Do you want to stay organic? So the best way to get rid of invasive plants is likely to require more work than it would for those willing to use chemical herbicides. For many people, staying true to their organic landscaping principles is more important than getting rid of invasive plants quickly and they will be happy to take on the extra work if it means they can stay natural.
Follow the path of chemical herbicides, carefully read what is written on the product packaging before purchasing. Information about some will indicate that they are specific to “woody” plants (for example, Ortho’s Brush-B-Gon product). Glyphosate is a very popular chemical herbicide (sold under the “Roundup” brand). It is a type of non-selective herbicide, which means that it will kill practically anything – including landscape ornamental plants, lawn grass, etc.
(so be careful!).
Since chemical herbicides such as Roundup are not selective, the best way to get rid of an invasive plant using such a product sometimes depends on the circumstances. For example, if you want to use Roundup on Japanese knotweed plants (Polygonum cuspidatum, see picture) sprouting in the lawn, you might want to use the herbicide injection method rather than spraying.
This way, you can control the Roundup so that it doesn’t end up on your lawn, as it would kill it.
Is it possible to get rid of invasive plants organically?
If you prefer to stay organic, you can try using vinegar as a herbicide. Some organic gardeners also use something as simple as boiling water to kill weeds. But don’t exaggerate your hopes, because the fact is that neither vinegar nor hot water will work on everything. They will have little effect on an invasive perennial plant as hard as the Japanese knotweed.
If vinegar and boiling water don’t work on a particular plant, try another method of getting rid of it. Staying organic is all about experimentation. In some cases, the best way to get rid of invasive plants will of course be by suffocating them by suffocating them with tarpaulins, etc.
Speaking of experimentation, some may opt for a multi-pronged approach, trying some of this and some of that. An example is the one presented in this article, where addressing the problem of eradicating the Japanese knotweed is analyzed in great detail.
