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Jan 30, 2016 10:13 AM CST
Thread OP
richton,mississippi
Has anyone ever had any success getting rid of this invasive weed? I have fought it for years with little success here in south mississippi.Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
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Feb 12, 2016 8:39 AM CST
Name: Tiffany purpleinopp
Opp, AL @--`--,----- 🌹 (Zone 8b)
Region: United States of America Houseplants Overwinters Tender Plants Indoors Garden Sages Plant Identifier Garden Ideas: Level 2
Organic Gardener Composter Miniature Gardening Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Tender Perennials Butterflies
Are you asking about this plant?
Florida Betony (Stachys floridana)

The good news is that it's a native (so shouldn't be labeled as a weed,) a super nectar plant for bees/butterflies/hummingbirds, and disappears during the hot part of the year. It's welcome in the lawn (especially since it's green now while grasses are dormant) but I don't want it in beds either. :
http://plants.usda.gov/core/pr...

The bad news is that it's quite a spreader, and very weedY where unwanted. Not easy to evict at ALL. One could find and remove the rhizomes & tubers. Easier said than done since the rhizomes creep in all sorts of directions for surprisingly long distances and break so easily. I've dug up rhizomes before and was trying to find one, just ONE, to show DH why I couldn't just get rid of that stuff by pulling it up "by the roots" like most other unwanted plants, but couldn't, and abandoned plans to try to evict by only shovel at that point.

If you're fastidious about pulling up new growth, you can tire it out eventually. I managed to do that to a patch of it in my Mom's yard, but I think realizing what it was the 2nd year it showed up helped, may not have had time to form big rhizomes yet.

If you have huge patches, or tree roots that prevent thorough dig-searching, you may need to smother for a year (or more? IDK how long yet.) I have HUGE patches of it too, some are where I'd planned to make new beds. I'm going to have to smother all around a tree or abandon plans to have a bed there. That will be tricky since there are big, exposed roots that probably shouldn't be buried.

Want to compare "before" pics, then our progress during this battle? I'll take some pics today of what I realized I'm dealing with.

What have you done so far that hasn't worked?
The golden rule: Do to others only that which you would have done to you.
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Jul 30, 2016 5:46 AM CST
Name: Tiffany purpleinopp
Opp, AL @--`--,----- 🌹 (Zone 8b)
Region: United States of America Houseplants Overwinters Tender Plants Indoors Garden Sages Plant Identifier Garden Ideas: Level 2
Organic Gardener Composter Miniature Gardening Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Tender Perennials Butterflies
FWIW, I chose to do nothing and betony has been gone/dormant for a couple months. If it's only a winter entity, I'm good with it.
The golden rule: Do to others only that which you would have done to you.
👀😁😂 - SMILE! -☺😎☻☮👌✌∞☯
The only way to succeed is to try!
🐣🐦🐔🍯🐾🌺🌻🌸🌼🌹
The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The 2nd best time is now. (-Unknown)
👒🎄👣🏡🍃🍂🌾🌿🍁❦❧🍁🍂🌽❀☀ ☕👓🐝
Try to be more valuable than a bad example.
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Jul 31, 2016 8:36 AM CST
Name: Missy
SC (Zone 8a)
Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Region: South Carolina Plant and/or Seed Trader
Oh yes. I am forever fighting that one too.
"Loving God... loving each other....
and the story never ends." Lyrics by Bill and Gloria Gaither

Aint nothing flashing but the fireflies...lyrics by Paul Simon

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