Digging out Lilies of the Valley.....Safe to plant hostas there?

newhostaaddict

15 years ago

I am digging out the north side of my house that is infested with lilies of the valley for the last 28 years...

is it safe to plant hostas there???,,,

do i need to do anything to the ground???,,,

jill

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Comments (8)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
15 years ago
yeah right.. like you will win that battle.. lol ...

i have done that a couple times.. took me a few years to eradicate them all ... the hard ones being the ones coming up in the middle of a clump ...

IF IT WERE ME >>>>>

i would spray with round up ...wait a week ... spray again ... and then git to digging ...

nothing adverse to hosta .... i would prepare a nice 2 foot hole... and remove all the soil .... and sieve it back into the hole .... going through every particle of soil looking for the dreaded LOV ... boy.. what an acronym for an invasive weed ...

prepare the planting holes.. plant the hosta.. then get to work on the weed ...

if you are considering roundup... or the generic credit i prefer... i can give further instruction regarding safe spraying ...

good luck

ken
upnort
15 years ago
LOL! So true Ken! Been there still doing it! Good Luck Jill!
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As it happened, I got it out in one piece, with very little trouble. Just ‘round and ‘round with the pitchfork before I started prying. Getting it up and over the other plants to the wheelbarrow was more challenging. The root ball is about 16” in diameter, and weighs more than the 40 pound bag of topsoil I carried over to dump in the hole. But now, having it out, I can easily see where there are gaps between the eyes, and divide it into about 3 pieces without hacking it to bits. A much smaller hosta, a white centered one originally from my grandmother via my mom, gave me much more trouble to get out. (I guess Grandma WAS rather stubborn). That one also wilted and sulked big time, even with the stems taped together.
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alenm3, just wanted to let you know that not all the plants you list are derived from bulbs or tubers :-) And 'dividing' is probably not the term I would use when applied to bulbs or corms.......'separating' is probably more appropos, as few bulbs will tolerate a slicing through what is essentially an embrionic plant, but separating individual bulbs or corms to be planted elsewhere is perfectly acceptable and poses no harm to the plant. Lilies are different as they have scales that can be peeled off to be planted indvidually to create new plants. And tubers as well are quite different as they are just an enlarged root system, not a true bulb. However herbaceous, fleshy rooted perennials - the peony, hostas, daylilies - can be divided at will!! And pretty much any perennial gardener with more than year or two of gardening under their belt will know that :-) An expensive and easy way to expand your plantings and to share with friends or family. That is afterall where 99% of those plants sold at garden clubs and master gardener events come from!!
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pzelko
15 years ago
I believe the correct name is 'little turds of the valley'!!

Paul
lindac
15 years ago
My hosta compete very successfully with LOV....when they get big, they smother the LOVs.
Linda C
newhostaaddict
Original Author
15 years ago
hi all...

thanks for the replies...

i am now digging them out and giving them to ANY who want them...and have the Round Up ready to go...

i NEED the space for my new hosta acquisitions this year...

i was just worried that i would have to treat the area for any diseases or bugs the lotv might be harboring...

i might throw some boiling water out there just to be safe...

jill
arcy_gw
15 years ago
What is the point of Round up AFTER you dig the plants out. Round up prevents the plant for taking in water. Will it work on left over roots that will for sure come up for the next 35 years. It seems to me she would have been better off killing the patch then digging it up.
newhostaaddict
Original Author
15 years ago
arcy...

some people actually "want" lilies of the valley...

i will then sift through and get out as many roots as i see...

the roundup will be for the scragglers that "think" they are staying...

jill...
arcy_gw
15 years ago
Count me as one who wants them. I actually have several patches scattered around, but I just wasn't sure how efficient round up could be on plants with no leaves,...

I put some LOV in a front bed that turned out to be sunnier than I thought. They were not there one entire year. Nine years later I find a lone LOV here and there in that bed. I dig it out, knowing it is not the last..

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Digging out Lilies of the Valley.....Safe to plant hostas there?

Comments (8)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

upnort

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Digging out Lilies of the Valley.....Safe to plant hostas there?

Comments (8)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

upnort

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