How do I kill EE?

I know how many love EEs here. I spent a lovely hour in the rain today trying to dig some up for someone who might want them. The result is that I discovered they are rooted very deep and while I got white stems with roots, I rarely got the tuber out. I don't need them where they are and need advice on how to kill them. They have spread all over my new gardenia area.

I'll still try to get some out if someone wants some, but I think they are just a common variety. Pic is of plants about 6 weeks old that came back after the new bed was put in. I have done roundup several times, but we get rain almost every afternoon, so I don't know how well it's working.

Thanks, Leslie

I've got it too! Only mine is variegated. Next door neighbor planted it and now it is EVERYWHERE and I can't get rid of it. Same deal...rains at least once a day EVERY day. No suggestions but lots of sympathy!

LOL! Thanks for making my morning.

Dig till you find the tuber. You will know when you have it-it will be HUGE!!! Once you get the entire tuber out--to include all roots then it will never come back again. But this will come back over and over again if the slightest bit is left!! Perhaps once you have the tuber out--then apply your roundup to the site of digging?? If you offer this ear for trade/postage with your photo you will have LOTS of takers even though it IS a common variety. Still a very nice one that gets pretty large!! I have this and mine has spread alot too--and I dug up the tuber last Winter!!

Bonnie

Ack! My heart!! Kill them?? LOL I think I need to move South. I would go with the dig out as much as you can plan. Eventually you should get all or most of them if you are dilligent. Oh, I NEEEEEED to see the vareigated ones. :)

Well this is too scary!! So I best not plant them in the open ground?

Here cannas become so invasive, and impossible to get rid of. So these are the same story? What if I plant them in a 5 gallon pot and bury it in the garden but with its lip above the ground? Will they jump the pot?

Do gingers go nuts too? I am too old to dig way down trying to keep something in control. I lost the 4 o'clock battle years ago. I have them all over, you use round up and they think it is fertilizer. The rhizone on one of them I dug was a foot across and the tap root you never get out, it goes so far down.

Thanks for any input.

Man, I bent my trowel already trying just to get the leaves out!

I'm still scratching my head over here .... seriously, the title of this thread caused a true double-take.

I just went out and looked at what I dug up yesterday. I was able to get a big chunk, about the size of the palm of my hand, out with leaves on top. Could this be planted and if so, would anyone like it? The picture of the plant is above.

LMK,

Leslie

Actually, yeah, I'd take it!

You've got it! Are you in the exchange and do you mind paying for postage? I looked this A.M. and I actually have a few small ones, too. I'll just send them all on. If you're not in the exchange, please send your address ASAP. I'm going to the PO today.

'Ears to you!

Leslie

There are systemic herbicides that are used on tree seedlings(wild) and tree stumps to kill them, it would work, you cut off the leaves and place a few drops on the cut end of the stem, kills roots and all.Check with a local ag supply dealer.

Bless you.

Leslie

Check your dMail, LambChop! :o)

Any piece of the root can be planted to grow new plants!!! You need a SHOVEL, not a trowel to dig the tuber out. It will be about as big as a watermelon or larger!! Not even kidding!! hehehe Bonnie

You need a forklift!! A watermelon?? I have to rethink this ear in the ground idea I had. What was I thinking???

Anyone have them in the ground in zone 9? I have such limited garden space. I can't have one plant take over.

That's where the killer (I) am, Kell!

Leslie ... these are some really TOUGH EE's!!!! Of the whole lot, one has died and the others are already showing signs of new life and bear in mind that these stayed in the baggies until Monday night!!!! (I was out of town when the box was delivered towards the end of last week)

I can see why these took over given your zone (9b)! LOL

Good luck!

Kell, I saw these in MS and LA, they were taking over because it was moist and warm year round! I took some to TN, they spread a lot, but many of them froze in the winter and were not a problem.
In your mild winter area, don't plant the agressive ones in the ground(like Illustrus and Violet Stem and this wild one)

kell, have you seen that interesting link on Monterey Bay Nursery called “Container-in-the-Ground Technique”. I am seriously going to try it although on a smaller pot scale than described, that is, if I can dig that deep in this clay! It sounds like it would be the perfect thing for adding that moisture in the growing season we dont have and being able to grow in more sun plus control some of the more aggresive one from spreading as described in this post. Heres the link if anyone else is interested.
http://montereybaynsy.com/container_in_ground.htm

Susie, I will give you my list and you can tell me which not to plant. I love violet stem. I have it. I will plant it in a pot!!

Sue, interesting link. And I may try it with the agressive ears. But with holes. In the winter, my backyard is a lake at times. The ground just can't soak up anymore water. Then again,. I guess it wouldn't matter then if they are in a buried pot with no holes. LOL

Thats what I figure too, with holes, cause the pots are easier to find that way anyways and cause I have a couple of large rubbermaid storage bins with damp peat moss that I use to hold over plants until I get a chance to pot them and in the winter, they will become a stinking mess as its too wet so hubby adds small drain holes.

