Need advice: stopped mowing 1/3 of rear yard but largely overrun with invasive chamberbitter (Phyllanthus urinaria). It’s all over the neighborhood and I’m unsure of what to do. Is my only option herbicides? Or do I just live with it?
Need advice: stopped mowing 1/3 of rear yard but largely overrun with invasive chamberbitter (Phyllanthus urinaria). It’s all over the neighborhood and I’m unsure of what to do. Is my only option herbicides? Or do I just live with it?
Zone 8a, Piedmont region. Image detail: ceased mowing but area is overrun with chamberbitter, some ladyfinger, and some stiltgrass in the rear.
These things are all around this area in our neighbors yards so I don’t know whether to just live with it or do something to eradicate it from this area at least.
mtn-cat
You could kill it by covering it with cardboard or tarps and then plant a native ground cover.
wingedcoyote
This is why “just stop mowing” is unfortunately almost never the path to a beautiful native meadow.
Doesn’t help this year, but I’ve heard that chamberbitter is susceptible to pre-emergent herbicides like Preen, which would also help with the stiltgrass. Just gotta carefully follow the directions about when to apply it.
Upper-Budget-3192
Just commiserating here.
We ended up planting a mowable grass clover flower mix because otherwise the English Ivy and blackberries thickets we have been battling to keep back take over. They come from the neighbors’ yards. The natives we tried can’t compete with the invasive plants until after the invasive are eradicated.
When we moved in the blackberry thicket on the property was 30 feet tall and 20 feet deep along the entire rear of the land. We remove it on our side and the neighbors side (with their permission), but they don’t keep up with removing it, and I can barely find time to keep on top of pulling the stuff on my side.
Certain-Entrance5247
Plant trees – problem solved.
Mijal
What do you want from the space? Chamberbitter sucks, but it’s a low-growing annual, so ime if you get taller perennial forbs or shrubs established (after proper site prep) you’ll get a lot less of it. It’s all over my neighborhood too, so I’ve decided to mostly ignore it while I establish plants that crowd it out (working on a 3-5 foot meadow).
If you want something lower in the space, you may need to be more aggressive.
The_Poster_Nutbag
Weed whip it down as frequently as it comes up. I would recommend seeding native plants with a cover crop that will outcompete this stuff and eventually the persistent native will cover up the rest.
FreshMistletoe
It looks really pretty.
yourfuneralpyre
These come up on my property anytime the soil is bare. I pluck them by hand every chance I get, and I cover bare soil loosely with leaves. Looks like you have a good amount of shade so I bet you have leaves too.
Intelligent-Ask-3264
Boiling water to kill the live plant, keep it cut short. You can also tarp it and starve it of light to help kill it, then plant something like clover or thyme.. or wildflowers- up to you.
Synicism77
In some places you can hire goats to eat it.
Unlikely_Spite8147
Not sure how large of a space you’re working with, but options that’ll do a decent job getting the plants and seeds, and you could combine methods as needed:
Solarization
Boiling water
Chickens 🐔
Also, they aparently need light for their seeds to germinate, so a really really thick layer of mulch could do the trick.
FionaTheFierce
I haven’t had this particular weed – but in general I find that removing by hand works for this invasive stuff. You just have to keep at it. Keep a bucket handy and go out and dig weeds for 5-10 minutes whenever you have a chance. You will make headway. Do it all summer and you will have cleared up most of it. Next you there will be less, and the following year even less. As you clear – plant what you want there.
urbanspin
Hire a herd of goats?
MrStormcrow
Perhaps look into mowing it all as low as you can possibly get it, then removing the first two inches of the soil with a sod cutter. Take the dormant seeds out of the equation.
15 Comments
Zone 8a, Piedmont region. Image detail: ceased mowing but area is overrun with chamberbitter, some ladyfinger, and some stiltgrass in the rear.
These things are all around this area in our neighbors yards so I don’t know whether to just live with it or do something to eradicate it from this area at least.
You could kill it by covering it with cardboard or tarps and then plant a native ground cover.
This is why “just stop mowing” is unfortunately almost never the path to a beautiful native meadow.
Doesn’t help this year, but I’ve heard that chamberbitter is susceptible to pre-emergent herbicides like Preen, which would also help with the stiltgrass. Just gotta carefully follow the directions about when to apply it.
Just commiserating here.
We ended up planting a mowable grass clover flower mix because otherwise the English Ivy and blackberries thickets we have been battling to keep back take over. They come from the neighbors’ yards. The natives we tried can’t compete with the invasive plants until after the invasive are eradicated.
When we moved in the blackberry thicket on the property was 30 feet tall and 20 feet deep along the entire rear of the land. We remove it on our side and the neighbors side (with their permission), but they don’t keep up with removing it, and I can barely find time to keep on top of pulling the stuff on my side.
Plant trees – problem solved.
What do you want from the space? Chamberbitter sucks, but it’s a low-growing annual, so ime if you get taller perennial forbs or shrubs established (after proper site prep) you’ll get a lot less of it. It’s all over my neighborhood too, so I’ve decided to mostly ignore it while I establish plants that crowd it out (working on a 3-5 foot meadow).
If you want something lower in the space, you may need to be more aggressive.
Weed whip it down as frequently as it comes up. I would recommend seeding native plants with a cover crop that will outcompete this stuff and eventually the persistent native will cover up the rest.
It looks really pretty.
These come up on my property anytime the soil is bare. I pluck them by hand every chance I get, and I cover bare soil loosely with leaves. Looks like you have a good amount of shade so I bet you have leaves too.
Boiling water to kill the live plant, keep it cut short. You can also tarp it and starve it of light to help kill it, then plant something like clover or thyme.. or wildflowers- up to you.
In some places you can hire goats to eat it.
Not sure how large of a space you’re working with, but options that’ll do a decent job getting the plants and seeds, and you could combine methods as needed:
Solarization
Boiling water
Chickens 🐔
Also, they aparently need light for their seeds to germinate, so a really really thick layer of mulch could do the trick.
I haven’t had this particular weed – but in general I find that removing by hand works for this invasive stuff. You just have to keep at it. Keep a bucket handy and go out and dig weeds for 5-10 minutes whenever you have a chance. You will make headway. Do it all summer and you will have cleared up most of it. Next you there will be less, and the following year even less. As you clear – plant what you want there.
Hire a herd of goats?
Perhaps look into mowing it all as low as you can possibly get it, then removing the first two inches of the soil with a sod cutter. Take the dormant seeds out of the equation.