I have some “hardy” plants that I need to get rid of.

Please can I have some advice on the best way to eliminate the following:

(1) 4 o’clocks (mirabilis jalapa);

(2) periwinkle (vinca);

(3) honeysuckle;

(4) english ivy;

(5) morning glory;

(6) “wild passionfruit” – no idea what it is, that’s just what the neighbour calls it;

(7) Virginia creeper – which I wouldn’t ordinarily classify as a weed but it’s growing (with the ivy) all over/through my half-falling-down freestanding laundry. I imagine that whatever I decide to do with the ivy the VC will be treated the same as they’re in very close physical proximity to each other. I think VC is lovely up brick buildings or fences, but as it has followed the ivy in through the actual walls of the laundry I’ll need to get it all out and prevent it doing the same all over again.

The ivy has been so well and so long established that there’s a portion of fence between the house and the laundry that I think we’ll have to pull down and remove the palings from, then in 6 months when the ivy is well and truly dead, pull and scrape the ivy off the palings and see if we can reuse them. My neighbour on that side, Lisa, is on a disability pension with spinal problems and can neither afford a new fence nor has the physical ability to pitch in and help build one.

Oh – and I want the bloody weeds all bloody well gone – happy to use chemicals but will apply judiciously for maximum effect.

Yeehah said:

I have some “hardy” plants that I need to get rid of.

Please can I have some advice on the best way to eliminate the following:

(1) 4 o’clocks (mirabilis jalapa);

(2) periwinkle (vinca);

(3) honeysuckle;

(4) english ivy;

(5) morning glory;

(6) “wild passionfruit” – no idea what it is, that’s just what the neighbour calls it;

(7) Virginia creeper – which I wouldn’t ordinarily classify as a weed but it’s growing (with the ivy) all over/through my half-falling-down freestanding laundry. I imagine that whatever I decide to do with the ivy the VC will be treated the same as they’re in very close physical proximity to each other. I think VC is lovely up brick buildings or fences, but as it has followed the ivy in through the actual walls of the laundry I’ll need to get it all out and prevent it doing the same all over again.

The ivy has been so well and so long established that there’s a portion of fence between the house and the laundry that I think we’ll have to pull down and remove the palings from, then in 6 months when the ivy is well and truly dead, pull and scrape the ivy off the palings and see if we can reuse them. My neighbour on that side, Lisa, is on a disability pension with spinal problems and can neither afford a new fence nor has the physical ability to pitch in and help build one.

Oh – and I want the bloody weeds all bloody well gone – happy to use chemicals but will apply judiciously for maximum effect.

A preferred method of mine is to cut and paint. Expose some cambium to some glyphosate that only has enough water in it to keep the brush from going stiff. With some really difficult to kill weeds it is essential to do this to them while they are in full flowering growth. In fact that’s the best time to kill them all but some go out more easily than others.

roughbarked said:

A preferred method of mine is to cut and paint. Expose some cambium to some glyphosate that only has enough water in it to keep the brush from going stiff. With some really difficult to kill weeds it is essential to do this to them while they are in full flowering growth. In fact that’s the best time to kill them all but some go out more easily than others.

Thanks RB, that was going to be my fallback position. Has worked well so far on privet and ivy … although of course the ivy has more lives than a bloody cat, fair dink!

So better to cut and paint near-neat glyphosate than to spray onto the leaves?

hi Yeehah. Good luck with all that. I had Vinca Major at the old place and it was beyond me. Then again I wasn’t prepared to use lots of glypho. I have heard with ivy that you cut it off at the base (and paint stump with glypho) but wait until the top part dies off before trying to pull off the tree (in this example) as it will come off more easily once it is dead and dried out and less likely to damage the tree or structure. Might not be an option in your case but thought I would mention it. Are you sure that the ivy is not holding the structure together? lol! A friend’s mum once had an ancient wisteria that has grown around the laundry, an old freestanding structure, and the old laundry had rotted away and all that was left was a big hollow trunk! She still used it as a laundry though, I think.

Yeehah said:

roughbarked said:

A preferred method of mine is to cut and paint. Expose some cambium to some glyphosate that only has enough water in it to keep the brush from going stiff. With some really difficult to kill weeds it is essential to do this to them while they are in full flowering growth. In fact that’s the best time to kill them all but some go out more easily than others.

Thanks RB, that was going to be my fallback position. Has worked well so far on privet and ivy … although of course the ivy has more lives than a bloody cat, fair dink!

So better to cut and paint near-neat glyphosate than to spray onto the leaves?

Way better in most instances.. just make sure it is the cambium layer that you paint.

Yes. After treating it with glyphoste, don’t disturb the plant or soil around it for a minimum of 6 weeks, preferably longer.

My lads killed my four o’clocks a long time ago by using them for a wicket…lack of water will eventually kill them too…are yours coloured?

bluegreen said:

Are you sure that the ivy is not holding the structure together? lol! A friend’s mum once had an ancient wisteria that has grown around the laundry, an old freestanding structure, and the old laundry had rotted away and all that was left was a big hollow trunk! She still used it as a laundry though, I think.

Hiya BG :D
Wouldn’t surprise me if the ivy has become structurally significant!! I’ve pulled it off one side and about a third of the roof, the sodding stuff has grown in through the walls and is actually decorating the inside walls/ceiling. Had a go at some of the ivy on the fence late this arvo, it’s going to be many hours before I get it back to a point where I have stumps to paint. Huge job.

roughbarked said:

Yes. After treating it with glyphoste, don’t disturb the plant or soil around it for a minimum of 6 weeks, preferably longer.

When I had the tree surgeon here I showed him what I’d done to the privet and he gave me some training on the significance of the cambium layer. The privet is dead so even without his input I think I managed to hit it in its soft parts ;)

Dinetta said:

My lads killed my four o’clocks a long time ago by using them for a wicket…lack of water will eventually kill them too…are yours coloured?

Hot pink. I’m always suspicious of volunteer plants and these are far too healthy and vigorous for me to think I’ll be able to control them. Water here is not a problem so I think they’ll thrive. Except I’ll be feeding them something nasty to counteract the thriving. Have you seen the tubers? Huge ….

I’m locked in a battle to the death with nut grass. Now quite sure who’s winning at the moment.

bubba louie said:

I’m locked in a battle to the death with nut grass. Now quite sure who’s winning at the moment.

How big is the patch? What is your soil type?