How do I get rid of bishops weed?

Kathleen
by Kathleen

It has taken over my whole garden for the past 5-6 years and as you can see in pic. I ‘ve pretty much given up on it. Short of digging up the whole garden is there any other solution?

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  7 answers
  • Smother it. Cover with newspaper, cardboard, black plastic. Then in spring, dig out all the dead bits. Or use vinegar or boiling water then dig out when dead.

  • Kim Kim on Oct 19, 2018

    Kathleen,

    Bishops weed (Gout weed) is edible and a herbal remedy from antiquity. The leaves are edible in spring prior to flowering. It was a remedy for gout and arthritis but I can’t find the formulary for it’s use.

    The plant spreads more by Rhizomes than seeds which, as you have discovered, makes it hard to eradicate. For plants like this, I now prefer sheet mulching since it is kinder to your soil than the boiling water I used to use. The boiling water is effective but kills everything that it comes in contact with including the gazillion bacteria, enzymes, and fungi that helps plants grow.

    To eradicate the Bishops weed, cover the area plus a couple feet with cardboard that is overlapping, wet well with water, then do two more layers soaking well in between. Then cover with a few inches of compost and cover that with 4-5” mulch (I prefer clean wheat straw, no hay since hay will give you a whole new plant to fight)

    Allow your sheet mulched bed sit for 2 years keeping the mulch 4-5” thick and hopefully the Bishops weed will be gone. If one pokes its head up, dig well around it and under to get ALL of its root and burn it, dirt and all.


    I hope that helps

    😊


    • Kathleen Kathleen on Oct 20, 2018

      Thanks for all your helpful advice. This sounds like a lot of work and I already put about 4” of mulch all over the garden last summer but the weed still came up. Too bad I hadn’t known about the cardboard and compost at that time.😞

  • Mj Ahrens Mj Ahrens on Oct 19, 2018

    1/4 C blue dawn

    2 C Epsom Salts

    1 Gallon STRONG Vinegar = I use pickling

    Mix it all together and spray liberally

    careful not to spray the surrounding plants = it WILL kill ALL

    Similar to Round Up but cheaper and better for the environment

    • See 3 previous
    • Kathleen Kathleen on Oct 20, 2018

      Will definitely give this a try. Thx!

  • Betty Albright-Bistrow Betty Albright-Bistrow on Oct 20, 2018

    https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=How+do+I+get+rid+of+bishops+weed%3f&qpvt=How+do+I+get+rid+of+bishops+weed%3f&FORM=VDRE


    If only weeds were easy to get rid of at one time! But here are some great videos that might help you. Good luck.

  • Elegant and cozy Elegant and cozy on Oct 20, 2018

    If you have the cash to spend you can invest on Round up 365. It’s a weed killer that kills everything on and under the dirt for a whole year. Bugs and weeds will vanish for a very long time. I use it around my patio pool deck which was infested with weeds, frogs and all types of bugs and it works!! You can pick up

    a gallon at home depot or lowes for about $39.00 each.

    • See 6 previous
    • Mj Ahrens Mj Ahrens on Oct 21, 2018

      1/4 C blue dawn

      2 C Epsom Salts

      1 Gallon STRONG Vinegar = I use pickling

      Mix it all together and spray liberally

      careful not to spray the surrounding plants = it WILL kill ALL

      Similar to Round Up but cheaper and better for the environment . . . and most bugs don't like the smell of the vinegar = bonus!!

  • Elegant and cozy Elegant and cozy on Oct 20, 2018

    I always do

  • Me Me on Oct 20, 2018

    That doesn't make it right. Have you read what Roundup can do to you and the environment. Use mixture of white vinegar, washing up soap and baking soda.

    • Mj Ahrens Mj Ahrens on Oct 21, 2018

      Not JUST the environment

      "Solvents and surfactants, legally considered “inert ingredients,” are mixed with glyphosate in products such as Roundup weed killer to create chemical formulations that increase mobility and more direct access to the cells. “Those same factors that aid penetration into a plant, also aid penetration into the skin,” says Vincent Garry, professor emeritus of pathology at the University of Minnesota. “These chemicals are designed to kill cells.”

      https://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/roundup-weed-killer-zmaz09djzraw