Anybody know what this is and best way to remove it?

breadbin

At the front of the garden is a metre high wall with young beech trees along it. Towards one end of it the beech trees are being suffocated with this stuff. I do cut it with the strimmer and shears every year but I'm probably spreading it more I guess. I don't want to hurt the beech trees though in the process of getting rid of it.

I don't think it is Japanese Knotweed but what made me look for advice now is that there is a sign up for Japanese Knotweed about 50m away!

my3cents

Ground Elder

Paint the leaves with Roundup Gel or whatever they call the current version of Roundup you can paint on. Or make up your own "Gel" using wall paper paste.

I say paint rather than spray as I assume its between plants you want to keep but obviously you can spray.

Edit> Where its a bit more in the open and you can dig without damaging the roots of other plants too badly then you can really get to grips with it by digging out its roots. Once you get into a clump you will quickly get to know what the roots look like and the pull out of dug soil very easily.

lk67

my3cents wrote: »

Ground Elder

Paint the leaves with Roundup Gel or whatever they call the current version of Roundup you can paint on. Or make up your own "Gel" using wall paper paste.

I say paint rather than spray as I assume its between plants you want to keep but obviously you can spray.

Edit> Where its a bit more in the open and you can dig without damaging the roots of other plants too badly then you can really get to grips with it by digging out its roots. Once you get into a clump you will quickly get to know what the roots look like and the pull out of dug soil very easily.

Yep, use Glyphosate based product ... but I'd recommend not attempting to dig them out, as the smallest piece of root will regrow rapidly.

my3cents

lk67 wrote: »

Yep, use Glyphosate based product ... but I'd recommend not attempting to dig them out, as the smallest piece of root will regrow rapidly.

While I agree about the smallest bit regrowing it can be surprisingly easy to dig out. One spray will unlikely get it all in one go anyway so your still going to have to go back at least a second time when you spray it. Normally the bits of regrowth left after digging will die with just one hit of glyphosate. Whatever way you go at it its a tenacious weed.

Forgot to mention that the roots have a characteristic smell which makes them more obvious if you start digging them up.

Lumi

Ground elder has taken hold in one area of my garden and it's proven difficult to shift. The roots have formed a thick mat around 14 x 5ft in between existing trees and plants choking everything
Using a repeated combination of glyphosate and digging I've managed to cut it back by about 70% since last summer but I noticed that it's now spread into a large clump of native bluebells. I don't want to interfere with the bulbs unless I have to.
Is it safe enough to spray/paint the ground elder once the bluebell leaves have died off?

my3cents

I'd stick with painting around the bluebells, I've sprayed when they have died down but you get a few coming up the following season with deformities from the glyposate and they look unsightly and obvious.

You can also "feed" the ground elder with glyphosate. Uncover a root from a thick clump then dig a hole for a suitable size container so you can place it with the root inside with the root submerged in spray strength glyphosate. You can for example use an old yogurt pot or jam jar with a lid of cling film with a rubber band around it. Just poke a small whole for the root. You only need a cm or so of spay strength liquid in the container. A plastic bag can also be used in a similar way. Its a lot of work but sometimes you have to resort to any and all means around established plants.

Mountainsandh

I also have a problem with it, dug out some but that wasn't enough, I sprayed yesterday for the third time in a few weeks, might try the jar trick. Some of the shoots survive the spray, or new shoots pop up.

recedite

Lumi wrote: »

it's now spread into a large clump of native bluebells. I don't want to interfere with the bulbs unless I have to.

You could mulch over the area later in the summer. Grass clippings, concrete slabs, corrugated iron or black plastic. Then remove before the winter so the bulbs can come up next spring.

my3cents

recedite wrote: »

You could mulch over the area later in the summer. Grass clippings, concrete slabs, corrugated iron or black plastic. Then remove before the winter so the bulbs can come up next spring.

Thats a good idea for another reason. If you mulch ground elder it takes advantage of the mulch really quickly and you can pull masses of roots out of the mulch after its been down a while.

mcgovern

I have it in a corner of the garden as well, thought I had dug it all up but it has came back with a passion last few years. It seems to find the most awkward spots (under thorn bushes for example) and spread out from there. I'll have to try the Roundup gel, I have the spray but didn't want to kill off the other plants around it.

my3cents

mcgovern wrote: »

I have it in a corner of the garden as well, thought I had dug it all up but it has came back with a passion last few years. It seems to find the most awkward spots (under thorn bushes for example) and spread out from there. I'll have to try the Roundup gel, I have the spray but didn't want to kill off the other plants around it.

I mix up about 500ml of spray strength mix of glyphosate in a designated labelled and sealable container (a 1l round tupperware type box from dealz) and then slowly add wall paper paste until I get a sort of gel.

Its hard to get the right amount of wall paper paste as it takes a while for the final consistency to develop after adding the wall paper but you are aiming for a mix that can be painted on with a brush and stay on the plant leaves.

I also add a purple dye so its more obvious whats already been painted but can't remember exactly what I use for that as its something borrowed from my wifes spinning, weaving and dying craft gear. All I know is its one of those artificial dyes where a little goes a long way.

Finding a suitable brush is not straight forward I tried a few before I went with a cheap very soft chinese 1 inch sable art brush, but thats just my own preference.

I use the same system for small bits of japanese knotweed I get coming up in with the bluebells and its working well with less and less jk each year. However for jk I use a lot stronger mix.

Nell B

You can eat this stuff you know. Google it and you will get lots of recipes. Good for helping to relieve arthritis and rheumatism too. I've heard it said about ground elder that 'if you can't beat it, then eat it'. Good luck with whatever you try.

Mountainsandh

Nell B wrote: »

You can eat this stuff you know. Google it and you will get lots of recipes. Good for helping to relieve arthritis and rheumatism too. I've heard it said about ground elder that 'if you can't beat it, then eat it'. Good luck with whatever you try.

Ooh didn't know that ! I have a bit of psoriatic arthritis so I think I'm going to try and boil up some unsprayed leaves and rhizomes. I always thought it was toxic.

looksee

Mountainsandh wrote: »

I also have a problem with it, dug out some but that wasn't enough, I sprayed yesterday for the third time in a few weeks, might try the jar trick. Some of the shoots survive the spray, or new shoots pop up.

The systemic weedkillers can tend to give the impression that the plant is growing more vigorously before it dies.