Rid Of Invasive Plants

Question

Hello all, My wife and I have been having problems with this invasive plant that keeps coming back every year. I think it’s a fox glove not sure which one. it looks like a green leaf that crawls on the ground, there is none yet so far. we would like to get it before they start to grow. We have a dog so we don’t want to put poison, is there any way to get rid of this, I read that baking soda gets rid of weeds not sure if this will work for this plant. Thank you, happy planting. Stephen Zone 7A NJ

Answer 1

Many weeds have specific herbicides to target them, and not other plants. Without knowing the species at hand, you may not be able to kill it with a general herbicide. Spraying multiple types will likely cause the soil to be unusable.

What you could try will be to dig up as much as the root area as possible. Once you have gotten rid of the underground portion you can begin to treat the area.

Treating the soil can be quite simple if you don't use chemicals. My first line of defense is boiling water. Pour boiling water on the area 2 or 3 times per day for a few days. This will kill off anything growing in that spot, but leave the soil perfectly fertile for future planting.

Another method is solarizing the soil. Put a piece of plastic covering on the soil for a few weeks- some use black and some use clear, as there is some debate about efficacy between the two.

Here is an article for more information on weed control:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/weeds/weed-control.htm