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There may be many reasons to rid your property of Japanese Barberry bushes, but the one that may resonate with you most is the fact that removing your Barberry bushes can reduce your risk of Lyme disease!
Japanese Barberry was first introduced to the US in the mid 1800’s as an ornamental plant. It has been escaping from cultivation ever since, and has become widely naturalized and terribly invasive in Northeast forests. Because deer do not eat Barberry, it has become the dominant understory plant in heavily browsed forests. We have many examples of that in Morris Township.
How does Barberry increase the prevalence of Lyme disease? Because of their dense growth, Barberry bushes provide an ideal habitat for white footed mice, known carriers of the Lyme causing bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Black-legged ticks feed on the mice, picking up the bacterium.
Barberry also provides a dense and humid microclimate that ticks need to thrive. A recent Trinity College study (among many others) found that an abundance of Barberry correlated directly with an increase of white footed mice and black-legged ticks. Of course, the more infected ticks, the greater the chances of human infection.
There are other reasons to rid your property of Barberry:
- Barberry can alter the pH of your soil, making it more acidic and negatively affecting the growth of other plants.
- Many species of Barberry, especially Japanese and Common Barberry, are considered invasive in North America because they do not have natural predators or pathogens that keep it in check.
- Once established, Barberry is difficult to control due to its dense growth habit and prolific seed production.
For all of the above reasons, Japanese Barberry is on the NJ Invasive Species Strike Team’s Do Not Plant List which has been adopted by Morris Township. Unfortunately, due to consumer demand, our local nurseries still sell Barberry.
In addition to not planting it, we should also be removing Barberry. The best way to remove Barberry is to dig it up, making sure to get all the roots, so that it does not re-sprout. You can also paint glysophate (Roundup) on any cut stumps. Make sure to use gloves and do not spill on other plants, the soil, or yourself!
What can you plant instead of Barberry? A lot of beautiful native plants that do not need special care and can help our local ecosystem:
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