Unknown plant taking over.

Linda B
by Linda B
Can you telllme what this is and how to get rid of it???? Please ! At this time it has tiny blue flowers. Soon they will turn to blue/purple berry things. What a mess.
  23 answers
  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on May 25, 2013
    Do the leaves belong to that plant? Do you have a photo where the flowers are visible?
  • Caley's Culinaries Caley's Culinaries on May 26, 2013
    GIVE US MORE! We want pictures! How big is this plant? It looks large in the picture, like the size of an iris, but it might just be a close-up and it is really the size of monkey grass? Are we identifying the wide-leaf? Or the weedy thing that looks like rosemary?
  • Carol Cross Carol Cross on May 26, 2013
    Yank it out before those berries - seeds drop or you will have more.
  • Paula Smith Paula Smith on May 26, 2013
    Dig up some and take a sample to your county extension office. They should be able to identify it and tell you how to get rid of it.
  • Linda B Linda B on May 26, 2013
    Dougles, the flowers are on the black looking stems. They are tiny. And yes this is all part of the same plant. Caley, that is my traler behind it. So yes it is tall about 4 or 5 feet. I do not know what monkey Grass is. But this is all the same plant. Carol, if I "PULL" the whole 60 feet of it up my trailer would probably fall over. We need to kill the roots. Paula, I do not know what "the county extension office" is. We have tried to dig some of it up. The roots are so thick it is near imposible to get through them
  • April E April E on May 26, 2013
    spray it with a brush killer mixed to the label requirements if you do so on day that it is going to be above 80 the kill starts faster. you may need to repeat a couple of times because of the thickness I would almost say use your weed-eater to cut it down to about 6-8 inches before spraying so as to make sure to get better coverage of all plants
  • Linda B Linda B on May 26, 2013
    April. Thank-you. If I get the money to buy some I may have to resort to that. I was hoping for a weed killer type answe that is not dangerouse for the animals. As you can see in one of the pictures one of my cats is out there near them. We have cut them down before and they are back up a couple feet in a week or so. We rarely have days over 80. A warm day here might be 70ish.
  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on May 26, 2013
    The county extension office is an outreach program of UC-Davis. There is one right in Crescent City. I suggest trying to dig out a small clump, wrap it in plastic, and take it to them. They much better know the types of plants you are likely to encounter and can suggest control strategies.
  • Sow and Dipity Sow and Dipity on May 26, 2013
    It looks like a big job but please don't go throwing toxic chemicals on it, not cool.... I'd get it identified like Douglas suggests first to find out what your dealing with. Then host a beer and BBQ party, invite friends, and hand out shovels :)
  • Roxann Roxann on May 27, 2013
    Try the good ole vinegar on these. Should kill it and keep the animals away. It really looks like a Hairyflower Spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis, specifically. There are a lot.) They like moist conditions and Crescent City gives it that!
  • Linda B Linda B on May 27, 2013
    Roxann, I Googled the names you said. That is for sure not it. In those the pictures show leaves coming of stalks. In mine the leaves are up to 5 feet long from the root. Shelly, I do not want to use chemicals. I do not have freinds to help. I do not drink or serve beer or and such drinks. AND, AS I SAID BEFORE-----if I dig or pull them out, my traler would fall over. The roots go under my trailerand the road.
  • April E April E on May 27, 2013
    the cutting back (not down) is only to make it easier to put on the killing agent this would be good even if you use the vinegar you could also cover them with plastic and let the sun do the killing
  • Nancy Hand Nancy Hand on May 27, 2013
    As big as the plants are its going to be a big job one way or the other. If you can cut them back as much as you can then spray with round up (it is safe to use around animals) the plants will die. The Round Up will kill the plant all the way down to the roots.
  • Sow and Dipity Sow and Dipity on May 27, 2013
    Round up is illegal where I come from because it is a toxic horrible chemical that kills more than just plants...I would not touch it....ever. April has a good point in smothering it if you can get it cut back to ground level ( big job but there is no easy solution here ). Cover it with heavy duty black plastic and let the sun cook it. Nasty problem you have there.....
  • Roxann Roxann on May 28, 2013
    Nancy Round Up is made by Monsanto. It is NOT safe and does NOT break down in the soil as advertised, it actually accumulates in your soil to toxic levels. Vinegar will kill anything it is sprayed on (including good stuff so be careful) If you cut these back leave enough of the plant to absorb the vinegar into the roots and then plastic would be perfect.
  • Catherine Smith Catherine Smith on May 28, 2013
    Agree with Roxann. Round Up is nasty stuff. Vinegar will get the job done. You might add a few drops of dish soap to the vinegar. The soap cuts thru the plants waxy type covering allowing the vinegar to act more quickly.
  • Linda B Linda B on May 28, 2013
    Well, I guess if it stops raining long enough I will det out there and cut them down again. Maybe use my son's weed cutter. Then start pouring vinegar.
  • Linda B Linda B on Jun 01, 2013
    I stilll have not been able to find out what this is.
  • Evelyn McMullen Evelyn McMullen on Jun 02, 2013
    Formal name for monkey grass is liorope. Your picture is not monkey grass.
  • Linda B Linda B on Jun 03, 2013
    Still don't know what it is/was. We have managed to get it mostly pulled up. But of course, we still need to kill the roots. I can not find 10% or 20% vinigar. So I just got a gallon of the 5% stuff. I will get out there to day and see what I can do to try and get it sprayed. Hopeing I can kill the roots or the work of 4 people over 3 days will be for nothing. I still want to know what it is if anyone can figuare it out. I tried to find an address or phone number for the cout extention office. On line I could only find one in Humbolt county. I can not call there. Tried to send e-mail. Have not heard anything. No one here knew what I was talking about when I asked.
  • Linda B Linda B on Jun 08, 2013
    This is after.This is what it looks like now. John went out and put about a half a gallon of vinigar out yesterday. I told him he can do more in a day or so. I still would like to know what it is.
  • Fastnacht Shavout Fastnacht Shavout on Jun 13, 2013
    i do believe i found your berry plant, the Dianella plant or flax lillies, looks very close to yours with the same habits as yours (blue flowers, shiny blue/purple berries). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dianella_(plant)
  • Linda B Linda B on Jun 14, 2013
    Fastnacht Shavout, Thank you sooo very much. I have asked so many people and no one knew what it was. How did you ever fin this. It is for sure one of these. Thank-you and God bless you.