Weed Invasion! What is this stuff??
by
Renee F
+22
Can anyone tell me what this is and the best way to get rid of it? I don't care how much I pull it and its roots it come back with a vengeance. I see that it spreads by underground runners/roots. It pops up everywhere and I can seem to eradicate it.
25 answers
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OMG!!! I have been fighting this exact weed for over 8 years now, and each year it gets worse. I now have it all over the front slope of my home in Kennesaw, Georgia. I took it to Home Depot and Lowes Garden Center, and a couple other places, and no one could tell me what it is. I've researched it in all my garden books, and not one book had this weed (and I have a LOT of garden books). Mine is growing through all of the juniper on my slope .....so, yes, PLEASE PLEASE let us know what this stuff is!!!!!! and better yet, how can I get rid of it without killing the juniper ...
Maureen O'Donovan
on Mar 30, 2013
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Take it to your County Agent
GA Kimball
on Mar 30, 2013
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I tried the county extension service in my area years ago to no avail ..... I know how you feel Renee .......this weed just keeps spreading and popping up all along those roots that are just below the soil. Like you, I pull and pull and pull and it does no good .......urrgghhhhh! I did use some weed killer one year when it started growing in my lawn, and it killed it (think it was Ortho or Spectricide (sp?), the kind that's safe for grass). But the ones that grow in my juniper, I haven't been able to get rid of cause I don't want to kill the juniper with the weed killer. So if anyone knows what a good weed killer is that can be sprayed over juniper, I would love to know!!
Maureen O'Donovan
on Mar 30, 2013
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@Renee F of course round up and wipe out are effective. Those have been banned in our area for residential use, but Weed B Gon is effective on weeds without killing the grass, however you still have to be careful if using in the garden. Apparently it works by applying iron and blocking the weed from breathing. Here is a link to their site - http://www.scotts.ca/smg/goprod/scotts-ecosense-weed-b-gon-weed-control-selective-herbicide/prod10440002/ I do have some agressive weeds in the garden that I still use round up on - I pick up a bottle when in the US and bring back. I use it before the other plants come up in the spring and usually takes care of it for the summer. Let us know what works for you.
Gail Salminen
on Mar 30, 2013
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maureen, same problem here. keeps invading my flower beds. One year I dug an entire bed up trying to get at the roots and by the end if the season they were back! I'm totally frustrated
Renee F
on Mar 30, 2013
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Renee, I always make sure to pull these weeds up when they go to seed (kinda a faint yellowish/white color). Can you imagine how bad the invasion would get if those things were left to seed?
Maureen O'Donovan
on Mar 30, 2013
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I don't know what the weed is, but, for broadleaf weeds in a flower bed or juniper bed, you can take a small paintbrush and literally paint the leaves with an herbicide containing glyphosate. This way you ensure that none will get on neighboring plants, and that you get to the roots.
Douglas Hunt
on Mar 31, 2013
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Doug that is a new tip for me plant
H.C. Lawn
on Mar 31, 2013
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that sounds great way to kill the entire plant. i believe that when i pull them, no matter how careful i am to pull roots that I'm actually making it worse. going to get my paintbrush now! thanks everyone
Renee F
on Mar 31, 2013
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and I can save my flowers!
Renee F
on Mar 31, 2013
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Hi Renee, I live on the West Coast and have never seen this particular weed around here, but perhaps you could do an online search of invasive plants/weeds that grow in your area. There are lots of photos on the various sites online. I find the internet to be a great help. Good luck. I deal with similar issues in my gardens as well. Life always tries to find her way....
Kristina
on Mar 31, 2013
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I saw another cool way to use herbicides on weeds in a flowerbed without killing the surrounding plants. Take a liter plastic soda bottle and cut the bottom off. Place the bottle over the plant you want to kill and spray the herbicide down the bottle top. The surrounding plants are protected by the plastic from any splash or wind blown spray.
Michelle Eliker
on Mar 31, 2013
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michele, I like that idea! thank you
Renee F
on Mar 31, 2013
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It looks like bindweed. It's like a wild morning glory & I feel your pain. I had to fight it for several years when I worked at a golf course maintaining their flower beds & landscaping plants. It would climb up the shrubs & the little white flowers would bloom before I realized it. Actually, Round-up would kill the leaves but not the roots, so it grew back, even more prolific. You can cover it with newspaper & then wood chips, that will stop it for a couple years, but plan on getting after it again down the road.
