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Mystery Plant - Help Needed
claireylouise90
Posts: 2
in Plants
This plant keeps popping up in our garden, origionally we thought it was just an old rot system, but it's growing really quickly and spreading. Its now coming through all of my fruit and veg plants and I'm a little bit worried.
I think it is coming from our neighbours garden as it seems to only be growing along the fence and is just starting to spread out.
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/clairedean90/plant4.jpg
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/clairedean90/plant3.jpg
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/clairedean90/plant2.jpg
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/clairedean90/plant1.jpg
Any help would be much appreciated 
0
Posts
It is almost indestructible. Take the nuclear option!
Hi Claireylouise - it's hard to eliminate marestail completely and even more so if it's coming through from your neighbour's garden, as any effort you make on your side of the boundary won't stop it growing there. I'd suggest that whatever steps you take to kill it off, you ask your neighbour if you can do the same on their side - otherwise you'll have a never-ending battle. If you google for ideas as to how to eliminate it, you may well find suggestions that you use glyphosate weedkiller. This will work OK, as it travels to the roots and more or less kills stuff from the roots up. However, this particular weed is a somewhat tough & even "waxy", so to get the glyphosate to work you need first to bruise the shoots (using gloved hands) so that the solution is taken into the plant - otherwise it'll just wash off in any rain. You have to be very careful not to let the weedkiller touch anything else - or that will die too. I'm so glad I don't have to deal with it & wish you lots of luck!
Get 2 stones, mash the Marestail between them then add herbicide. That is the way to kill it. It has a thick coating that normally stops all herbicides.
We had it on our allotments years ago and never completely mastered it. The roots go down an incredibly long way and is one of the oldest plants on earth. However, most things can't survive efficiently if you don't allow them above soil. Its just hoe, hoe and more hoe.