How to get rid of Bishop’s Weed for good?

Kathy Hord
by Kathy Hord

I’ve asked this question before and received a lot of different answers. Some of which I tried and didn’t work. I want to Smother them out. I plan to dig up any plants I want to keep and put them in pots( hopefully picking out all the little B. Weed shoots.) what should I use to cover the ground to smother them and how long will it take? A whole season?

  6 answers
  • Gk Gk on Dec 13, 2018

    Hello Kathy! I did a few different things in my attempt to get rid of Bishops weed. I pulled up as much of the weed as I could by hand. I put what I pulled up in an area where the sun could dry it up to dust. If you throw it anywhere while it is still green--it will sprout and you will have a new area of this weed. Then I raked and raked pulling up as many of the underground shoots as I could. I also picked out by hand as many shoots and pieces as I could. I sprayed the entire area with Round Up. Then, I used black landscaping fabric in the area where I wanted to get rid of the Bishop weed. I put a few inches of mulch over this. The key to successfully getting rid of this weed is to block all sunlight. Over time I did notice new shoots coming up around the edges of the landscaping fabric. Pulled them out and used Round Up again. Round Up works--but it takes MANY applications and pulling up new growth. I have yet to uncover the area where I am trying to eradicate this weed. It's been 3 years. I do not think one growing season would be long enough. The area I am working on is along side my house in a long rectangular area bordered with landscaping blocks. I have been able to place potted annuals in that area to make it look nicer and I can keep watching for any new Bishop Weed shoots along the edges. I have another huge area that I cannot cover as it grows amongst the daylilies. I carefully spray RoundUp on the weed there and keep pulling. I also mulch heavily so it is easier to pull up the weed as it grows through the mulch. It is going away but I have been working on this for some time.

  • Lynn Sorrell Lynn Sorrell on Dec 13, 2018

    When you remove/pepot the plants you're saving shake out/remove all the dirt and replace with new,fresh. clean soil so you do not take any root pieces or seeds with new potting. If you don't do this all the work could be for nothing,clearing the whole area then just putting them back into garden. Use the concentrated Round-Up mix it yourself(stronger than directions)add food coloring so you can see what/where you are spraying. Spray directly on plant you want killed it's absorbed in thru leaves into stem then root system killing plant. Laying weed preventive barriers works best if you do it in certain moon cycle(seriously) 4th quarter. https://www.gardeningbythemoon.com/moon-phase-gardening/

  • Not a fan of Round Up for more reasons than I can count.


    https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/10/health/monsanto-johnson-trial-verdict/index.html


    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-22/bayer-loses-bid-to-wipe-out-first-roundup-cancer-verdict


    https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/roundup-quick-death-for-weeds-slow-and-painful-death-for-you/


    https://www.ewg.org/childrenshealth/glyphosateincereal/


    To smother it out, I would use agricultural strength vinegar and spray liberally until the ground is saturated. then cover with black plastic. No sun = no grow. I would keep it covered for at least spring and summer. After a couple of months, roll back a portion of the plastic and inspect. If it looks like everything is completely dead, roll back a portion and see what happens. If it resprouts, apply more vinegar and recover. Depending where you live and how hot it gets, it could take an entire year.


    When it is dead, I would excavate the area to remove at least the topsoil, then amend heavily and start planting again.


    Hopefully this is not a large portion of your property. You can always pretty it up by tossing mulch on top and placing some yard art in the area so it is not a huge eyesore while you are waiting for it to die out.



  • Linda Sikut Linda Sikut on Dec 13, 2018

    Hi Kathy,

    My name is Linda and I had the same problem. I did almost exactly what Ck did in a similar type of area. I knew I wouldn't be able to plant the next year, so I just used plants in pots. The following year, I dug out about 6" of the dirt and added fresh dirt to the entire area. Five years later, I do have one tiny spot where it keeps coming back, but I just get out my vinegar and spray it. Once it turns brown, I dig out what I can. This plan has worked for me. I hope this helps.

  • Nancy Turner Nancy Turner on Dec 13, 2018

    For around existing plants, you can use the Roundup that you can choose between spray and foam and use the foam, it is easier to hit the spot. I would pit down layers and newspaper or cardboard, then put the black landscape fabric over that, then mulch to hold it down and look better. That way no sun means no photosynthesis and also will keep a lot of the moisture out. It took me nearly a year to get rid of a wild grape that was huge and very tenacious.

  • Kathy Hord Kathy Hord on Dec 13, 2018

    The area is under my front picture window and continues along beside the house. A Big Thank you to Everyone for your help. I will plan my Attack and be ready by March.