It has been nearly six months since poison hemlock found prominence in the national news, its toxic juices ready then to wreak havoc on anything that touched it.
The plant is still hazardous to mammals, but it's a lot smaller this time of year, according to Jason Hartschuh, Ohio State University Extension agent for Crawford County.
That's why early winter is the best time to search for patches of tiny poison hemlock in fields and along the edge of trees, streams, lakes and roads.
"The nice thing about now is the grasses have gone dormant and are matted down so you can see them," Hartschuh said.
Rosettes are about 8 inches tall
Poison hemlock is a biennial, meaning it takes two years to complete its biological lifecycle. The plant is hard to identify during its first year. All parts of the plant are toxic to humans and animals.
The giant plants that grew as tall as 10 feet over the summer were 2 years old, and have all died, permanently.
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The infant plants that just made it through their first year of life are in what's known as a rosette stage, and that's the plant that homeowners and land managers should seek out and eliminate before spring.
"The rosettes we see this year will become the bigger plants we see next year," Hartschuh said. "In year two it bolts and grows into a 5- or 6-foot-tall plant."
The rosettes will be about 8 inches tall this time of year. The plant is in the carrot family, as is Queen Anne's Lace, and their similarities can make them hard to differentiate.
The leaves of poison hemlock are similar to ferns, with leaflets divided into narrow sections.
Plants bolt quickly in early spring
Since the hazardous plant is a biennial, the rosettes that soon will celebrate their first birthday are still alive. They act like a perennial during their first winter, and more like an annual going into their second.
"They shouldn't be affected that much by frost," Hartschuh said.
Poison hemlock is not even fully dormant over winter — the rosettes on warm days are still gathering energy stores and sending them deep underground into their taproot system.
"In the spring when it bolts, it pulls all the energy out of that root system and puts it up into the plant," Hartschuh said.
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That head start to the growing season is what allows it to quickly tower above its competitors early in the spring.
"It's almost like they go from nonexistent to 5-feet-tall overnight," Hartschuh said. "It's not that fast, but it sure seems like it."
That growth spurt takes place sometime in early April. Once it begins, the poison hemlock's toxic sap is aplenty, ready to burn the skin of any person or animal who tries to cut back the plant.
Eradicate the plant before spring
The extension agent's recommendation is to deal with the dangerous plant while it is still a rosette.
"Sometime between now and March is the ideal time to spray it," Hartschuh said. "
Nearly every type of broadleaf weed killer will eliminate poison hemlock. Since the plant is never fully dormant, that application can be done now while the plants are easy to find and access.
"You can do it on warmer days in the winter if it's about 50 and above freezing that night," Hartschuh said. "It might take a week or two to kill them off. Things move a little slower in the winter."
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Another eradication option would be to mark the plant, then return multiple times over winter and early spring to chop off the stem, either at the surface or deep under ground.
The plant's roots also could be dug up if the soil isn't frozen. Just remember, the plant is very toxic to humans.
"If you want to pull it out by hand, you should wear gloves," Hartschuh said. "If you went from pulling it with your hands to touching your eyes or eating a sandwich and your hand had some juices on it, you could probably have a reaction."
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