Asparagus Fern.....HELP!!!!!!!

As you can see....the reviews on this plant are not favorable:

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1850/

And I just moved into a house where the homeowners had put 4 in the front yard....I couldn't even give these things away on CraigsList and am now ripping them out. BUT they have their runners throughly embedded in the large tree islands. Not a problem for the other plants as I'm taking everything out. But I worry about the bulb-like things it is leaving underground all over. PLEASE tell me weed killer will work on this????? And for those who think this prickly plant is nice please just put it in pots as a houseplant---not in the yard. It's so invasive!

Round up kills this fast... I still love it and had a piece for several years in a pot with no problems. The flowers are very very easy to remove and then no seeds so no spread.

It's really hard to discourage this particular plant from folks. The greenery is nice, the growth is abundant. It's like so many other plants....once it's in the ground, you hear, "uh oh....big mistake." Same with mexican petunias. I will forever be paying the price of planting those in my yard. But they were so dog gone pretty! Big bad.

Anyone considering planting asparagus fern....think twice!

lol knolan! SO TRUE. i used the katie version of mexican petunia and it wasn't quite as invasive. but wouldn't you know those people planted a small bunch of mexican petunia in the back to!?! yep....they had an affection for obnoxious plants i guess. HAHA!

mitch: roundup---okay that makes me happy. so it spreads by it's flowers on top and not those round bulb like balls all under the dirt????

Please forgive my ignorance.

No it is spread by both - but you can get Round Up for Posin Ivy and it kills the roots...

In a pot in pot culture you can cut the flowers - in turn you are stopping the seeds so birds dont eat them and spread new plants everywhere...

thank you so much for your help!

I had this plant in my gh last year and forgot to take those nice pretty little red berries off. Well, they dropped off the plant and planted themselves in the gravel in my gh. I've dug them out twice so far. I heard RU doesn't kill the roots, but Mitch I sure hope you're right. I may have to spray. I hadn't heard about RU for poison ivy either. We have some on the property that where we are having a new wood shop built. Is that RU a special formula or is it just stronger that usual?

Ru won't hurt grass right?

Wrong.

I have those nasties all around the pool coming out of the rocks and boulders that surround it. They hurt! Mitch - Are you referring to "Brush Killer" as opposed to RU?

I had this plant from Hades come up volunteer in a raised bed around a cypress tree. My neighbor had it everywhere and loved it. They actually paid for these and planted them on purpose! I tried RU and it just laughed and kept going. I didn't try the Brush Killer one because I was afraid it would damage the tree. I covered the bed in heavy plastic and left it on over winter. Came back gangbusters. I did everything I could think of to kill this stuff. I must have dug up a dump truck load of those little bulb looking things out. I'd think it was all gone, and here it'd come again. My solution..... I sold the house and moved!

I've seen people tame the mess into formal shrubs, kinda like you'd trim boxwoods, ligustrum, etc. They are pretty that way, but of course, labor intensive. And if they're in the wrong place to begin with, sculpting won't solve the problem.

It was sheer luck that I potted mine, back in the days when I wouldn't have know any better. whew!

lol voss.

i guess i will just dig them as far as i can and hope for the best. sheesh. i want to dig them out as soon as possible!!!

What is one man's trash is another's treasure. The church has a hard time maintaining the grounds as it is all with volunteer help. We solved some big problems by using both Sprengeri fern and wedelia as ground covers...........works well for us...........they are all contained in beds with definition to them.........

I have asparagus fern that does not cause trouble, but it's in a totally ignored bed on the side of the house with unimproved soil and practically no sun. It's happy, but doesn't spread.

This message was edited Jul 12, 2007 8:13 AM

I think they are calling it Asparagus fern, but it is really sprengeri (I can't spell)........
Asparagus doesn't spread.

There is a Round Up just for Posin Ivy and it gets the root. I use it on all my small trees and the really bad thugs in the garden.

Mitch, that's very exciting news for me because I am very allergic to poison ivy. I had a really bad case of it years ago and it still breaks out sometimes.

Alright well that's what I'll get then!!!!

I am digging the remainder up tonight. Well, what I can. You know I've found it sprouting up in permanent beds 10'+ away already. Grrrr.

I know - that is why if it had to be in a yard the only way is in a pot - the only way.

Yes I agree. Except that it's been said the birds can spread the seed.

right but the flowers are really really easy to see and get rid of early

can't use the RU poison ivy killer. it kills stumps. of course i'd have all things against me in this matter and the ferns were planted at the base of trees. lol.

This message was edited Jul 15, 2007 1:09 PM

Sorry.. that is the best stuff I know of to get rid of the fern..

I have a weed killer, will use that, and otherwise just dig out as much root and bulbs in the ground as I can. I ought to know in a year if I've erradicated it, right?

I wish.. I have heard this stuff coming back after two or three years of nothing..

noooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!! :)

I'll just have to move. LOL.

No - just keep out a good eye for the babies. I am not sure if the plants that come up later are from seed or left bulbs in the ground. I have found that if you post on Freecycle you will find more then one person would love to come dig these out for free - less work on you that way at least.

mitch, good idea. but tried to get rid of them free on craigs--no takers. people STILL wanted me to dig them out. lol.

but I've currently cut them back to almost nothing and now will dig out what's left and spray with weed killer.

I sure do appreciate your timely expertise!

No problem, I have found for me freecycle is more of a place where people are willing to work for things Craigs list is more for the one who beg and whine - at least up here..

Never a problem - ask anytime. Mitch

Ohhhh that's good to know. I constantly have trouble with Craig's List. I'm in Houston.

I am in the Dallas group but that is what I find here.

I had the same trouble in San Antonio. :) I have my opinions on it but it's to lengthy to go into here. LOL.