My neighbor has this plant in her front yard and it is spreading (which it's supposed to I guess.). She has tried roundup with no improvement.. I was just reading when to put it on and maybe she has applied it at the wrong time.
But, anybody know anything better or "how-to" that can get rid of this plant?
Thanks,
Missielover

Ducks. My dear husband tried to eliminate this plant but the ducks made short work of it. No chemicals involved.

Wish we had ducks but alas, no we don't so gotta find a chemical that will do it! Thanks.

Okay, no ducks. We need a Plan B.

Don't know how large an area is involved but you can lay pieces of glass (such as shower door panels or other tempered glass) on the area and wait a while. Between the increased sunlight and the lack of moisture plants will die - no chemicals involved. The same can be done with clear or black plastic but (in my experience) that takes a bit longer.

Someone else may chime in about chemicals. Good luck.

Thanks, I never thought of covering the plants and suffocating them. Wonder if layers of paper or boxes would work.. Maybe roundup and then covering them?

I found this on the Perdue University website: "Chemical: There are no herbicides currently registered for use in Jerusalem artichoke".

There are a number of herbicides that will kill Jerusalem Artichoke, including picloram (often sold under the name Tordon) and triclopyr (often sold under the name Garlon 3A). Whether you'd really want to use them is another question. If you use picloram, in particular, you won't be able to grow broadleaved plants in that area for a few years.

Solarizing the area by covering it with with clear plastic might work. But, Jerusalem Artichoke is a rhizomatous plant, it might respond by trying to spread out of the area covered by the plastic. You'd have to try it and see what happens. Using glass for that purpose would be courting disaster. If it gets broken, you can forget about walking around in your yard bare footed.

Jerusalem Artichoke also doesn't tolerate clipping very well. If you are diligent about regularly mowing it off, it will eventually give up. It will likely require at least a couple of year's worth of consistent effort, though.

Now you may see why I used the ducks in the first place.

As for the glass, I recommended using tempered glass and of course I would expect the user to enclose the area in some kind of barrier such as a temporary fence so there will be no disaster.

The reason that there are no (or few) herbicides labelled for use on Jerusalem Artichokes is because they are considered a food crop. Need to go slightly off-label to use chemicals sometimes.

This label for Lesco Eliminate lists Jerusalem Artichoke along with all the warnings for use. http://www.franksuppalandscapi...

Just for the sake of clarity, when Purdue University says something like a herbicide is not "registered for use in Jerusalem artichoke" it doesn't mean you can't use the herbicide on a plant. It means that, if you spray it, you can't then harvest and sell it. If they say something like it's 'not registered for the control of such and such plant', that means you can't use it, period. But, you don't see the latter all that often.

One last thing, the willingness of people to go "off-label" is one of the reasons herbicides ought to be much more heavily regulated in this country.

Since I don't favor the use of herbicides, it isn't a big concern to me. I harvest and eat my Jerusalem artichokes so would never use herbicides (or pesticides) of any kind near them. I realize it is sometimes necessary for people to use chemicals.

Thank you all for the input. I will share with my neighbor. Fortunately she doesn't live right next door or I might have some artichokes. Lol! This plant has obliterated her front yard and made the other prettier plants look like they're in a jungle. Guess that's why she's determined to get rid of it. (And yes, her front yard does look like a jungle!)
What part of the plant do you eat? Guess they're like greens?
Thanks again.

They produce a tuber that is edible, sort of along the lines of a potato.

I've had good success burning the tops of plants with clear plastic if the area gets enough direct sun. It does take a few days, but it works. I wouldn't use glass either, even tempered glass breaks into sharp pieces.

Once you kill the tops, you still are left with the dead plants to clean up. With the Jerusalem Artichokes, you should definitely dig up the tubers or they will most likely spring back up.

If you kill the plants without chemicals the tubers would still be edible. By all means offer to help your neighbor with this if she will share the tubers! If you like them you might want to grow some of your own (in a contained area, of course).

How sad that your neighbor wants to get rid of them ! The tubers are so delicious. I grow them and every fall I cut them down then dig in and try to get as many tubers as I can find. I seem to always miss a few which is ok with me because then they'll regrow next year I guess if it's making her front yard a jungle I can understand I am growing mine on the side of my house and I don't really care how jungly it is. My bees seem to love the flowers. I'd go with trying to dig up as many tubers as you can because yum! (unless the herbicides have made them gross) I would hope the plastic would work, but with them being bulbs I'm not sure if it'll take care of them or not. I bet it'll take a few tries to get rid of all of it, maybe a mix of digging them up, plastic, and there's a herbicide for invasive plants like kudzoo? I used it on some ivy I just couldn't get rid of, that might work. Try spraying them then covering with the plastic.

I'd use the spray herbicide as a last resort, though.

You absolutely can't eat any of the tubers if you've sprayed the tops with herbicide.

Please be careful. If the Jerusalem Artichokes are growing in the neighbors lawn area there could well be residual 'lawn' chemicals not suited to edible crops. Don't think I would eat any unless they were grown under controlled conditions.

also. Strongly.