Mugwort is possible and recommended to locally control mugwort. Removing mugwort is still beneficial, even though it is preferred to do so before blooming.
Cities and municipalities, the ELY Centre, and the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency are responsible for controlling mugwort in the areas they manage. Property owners are responsible for the maintenance of their plots and the street area in front of them up to three meters wide.
– Individual plants can be removed and left on the ground. Do not enter traffic areas, advises city gardener Kirsi Kujala.
– Mugwort is easy to identify by the gray underside of its dark green leaves. Lambsquarters are more common on new uncut lawn areas and are sometimes mistaken for mugwort, Kujala explains.
In lush areas, mugwort can grow up to 1.5 meters tall. When large, the plant can be easily bent at the base, removing the blossom. The root system will produce new plants the following year, but after a few years of weeding, the growth will decline.
The main blooming period of mugwort lasts about a month, but the side shoots can continue to bloom until the frost.