NematanthusNut, if you ever decide to dig up that variegated EE, I would absolutely LOVE to have some!!

Hi Buck,

Thanks for the feedback. I'm glad I didn't throw out the shoots.

I've gotten some of the stuff to kill trees tumps and will give it a go on the remaining EEs in my bed. As I do, I'll remind them not to be sad and to remember their brothers growing happily in your yard. LOL

Leslie

Holy dear mother of gawd, Leslie ... what is this stuff?!?!?!?!?! There were these shriveled little pups in a box, with bare roots and curled, wilted leaves. I soaked 'em in willow water for a couple hours and dropped them in several places around the property. I don't care where I planted them, they fully recovered in a couple day's time and are now on some warpath to propogate themselves even more! In fact, the ones that are going the slowest are the ones that I "pampered" (put them in a pot, kept in filtered light, high humidity, etc.) I gave those to my wife's best friend who has been ribbing me about reducing my excessive EE collection for the past month or so.

Thanks a million!!!! I expected a few pups, not a big old box-load of them! They are *really* pretty little plants!!! How tall did yours get before being nuked?

(ps: what was wrong with your trees tumps? In fact, what the heck IS a tump and why would one want them killed in teh first place??? lol )

This message was edited Aug 23, 2005 3:59 PM

Buck, You devil! LOL. I hadn't even seen what I'd written about the tree "tumps".

I think the EEs I sent you got to about 5 feet. I'm still trying to kill them. I had a great laugh at myself last weekend when I bought a pot of variegated ones after working so hard to get rid of the others. The new ones look like someone spilled paint on them.

still giggling over your post,

Leslie

If he goes missing for a few days we should send a search party! The ears probably got him!

Okay, so I was out in the gardens with my headlamp on and a nice glow going last night (my wife really gives me a LOT of grief about my nighttime gardening habits: she obviously does not understand that this is the easiest way for me to remove rogue bullfrogs and to catch my continually fugitive-like green iguanas) ... and I do have to say that one good way to keep these monsters in check is to trample on them! Some of your ears went in my "Why the hell did I buy this? / I got no idea where this one can go this year" garden. This is an area where the kids often stomp about (it's mere feet from the trampoline) and where my dog (a fiendish Jack Russell terrorist) sometimes likes to catch some shut eye. These beasts have already been trampled upon and Sparky has evidently made her bed there a time or few as well ... it appears that this group of 'ears will be easier to maintain than the rest! LOL

(ps: no, my strap-on night lite is not used for raids on neighboring gardens, although ... I am finding the mental image of that somewhat humorous now!)

Rogue bullfrogs? Iguana fugitives? Do you live in a jungle? Iguanas live outside there?

Buck,

I can't believe you're mentioning the strap on light. I was just wishing for one the other night when I was watering in the dark. I know that's not the best time, but it's SO HOT during the day I can't take it. Last night I was planting by the porch light.

don't worry about the ears you trampled. They'll be back - with friends!

Leslie

Les: Oh, no KIDDING! They've already popped back up and look ... well ... not sure if that look is tenacious or angry. Ever see that movie "It"? Remember that evil little baby? Yeah, that's the look ...

Perhaps I had a little too much of something before heading out back, though. lol

Oh, and those headlamps can be procurred rather inexpensively at WalMart ... in the sporting goods and camping supplies area! :o) Hopefully your husband will be kinder about it than my wife. "So, you leaving me again tonight for your little strap-on?"


Calalily: Well ..... it's not supposed to be this way, at least with the iguanas. They're pets that I keep in a pen by the pond for the summer months. My loving wife, Katie, was all tickled about the fact that Dalton (the younger, or at least the smaller, of the two iguanas) was captured last Friday afternoon after having escaped a couple weeks earlier. She admitted that it was sort of cool walking out to the pond in the mornings to feed the koi and seeing him dart off behind something as she approached. Her comment .... RIGHT IN FRONT of her teenage son and 12 y/o daughter, was, "I think we should let them both loose for the rest of the summer. When it starts cooling off in the evenings they'll be out sunning themselves like you see on the Discovery Channel."

I walked out the next morning to feed the beasts, and the glass door on the front of the pen was propped open. She was with me that night (it was a "date night"), so that leaves a limited number of possibilities. They SURELY did not pry that open themselves, and I am thoroughly convinced neither our cat nor our Jack Russell terrorist could have done same. That leaves: a) one of the kids, b) a racoon [also rather unlikely], or c) alien abduction.

My money lies on "choice a."