Hey everyone,

I’m familiar with other Prosopis species (like velvet mesquite or honey mesquite) having sweet, edible pods that people traditionally grind into flour or use for drinks. However, I’ve been looking into Prosopis juliflora specifically and wanted to get some clarity from folks who know botany, foraging, or ecology.

* Edibility: Are the dry pods of Prosopis juliflora actually edible for humans? I know the pulp is sweet, but I've also read mixed things about toxic alkaloids (like juliflorine) in the plant—especially regarding livestock toxicity. Can humans safely process and eat the dry pods, or should P. juliflora be avoided compared to its milder cousins?

* Climate Change & Invasion: I keep reading about how aggressively this tree is taking over arid and semi-arid regions across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Is climate change (like expanding droughts and rising temperatures) actively expanding its habitable zones, or is its global takeover mostly driven by human introduction and lack of native predators?

Would love to hear any insights, foraging tips, or ecological context!

I keep finding callery pears when I'm out trying to get autumn olive before the birds spread them around. The trees aren't on my property or I'd just hack em down -- they're in some office landscaping that's oddly heavily-patrolled by their security team. I pick the fruit just so they don't spread, but I can't find any leads on if they're edible or how to use them. I hear vague reports of people using them for jelly because they've got decent pectin, but at what stage of ripeness, is there a decent recipe for them anywhere, etc.

Are there any actual uses for the bajillion callery pears growing on this property or should I just...de-seed them and compost them or something?

I have a pretty tall and widespread ToH plant run amok in my back and side yard, big enough that I’m getting tired just thinking about trying to do the whole thing in one day.

Is it as effective if done over the course of multiple days, or is it important to do the first round of hack and squirt all in one day?

Trying to learn the visual differences between invasive Chinese mantises and native/European.

Sorry, location is Michigan.

I work for a small native garden coaching/installation start up that believes in effectively no herbicides (I disagree with the owner on this). We’re based in Chicago.

I was called for a consult with an older couple who were very physically limited. It was difficult to even watch them walk around the overgrown backyard. Their backyard is covered in Rose of Sharon saplings and small established bushes, from 2 mature shrubs that they had planted many years ago. There is a thicket of it that is smothering a three large hydrangea. It’s bad.

Also back there: Morning glory vines everywhere, lily of the valley, white snakeroot (native, but high quantities), and Virginia jumpseed (also native, but very profiling back there).

My only solution is the say “hire it out” to someone who can use herbicide. At this point, we may have the manpower for an initial clearing. We don’t have the time to be coming back at a frequent enough basis to actually keep this at bay without herbicides.

Oh, and they wanna keep one of them. Of course.

Hi all, the first freeze is rapidly approaching and I need some quick help. I had tremendous success knocking down a neighbor's enormous and very tall patch of Japanese knotweed through stem injection in late summer, but his plants were large enough to accommodate that. I had a couple smaller plants popping up in my own backyard, but after foliar application with a 5% solution, weeks later the stems are still green and I only see yellowing on the edges of many leaves (other areas have died as I'd expect). I'm confused about why some of these didn't go down. I've been pretty meticulous and done a ton of research through this entire process this summer. Unfortunately I've been out of town, which is why I haven't been able to readdress these areas before now, and frankly, it may be too late to get a good response.

Appreciate any guidance on how you would address these areas.

Just pulling some first year garlic mustard so I have less to hunt down in the spring. This one was definitely an overachiever.

I've never seen fruits this big (golf ball sized) on a Bradford pear before! Is this common in some varieties?

[MD 7A]

Chickened out on using herbicide cause I dont want to potentially accidentally damage the insects or forest ecosystem. I was told you can mow it just before it goes to seed, however I have a hard telling what has flowered and what has gone to seed already.

Should I mow or just bag up as much as I can. Its October in MD 7A btw pictures for reference.

I’ve noticed a huge increase in prohibited water bamboo sales (aka jiaobai 茭白, Zizania latifolia infected with Ustilago esculenta) being sold both in Asian grocery stores and online on the USA. If the associated fungus Ustilago esculenta escaped and successfully infected American wild rice (Zizania palustris/aquatica/texana), it could devestate American wild rice stands

Hello all! I’m just looking for some quick advice on JKW management. I have two patches of JKW which haven’t yet flowered, but that first frost is coming soon enough. While this week is all above 50 degrees, Saturday and Sunday coming up have lows of 40s. I know it’s not officially below freezing, but I was hoping for some overall guidance here.

Is the true magic number 32 degrees to worry about? If I see a frost in the forecast, how far ahead of it should I make sure I apply glyphosate so that it can work through the roots accordingly?

Copying someone else’s idea to ask here for herbicide recommendations. I’ve applied round up before but to branch nodes and not at the level of hack and squirt.

Herbicide shopping advice needed. Thanks!