Committing Herbicide Against a Yucca Plant?/Vanity

Me | 8.19.2005 | Basselope

[Basselope]

I'll look into those suggestions...I've asked a plant guy before, and he just giggled. Pretty much said to learn to live with it.

Maybe it will get big enough, we can build a treehouse and be the new generation of Swiss Family Robinson.

[js1138]

How long would you live wrapped in a plastic bag with a dead cow?

[Basselope]

LOL, I went to that forum before I posted this here! I was quite discouraged after reading that forum!

I have to say, though, if someone comes up with a sure-fire way to get rid of this plant, you can probably make a MINT!

[grellis]

I empathize. I am currently waging a losing battle against daylilies--the only way to get rid of 'em is to dig 'em up. In one patch of lilies, about 24 square feet, I dug up well over ten thousand bulbs. The bulbs have packed in so tight, it is like digging through concrete.

And I only have about 400 square feet left to go through!

[MikefromOhio]

sounds like I had better keep the weed whacker ready huh :)

[Basselope]

Oh, your post is soooo timely! I was looking out at the back corner of my yard....I'd planted some wildflowers back there a couple years ago and they've not returned. And I thought, "Oh, wouldn't daylillies be lovely back there?"

Guess not! I knew they reproduced at a pace that rabbits would envy, but had no idea it was a plague! Best of luck in your battle!

[grellis]

If you're a good gardener--which I'm not--they are actually pretty easy to care for. The thing with daylilies is that you MUST divide the bulbs at least every two years, preferably every year. We went eleven years without dividing.

Live and learn!

[Americanchild]

Get a goat. Maybe two. :)

[CGASMIA68]

OK Michigan so your in a deciduous region ...Good.
It takes time but this will work..... Yucca is like a tumor.When you dig at it and disturb it you cause each broken root section to re emerge.
So....... Heres what I did and do for all invasive hard to kill nuisance plants. In the fall when leaves are turning (this is when plants are sending nutrients to the root for winter)cut this piece of crap and any other undesirables about an inch above ground..........then take a small paint brush and paint the exposed stalk with Roundup (tm)or its equivalent.Your plant is sending goodies to the root at that time of year and will deliver this dose of death real quick. This system has worked for me on wild grapes roses bittersweet,Autumn olive,poison Ivy,sumac and oak and the list goes on.I pissed away money all season for years leaf spraying products at the recomended dose only to watch the bottle go dry and the plant flourish....
Key Is... Wait for Fall cut it back and paint it on...you will find out your product last 10x's longer and plants don't come back in spring.
The wild grapes for example when cut in spring and summer will expell a cup of fluid so paintning or sparying is useless where as in fall the cut stalk will suck up the same amout of fluid and if that fluid is deadly...buh bye.
Now Yucca, if disturbed as previously mentioned may need a few extra paintings in spiring and throughout the season depending on how large the beast is/was and you will notice little sprouts popping up all over .Those are thwe disturbed root sections taking hold again....

[martin_fierro]

We moved into our house 5 years ago, and the previous owners planted some yucca plants. I want to be rid of these...FOREVER.

Summon the Wiccans.

[Americanchild]

I empathize. I am currently waging a losing battle against daylilies--the only way to get rid of 'em is to dig 'em up. In one patch of lilies, about 24 square feet, I dug up well over ten thousand bulbs. The bulbs have packed in so tight, it is like digging through concrete. And I only have about 400 square feet left to go through!

Can I have them??! Seriously!

[CGASMIA68]

Daylillies or Tiger Lillies
Days have a value Tigers are junk......

[No Longer Free State]

Have you tried showering them with love, encouraging their growth, and catering to their every need. Every plant my mother has treated this way dies in record time.

[mercy]

The stronges herbecide available without special liscense is 'Remedy'. Available in feed stores and ag business that sell fertilizer. For the toughest plants it must be mixed at 25% with diesel fuel. That's one quart of Remedy to 3 quarts deisel. Stuff cost $100 per gallon.

Problem is you probably need about half a pint total. Perhaps you could buy a small amount from a local liscensed applicator for pesticides and herbecides.

Cut the plant down. Spray remedy at low pressure on stumps. Or spray the stems. Wait for total death and then cut down. Spray the stumps again for good measure.

[tiki]

My husband just said try the Round-up in the roots like you did the gasoline. If they survive in our desert they must have a mighty deep root.

[alwaysconservative]

I am having the same problem with my daylilies. I already donated gazillions to a school planting project (and THEY did the digging, hee!). Now I have another patch to clear, and am seeking another organization looking for free plants (the only cost is that they do the removal). Then I have to get rid of snow on the mountain and irises galore. Apparently I have a knack for choosing highly invasive perennials, LOL!

[alwaysconservative]

LOLOLOLOL! That's sort of like the story of the Lutheran minister who got rid of his rabbits by confirming them; they never came back!

[alwaysconservative]

I like the tigers and orientals, and cannot abide the daylilies (I only took them as a favor to my aunt, and I wonder why at the time she was being so generous, LOL!)

[zzen01]

20 Gallons of 100 Octane Gasoline + I Match(light) + Throw Match + RUN!!!! :-)!

[reformedliberal]

Johnson's Geranium (nice blue-to-pink flower) will eventually crowd out/kill Bishop's Weed. It may take awhile.

Iris: depends on if they are the common ones or the hybrids. Sedum and Bishop's weed will overgrow them and keep them from flowering, if they are hybrid. Hybrids need to be divided every couple of years. Common Iris need sun, so putting up shade cloth over them for a season or two might work. I have a small patch of them and they have spread slowly as Yellow Primrose takes over. They are in a semi-shaded area.

I have plantings that are reclaimed pig pasture (been over 30 years since any animals were there). I start with tilling and a couple of years of black plastic/particle board. Then I put in sedum.


The sedum grows and keeps out a lot of weeds. Then, in 2-3 years, I transplant the sedum to a new area and replace with whatever I think will survive and spread quickly. So far, my favorite for spreading and taking over is a pink bush hollyhock (sometimes it sends out a white plant). Nice glossy leaves and it grows to maybe 4 feet (hard to tell as all this area is hilly). In 3 years or so, the hollyhocks have taken over. I have no idea what this plant is called. I just got some seeds from my SIL.


Bear in mind that I am recovering several acres, a few feet at a time. I mulch heavily with wheat straw (6"-8") after every weeding. There are no seed heads in this straw and it really seems to keep the weeds out.I don't have the time for extensive weeding on a consistent basis.

Yellow Primrose is another nice spreader, IMO. It can hold it's own with sedum and eventually take over.

I inter-plant Red Monarda (Bee Balm) with the common Tiger lilies. They keep the Tiger lilies in check, bloom sometime during the lilies' bloom time and then are there after the lilies are done. The Monarda is spreading among the lilies, which are not spreading.