In article ,
kauhl-meersburg wrote:
hello, after some years of intense observation I must agree that (in our
European regions) Solidago Canadensis really is a pest, it not only
expels native species but also spoils soil, so other flowers will not
grow in eventual gaps
so could anyone from Northern America describe with a few words the
concurrency of this plant with others, i. e. succession, cultivation
methods, distribution and so on
many thanks in advance
kauhl (Lake Constance)

Here in southern Ontario there are a number of native species of
Solidago, and except for a few unusual ones, I can't distinguish them.

Goldenrod is something of a pest here, too. It's usually seen in waste
places like roadsides, railroad rights of way and other places suited
to tough weeds. It's very common in disturbed ground of all kinds, and
tends to take over abandoned agricultural land and poor pastures. It
does well on thin and infertile soils and since farm animals won't
usually eat it, it has an advantage in rough and overgrazed pastures.

I'm not surprised that it's a pest in Europe, since it competes well
here with other weeds, almost all of which are introduced Eurasian
species.

That said, goldenrod and native asters (Aster spp) provide a beautiful
display of color in the fall. They are often seen growing together in
disturbed sites with Eurasian grasses and tall Eurasian forbs.

It's not a problem in well-managed farmland and pasture, since healthy
grasses compete well with it. I've had some success in reducing its
prevalence by mowing it in full bloom before it sets seed. This was on
infertile sandy soil over shallow bedrock in eastern Ontario. The
growing season is short there, and mowing at that stage seemed to
prevent most of the plants from storing enough food to overwinter.
This won't eradicate it, but it reduced its prevalence by perhaps 90%
in the first year or two. If the growing season were longer, this
method would be less effective. Note that fall mowing has a similar
destructive effect on other late-blooming plants.

The area I'm describing is about 43-46 degrees north latitude, with
short warm summers and cold winters, 3-5 months frost free period, and
100-120cm of precipitation more or less evenly distributed around the
year, a bit drier in summer and winter than spring and fall. Most of
the area has good winter snow cover. Normal winter minimum
temperatures -20 to -40C, and annual maxima usually under 35-38C. A
lot depends on proximity to Lakes Huron, Erie and Ontario, which
moderate temperature extremes and extend the frost free season. Most
of this area is at about 100-400m elevation.

I hope this helps!