Nancy
on Mar 31, 2013
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Oh my gosh! I have that stuff here in Durham, NC! It's like a very delicate web of runners! I can't seem to get rid of it either - I've tried for years! Here's what I just found on bindweed http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7462.html . Thanks Nancy from Grand Rapids, MI!
Judy Cowen
on Mar 31, 2013
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FOUND IT - Red Sorrel: http://www.weedimages.org/search/action.cfm?q=weeds&start=201 I have this ^%$# already starting in my yard. Now that its been identified, how to get rid of it... still looking.
Theresa Shaut
on Mar 31, 2013
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http://weedsinlawn.com/Blog/portfolio/red-sorrel-control/ << little info on control
Theresa Shaut
on Mar 31, 2013
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Doug, I tried the weed killer and paint brush idea last year to no avail. Problem is, for me, it's such a large area, and unless you get it all, which is next to impossible, it just keeps on spreading. It is a good way to control it somewhat though. Trust me, I've been fighting it for over 8 years. I'd hate to see what it would look like if I didn't attempt to kill it off. Renee, I think you're going to be able to control it a lot easier with that method then I. The juniper is my problem. This weed is hard to control amongst it. Theresa, yes, after googling red sorrel that's what it is. Looks like there are different varieties of it, one being the one Renee and I have. Thanks!!! Now that I know what it is, maybe I can finally get rid of it. Good luck Renee, I wish you success on this war (that's what it seems like). If I do accomplish getting rid of mine, I'll let you know how I did it! Thanks to everyone that offered advise. Sorry Renee, I don't want to come across as hijacking you're post, but I'm sure you know how I feel about this darn weed .......good luck!!!
Maureen O'Donovan
on Mar 31, 2013
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Found a picture .....
Maureen O'Donovan
on Mar 31, 2013
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It looks like something I have in my garden. It spreads like fire in a newspaper factory! I just keep trying to control it like you are doing, but maybe some careful use of a weed killer would be prudent. As to your question, I do not know it's name, but take some to a good garden center and ask them, you may find that someone there knows what it ies. Does yours ever get to flower? Mine has a not real pretty opurple flower on it when it does get to the flower stage. Paul
Paul
on Mar 31, 2013
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Interesting, none of the above comments appeared, until after I clicked on send for the one I wrote. I must say though that it looks like others had handled it so that is good. Paul
Paul
on Mar 31, 2013
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Seeing how many people evidently deal with this horrible weed, I have another idea for you all. There is a pesticide out there that is REALLY toxic...I mean REALLY toxic, but it DOES kill everything it touches. It is the only thing we can use here in Oregon that totally gets rid of wild blackberry bushes which can overtake everything. It's called Oxbow and it is hard to find. When I use it, I do so when there is NO wind blowing outside, and I "paint" it onto the leaves of the plants that I want to kill (Never spray it in a home garden, because it's too hard to control!) I do it on a day when it is dry out and no rain in the forecast. Trust me - it kills whatever it touches. So, as with using Roundup, you could potentially work slowly through your yards using this stuff to kill these yucky sounding invasions. Good luck everybody.
Kristina
on Apr 01, 2013
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thanks everyone. red Sorrel is definitely it! i'm goin to take sime to my local farden center and hear what they have to say. I'll let you lnow what I find out. maureen no worries that's what hometalk is all about. i alao have a similar problem as it keeps invading my creeping phlox.
Renee F
on Apr 01, 2013
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Wow, I eat the leaves, they are kind of lemony! My grandmother used to give me leaves to eat as a kid! Once I got my lawn healthy and thick, I don't see many of them. They grow like crazy in the open areas though. Hand picking is a pain to control them, since any roots left behind will grow new plants. But it is a way of getting them before they produce seeds.
Peg
on Apr 05, 2013
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You can eat it!! I have so much of it I'll have to try it Peg. :)
Renee F
on Apr 06, 2013
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