Pull small plants in the rainy season before the flowers set seed. However, Amanda Magallanes, Ring Mountain stewardship coordinator for Marin County, favors pulling broom, especially in home gardens. When you find broom in your garden, what should you do about it? There’s been some controversy about digging or pulling the plants because seeds remain in the soil, and disturbed soil provides conditions for sprouting. On your way into San Francisco, glance up at the hills above Sausalito, and you’ll see enormous swathes of its beautiful yellow flowers all over the open space. This was the perfect storm for spread because broom loves disturbed soil, so it has colonized a lot of open space all over the state. Originally introduced from Europe as ornamental garden plants, brooms were later recommended by government agencies for erosion control along roadsides and in mined areas. Photo by Diane LynchThis small field was cleared a few months ago, disturbing the soil and allowing a large swathe of broom to grow. You can actually hear the hairy little pea pods pop open and spew the seeds. Shockingly, one mature broom plant can produce up to 20,000 seeds in a year. In the pea family, French broom can grow to 12 feet, and by fixing nitrogen into the soil, it gives an advantage to other invasives that require nitrogen. Fortunately, there are wrenches available to make the task easier.įrench broom (Genista monspessulana) is the most problematic in Marin, followed by scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius). When small, it’s easy to pull, but it becomes entrenched and almost impossible to pull by hand as it gets larger. One of the most noxious weeds in the county, it has spread all over wildlands and our gardens. If you’re not familiar with broom, which is one of Marin’s most invasive weeds, make a point to learn to recognize it.
French broom pods full#
We’re into late spring now, and the broom all around the county is into full reproduction mode, especially after the miracle rains last fall.
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