Need to get rid of this!

Question

So, I've been trying to give the house some curb appeal but this hideous plant has invaded most of the small front yard and some of the parking lot. I know it comes from whatever my neighbor is growing but I don't want it! Can anyone tell me what it is and how to get rid of it?

KMS Woodworks · Answer

are the stems kind of purple and hollow?...it could be pokeweed

Kat · Answer

they are hollow but the color of the stem is more of a greenish red =/

Barb Rosen · Answer

This looks a lot like an invasive plant, Japanese Knotweed ~ Polygonum cuspidatum (Fallopia japonica) to me. See this link http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/plants/knotweed.shtml If it is, I would urge you (and the neighbor) to get it out of your yards. What do you think @Douglas Hunt ?

Douglas Hunt · Answer

I agree with @Barb Rosen that from the photo it looks a lot like Japanese knotweed. If that proves true, it is one of the most notorious invasives out there and you should indeed declare war. Stem injections of an herbicide containing glyphosate have proven very effective against Japanese knotweed, although yours are too small for that. http://sheltontrails.blogspot.com/2010/09/japanese-knotweed-lethal-injection.html

360 Sod (Donna Dixson) · Answer

If you snip and paint, you might be able to use a concentrated round up type product and gain some control. snip to the ground, and using a foam paint brush, apply a undiluted dab on each cut immediately after the snip.

Kat · Answer

thanks guys, unfortunately for me our neighbor refuses to kill them off. but ill declare war on my side and hope theyre dead for at least this season

Betty B · Answer

katy, the four season guy would be my approach. spray your round-up(-ish) product into a cup and then paint whatever you can still see of the plant. it really helps if you wait until it's been really dry outside, so that the plant is wanting water badly, then they just seem to suck it up better. but this is something you'll have to keep after, it's very probably not dead of this season, and it takes at least two roundups and usually more on a really persistent invasive plant.

Patricia W · Answer

I agree with Four Seasons Nursery, cut then put the roundup on the stem that remains,the plant will drink it right up.Spraying can drift to other plants, and unless you have no breeze and no other plants or lawn nearby I would apply it just to what you want gone. Funny that you posted this, I just did this to a bunch of blackberry brambles that have invaded our fence line from the neighbors yard, into our Vinca bed, which I did not want to kill.

Douglas Hunt · Answer

Katy, does you neighbor think he is growing something else? Japanese knotweed would literally take over his entire yard.

Xtal Ivy · Answer

Look on YouTube for 'Roundup Alternative' or 'Homemade Roundup Alternative'. Roundup (which contains glyphosate has already been turning up in our drinking water. It's not something you want to touch as exposure to your skin. It is a possible human carcinogen and can damage your liver. Develop a serious plan and stick with it. You'll also want to dig up the roots and stop any seeds from dropping further. Good luck. Just don't kill yourself in an effort to eradicate cancer.

Em Hooper · Answer

I have read that knotweed seeds will come up through concrete and will lie dormant for many years. Try your county agriculture extension agent for their ideas. Thanks to those who have made suggestions--I have ignored the patch near me for awhile. Time to gear up for battle.

Carol G · Answer

I have invasive bamboo in my mulch bed and cant get rid of it . My back yard neighbor has a big back yard full of it and it keeps rats, snakes and opossums in my yard and we live in the city! how to get rid of bamboo. I tried roundup and other things but nothing works. it is also in some of my flower beds.

Needa Stogner · Answer

You can cut it down and then sprinkle rock salt on and around the root area. The rock salt will kill the roots so it can't come back. You can also do that with a tree trunk left over from cutting an unwanted tree down. It won't harm any surrounding tree's or plants as long as you don't get it on them. Just be careful.

Marie S · Answer

I have a fir tree which has ivy growing on it and a neighbor told me get a copper nail and put it as closes to the center of the tree, which will kill the tree.

Marie S · Answer

I will try the rock salt on the ivy, fir tree.

Kat · Answer

Ivy is another thing growing right next to the Japanese Knotweed

Margaret · Answer

eHow has recipes for Round-up alternatives.

