• 0 Posts
  • 12 Comments
Joined 2 years ago
cake
Cake day: August 7th, 2023

help-circle





  • lud@lemm.eetoNative Plant Gardening@mander.xyzBigleaf lupine
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    edit-2
    11 months ago

    I think you have the nitrogen thing backwards

    That’s very likely. Whatever they do with nitrogen is apparently a problem because we like the plants that are supposed to be their and not the plants that like nitrogen soil.

    Here is what the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency has to say about it (translated using Google translate because I’m lazy)

    In the long term, the flower lupine can affect the vegetation where it has established itself due to its ability to bind nitrogen and thereby fertilize the soil. In the naturally lean soils in which it usually grows, the addition of nitrogen can, for example, cause meadow flowers, which are often particularly worthy of protection, to be replaced by more nitrogen-adapted plants.

    I don’t know much about plants. All I know is that I must kill lupines.

    Yeah the Iceland thing was intentional. The article I linked explains it further.


  • lud@lemm.eetoNative Plant Gardening@mander.xyzBigleaf lupine
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    6
    ·
    edit-2
    11 months ago

    Sweden. Pretty sure they are invasive in large parts of northern Europe too. Apparently Iceland has huge problems with it. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/11/world/europe/iceland-lupine.html?unlocked_article_code=1.vk0.iixH.2KBIz5kjX5K9

    They were first introduced like most invasive plants, in someone’s garden. They were first noted in the wild in 1870, now they are established in almost the whole country.

    They are mostly present close to roads and similar places like next to railways.

    Their roots also survive the winter well. Their root system also makes them hard to eradicate.

    Apparently they like to take lots of nitrogen out of the ground which helps them displace native plants. They also attract lots of pollinators away from other plants even when they have no nectar.

    They are not officially classified as an invasive species in the law (which for example forbids people to plant more) but it’s being investigated. People are still told to not plant it and help stop it from spreading if they are able.

    In Finland they are already classified as invasive.


  • Lupines are very pretty, unfortunately they are also very invasive where I live. Here you are recommended to dig them up or at least cut them down and throw them in the trash (absolutely not compost since lupin needs to burn like the rest of the trash).

    The government also requests that you report any finds in nature.

    Lupin is really common and is apparently pretty aggressive against our native plants, a shame really.