Stinknet, an invasive plant which spreads quickly and creates fire danger, is coming up throughout Sincuidados. Now is the time to review your property and remove Stinknet by pulling it out of the ground. Stinknet can be identified by its dark green carrot-like leaves and small, rounded, bright yellow flowers. It also has a distinctive pungent odor like turpentine.
Over the next few weeks, the Sincuidados Natural Area Open Space (NAOS) and the Firewise Committee is inspecting properties for invasive species, especially Stinknet. If you have trouble identifying Stinknet, please contact the committee.
Stinknet Creates Summer Fire Danger
Stinknet seeds begin to germinate in the late fall with flowering beginning in late winter. Typically, seedlings will sprout and produce bright yellow, small, globe shaped flowers February through March. By April or May, these flowers will set seeds, which can number in the hundreds per flower blossom.
In the summer heat, Stinknet will dry and turn brown, but the dried seed heads might remain on the plant for over a year if not disturbed. These dried, dead plants become ladder fuel for wildfires, carrying fire to trees, shrubs and homes. Stinknet has been implicated in the wildfires of the summer of 2020 in the Cave Creek and north Phoenix areas.
In addition, due to its highly-invasive nature and ability to spread quickly, Stinknet threatens to displace native plants and negatively impacts our NAOS including our Sincuidados Lone Mountain Preserve.
Removing Stinknet
When done early in the plant’s life cycle, pulling the entire plant up by its taproot is relatively easy and is the most effective removal method. The removed plant should be bagged and placed in trash. A string trimmer or hula-hoe may be used to cut the plant off at its base for removal. The entire stem down to the ground must be removed.
Herbicides are not allowed in our NAOS. Any use of herbicides over a large area will also kill native plants, perhaps for multiple seasons and risk poisoning our native birds and animals.
Your cooperation and participation in removing Stinknet is greatly appreciated and will help keep our community fire safe, natural and beautiful.