Linda T · Answer

Don't forget people, that it's thought that roundup is contributing to the demise of honey bees! I believe it is banned in Europe. My father used the copper nail method years ago, because a tree next door kept dropping bright orange berries on his drive and mother hated the look of the squashed orange on the concrete. I had moved from home, so I don't know how long it took for the tree to die, but it did eventually.

Stella Love · Answer

Crossbow herbicide will kill it above and below ground and not kill you grass. A little goes a long way.

Sonja Davis · Answer

I have a question of concern, if this is a Japanese Knotweed.. which is invasive, wouldn't their be some kind of statute about planting invasive plants? if they are invading neighboring yards I would think that the county or state would have laws? perhaps this is a planting that isn't allowed in your region? you can consult with your county agriculture extension agent, and perhaps your neighbor is in violation? I live in the midwest, and we do have laws about planting invasive plants... Just asking :)

Lacey Jackson · Answer

The very best weed killer out there is plain old fashioned bleach. Just put some in a spray bottle and soak the plant until it is literally dripping. Keep at it and it will die , guaranteed. It is old fashioned and cost effective and not any worse for the environment than roundup or other commercial weed killers, probably less harmful in fact . Works on every living thing you want dead.

Judy · Answer

I do believe that salt, bleach etc. will damage the soil & make it unproductive for years to come. So unless you're looking for bare dirt you might want to try something a bit less harsh. I've been told that roundup & herbicides like it are nothing more than concentrated nitrogen fertilizer. I have used 2 Tbsp sized scoops of nitrogen fertilizer around the base of poison oak plants with good results but be aware that nothing else will grow there for quite some time afterwards without being burned by the fertilizer.

Kat · Answer

most of it is against my neighbors fence and coming through the cracked pavement so thats fine =)

Needa Stogner · Answer

I have never had a problem with the rock salt making the soil unproductive.

Jenadamo · Answer

I have the very same problem, Katy (though i think mine is Poke weed. I hate them but my neighbor thinks it's nice i guess. Last summer when i moved in, i didn't realize the 'bed' was on his property so i started chopping them down with the intent of planting a 'nice' flower bed. He wasn't too upset with me, especially when i said i would plant a lot of native plants and make it look nice. He's even offered to pay for some plants. I'm trying to plant things that grow tall which will give him the privacy i'm assuming he wanted in letting those hideous things grow. Their about six feet tall! For now i just keep chopping them down...sigh...

Suzanne Schultz · Answer

bleach is fairly non-threatening to the environment. Although Chlorine gas on its own can be toxic, bleach's components break down into harmless elements and do not linger in the soil or atmosphere. My avian veterinarian even advised me to put bleach in the water I use in the humidifier in the bird room. Many of the old 'home remedies' work better and are far less dangerous than the chemicals promoted so heavily by their makers :). One non-toxic weed killer you might want to try is: 1/2 gallon apple cider vinegar (ACV), 1/4 Cup salt, and 1/2 tsp. Dawn dishwashing liquid. Mix thoroughly, then spray weeds thoroughly. The dishsoap breaks the surface tension of the vinegar, and the vinegar/salt mixture starts killing the weed/plant immediately, without residual damage to the soil.

Katrina Wylie · Answer

Question...if she puts round up or brush killer, etc on the knotweed, won't it also kill the neighbors plants? If it kills the ones on your side, it will travel through the root system to the mother plant. How will your neighbor tolerate this since she obviously likes HER plant? I once used brush killer on some extremely invasive Houtinia and it also killed part of the Azalea that it was running in. Hate to admit it but it was worth it to get rid of that stuff!

Lori · Answer

putting boiled water on the plant/roots will kill it. but it will also kill the anything around it. but the bright side is it is not harmful.

MNTRYJOSEPH · Answer

Avoid using ANY Round-up type of product. This is probably one of the most deadly products on the market, produced by the deadly Monsanto company. Using Round-up is extremely toxic, it can cause major health problems!

Terry Dolan · Answer

Glyphosate is Round up.

Need to get rid of this!

Suggested Project Book

Don't Ditch Your Broken Teacups Til You See What People Do With Them

Other

More

Need to get rid of this!

Suggested Project Book