Invasive Ferns -- How do I kill them?
luluz5
17 years ago
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waplummer
17 years agoIris GW
17 years agoRelated Discussions
What are these and how do I kill them?
Comments (8)Those are Giant White Flies, a terrible pest we have here in S. California, serge. They have particular plant favorites - hibiscus, canna, xylosma. So much so, many S. California gardeners have refused to plant those 3 above plants, for fear of harboring Giant White Fly in their yards. They are extremely difficult to eradicate. Here is some information on them, and how to manage them in your yard. I would also talk with your local Master Gardeners and better garden center on tips on management. Sorry, Steve, this is not a harmless pest for us in S. California, and what you have may not be what we have here in S. California. Better to try to avoid insecticides, as they can also kill beneficials, such as lace wing, lady beetles, syrphid flies, and parasitic wasps. Try removing infested leaves, look under leaves for the distinctive concentric white whorls of eggs. Wash those off with water and insecticidal soap (in the evening, to help protect certain beneficials). Remove leaf droppings, and apply worm castings to help affected plants recover faster. There is a product called Naturalus T & O that is organic, and supposed to be very effective, but it is rather expensive. Some folks have even resorted to vacuuming up large amounts of adults, to reduce adult populations. You can also try Neem oil to smother the nymphs, although I am not sure of the efficacy. It certainly won't hurt, as long as you apply in the evening, and temps are below 85 degrees. This is the season to see adults massing to lay eggs, so you're catching the infestation at a good time. I would start searching your yard to see if you have infestations in the more preferred plants, and start your clean up, there. Patty S. Here is a link that might be useful: UC IPM: Giant White Fly...See MoreHow do I kill Soapwort? I killed it many times but comes back always
Comments (11)Ken, I sprayed it like like twice a month few years ago. Trust me, it just laughs at me. I will see some small dead spots but it doesn't wilt at all. I've read other threads too saying Round-Up didn't kill their soapwort. Floral_uk, Yes, I dug it last year and it still came out this year but it's reduced which is a good sign. Yesterday, I dug it again and this morning. I used a fork like shovel. I was very shocked to see more roots. This plant is crazy! I'll do it again around May if I see more. I made it is I didn't leave anything behind today. We'll find out. Oh, it's the same as my daffodil. I've dug it so many times but every year it comes back. However, they are not as annoying as the Soapwort. I haven't tried RoundUp on daffodil though. They're beautiful and not aggressive. Thank you everyone!...See MoreAnyone here grow houseplant ferns? How do you take care of them?
Comments (5)Ferns, maidenhairs in particular, are some of the most challenging of houseplants to grow well. They can certainly tolerate low light but but dislike strong, bright light and any sort of dryness - dry soil or dry air. And high temps that most houses seem to foster in winter. The good news is your fern is fully hardy outside, so you can always move it out to a more suitable location!! And nothing wrong with using a coffee filter, piece of cheesecloth or pantyhose, piece of window screen or any other similar type appliance to keep potting soil from migrating out of drain holes. A very common and widely accepted practice. Does nothing to impede or alter drainage....See MoreHow to kill/control invasive dewberry vines
Comments (9)I'm always battling this too. Painting cut stems does work, and seedlings are not hard to pull but you have to spot them right away or they start to form a tuberous root that becomes too difficult to pull. In the meantime, make an effort to at least eat the berries because they're delicious and if they hit the ground, new sprouts will appear. But I'm well aware of how tedious and painful it can be to find them, and that birds will keep delivering new seeds to the area. String-trimmering them to the ground often can help keep them from becoming more vigorous until you have time to cut and paint individual stems. If there are entire areas with a hard border/barrier, smothering the whole thing could be an option if you also make the effort to go all around the edges with your shovel to sever all connections between that within and that which is outside of the border. If you covered it well now, I would wait until at least next spring to test a small area. I would use 2 layers of corrugated cardboard, overlapping edges by at least 6", covered with at least 9" of some type of heavy organic matter, like shredded wood, or a much thicker layer of leaves or something more lightweight. You could augment with sawdust, shredded paper, kitchen scraps, shrub trimmings, whatever organic material that is available to block the light and physically prevent growth from occurring....See Morerazorback33
17 years agodordee
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