that a lot of nurseries, the# buyers are not located in Florida.

So something that might be an annual in Illinois is going to# be an invasive here because of different growing environments.

And so the nursery is not to blame# because they're selling it.

They have a, they have a blanket that they buy.

But research.

So do# a little, so think about your yard.

Do you have a wet area, dry area, do you sunny?

Then go# and do some research.

What are possible natives that I could put in that would fit this niche# and be perfect in my yard?

I like to shop.

So,#what should we look for when we're buying plants# at nurseries or big box stores?

So, go with a#list.

Know what you want.

Know what you're looking#for.

It's okay to ask questions like if you can't find the exact plant that you're looking for,# ask the people running the nursery, do you have this plant?

And then you can ask, is this on the# invasive list?

If they don't know, you have your phone, look it up.

If you or anyone watching has# invasives in their yard, it's okay to remove them, but plant natives.

Let's think about how we can# swap them out for natives.

-That's actually really good because that's something that I'm taking care# of in my spa.. invasives that I have in my space.

And over there,# we're going to have a really fun game.

We're going to swap some of the things that you recognize in# stores that, you guessed it, they're invasive.

But don't freak out.

If you have these, we'll have# an alternative for you.

So, Jeannie, I see that you#brought me the tropi... I did because#I want butterflies in my space.

-Everybody wants#butterflies.

And the message is buy milkweeds.

-And#this is what they're selling at the nurseries.

Unfortunately, this is invasive.

Category two,# -which is the one with the or it doesn't have any flowers now, but - It has orange#or reddish, yellow or reddish flower, rea... stem.

-And don't get me wrong, the monarchs# love, you know, this milkweed.

But this is having an impact on their migration and really impacting#their health.

But we want our butterflies.

So, what's your alternative?

-I brought in the# native swamp milkweed.

And this is one that sadly we don't find very often in nurseries and in# garden locations, but you can ask.

It's a smaller version of your tropical milkweed.

And there's# a big difference because here the flowers come in shades of white and pink.

And the tropical# is very obvious to tell the difference because the tropical has yellow and orange and red# coloring.

But this is our native one.

And this is a great replacement for the tropical.# This does great for those of us that want a butterfly garden.

And you're also protecting# the butterfly.

Onto the next swap.

-Absolutely.

Okay.

So, this invasive you brought me is a snake# plant or mother-in-law's tongue.

I'm cringing because I love this plant too.

This is a great beginner.

It is.

And it grows really well and it's a beautiful houseplant.

Correct.

-Everybody, this is# a perfect gift when someone's moving into a new home or house plant.

And as a containerized# house plant, it's awesome.

But what happens is when you're done with it or you take it off your# table, what do we do?

We put it in our landscape and that's when we end up with a problem.

-And it's highly# invasive.

It's a category 2.

So, it will spread and it will fill in.

I've seen it fill in hedges# and things like that.

So, it'll get really tall, really wide and really expand.

So, what did you# bring for the swap?

-I brought one of my favorite natives, the coontie.

The coontie to me brings# so much value to a space.

Not just because it's native, but also because it's a host plant for# the rare atala butterfly.

And it actually does so much more benefit to our environment versus the# invasive, the snake plant.

-And people should be aware that when the atalas are on it, you're# going to see, it's going to be loaded.

It's okay.

The leaves will all be gone because the# atalas are eating it.

But don't worry, The plant comes back.

It's so resilient.

That's# one of the best things about the coontie is that it comes back.

-If you want a butterfly garden, this# is a great alternative.

It does really well in our ecosystem and like I said, it's native.

So, buy# the coontie versus snake plant.

Onto to the last swap.

-Okay.

So, this time you brought the Mexican petunia.

-Very popular Mexican petunia.

I see this all over the place and# everybody likes it because they like the green and they love the purple flowers.

However, this is# category one and this is highly invasive.

Highly invasive and I'm always shocked to see# how much of this plant is sold in our cities.

It's really popular and it sends out, I mean it spreads and it recedes and we've been trying at the University of Florida to make a sterile# variety.

Um but it it's still, we're not there yet.

So, we don't have a sterile Mexican petunia yet.# -I think a lot of us purchase these plants and I have it in my yard because it was there and# I tried to take it out and it comes back.

It comes back.

But people again, we're looking at# plants that are being sold that are quick color that grow well.

They're always flowering and# people are happy.

They're like look how pretty this is but not knowing that.. -how invasive it is# and how harmful it can be for our ecosystem.

But I have an alternative.

-Let's see it.

And I have a#very very similar alternative which I love the Carolina petunia.

-That's beautiful.

This is the#Carolina wild petunia that if you ask me it's very similar to the flower.

The color is exactly# the same.

The Carolina wild petunia is a native to Florida.

It is in my opinion actually blooms more# than the Mexican petunia.

The Carolina is a little shorter.

Um, so it's more like a ground# cover, but if you're looking to hide something, I would recommend the skyblue clustervine.

If# you see it here, I think it's beautiful.

It's sort of very romantic if you ask me, but it# has a smaller version of the flower.

The colors are very similar, more of a blue tone, but this# is also a great alternative if you want to replace your Mexican petunia.

And this is a vine, so it# will also, this will climb.

It'll eat up more vertical space versus more horizontal space than# the Mexica petunia.

But then you have your ground cover.

So you really have two options.

And this# is really beautiful next to each other.

You have your ground cover and you have your vertical#vine.

So these are good alternatives for#your Mexican petunia.

Thank you so much for your# time and all your knowledge because I think this is a very critical topic for many of us because# we want to make the right choice.

We want to buy the right plants and making sure that we use# good judgment and research is key here.

So, thank you so much for that.

If you're# looking to learn more about invasives, definitely check out your county's IFAS extension# office.

Plus, I've left some resources in the#descript... Removing invasive isn't#always easy.

It can be a tough and messy job, but every plant you pull makes a real difference# for Florida's ecosystem.

And once that invasive is gone, the fun begins.

What are you going to plant# with all that new space in your yard?

Why don't you fill it with natives like this wild coffee# or the sunshine mimosa or even the firebush, and before long, your garden will be buzzing# with bees, butterflies, and birds.

Your local wildlife will love you for it.

And if you want# some ideas, check out my video on native plants for inspiration.

Remember, when you plant native,# you're not just gardening, you're helping Florida thrive.

Stay rooted, just not like this Australian#pine.

See you next time.

To keep building your#native plant garden, check out the video below.

Yes, click right here.

I see you, right here.