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annpath

Hostas invasion

annpath
9 years ago

Hi. We love hostas and have a few along the perimeter of the house but now they have invaded our SOD. We recently had to regrade and re sod due to drainage issues but now we have hostas everywhere. They are impossible to pull from the roots and I don't want to spray any chemicals bc I don't want to kill the Sod. It is Marathon II grass.

Please help! TIA.

Comments (20)

  • Steve Massachusetts
    9 years ago

    Just dig out the "eye" of the plant with a knife. Either that or drip or paint some Round Up on the leaves. That will leave the grass and kill the Hosta. One thing you should do is to remove the scapes of your nearby plants after they have flowered. In this way they won't scatter seed on your lawn.

    Of course, the real solution is to use the Round Up on the lawn and grow more Hosta. Grass is overrated.

    Steve

    This post was edited by steve_mass on Wed, Jun 25, 14 at 13:11

  • paul_in_mn
    9 years ago

    Do you have a pic? Wondering if it is Clausa...which sends long root runners out.

    Paul

  • almosthooked zone5
    9 years ago

    Just widen your flowerbeds and dig out a strip of grass. Hosta forum and we like hosta much more then lawns lol Sounds like Clausa to me too. Do you have a picture?

    {{!gwi}}

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    9 years ago

    i dont buy it .. i dont think they are hosta ...

    we need a pic .. to prove me wrong ...

    ken

  • annpath
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Picture attached. I don't know much about this species of plant, but I know I can't have it through out the yard. We have a 1 year old or else we would have opted out of sod.

  • annpath
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    another one...

  • bkay2000
    9 years ago

    I'm certainly not an expert, but that looks like an elephant ear. It does not look like a hosta to me.

    bk

  • annpath
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    3rd and last picture...i looked up clausa and I'm not sure...

  • Linda's Garden z6 Utah
    9 years ago

    It looks like an Elephant Ear to me too. Do you have a picture of the plants next to your house?

    Linda

  • funnthsun z7A - Southern VA
    9 years ago

    That's an elephant ear, not a hosta. I third that diagnosis. Same remedy, though, either way. Dig it up or drip round-up on it, those are your choices.

  • annpath
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you all for your help. We are trying to get rid of these in another location (from previous owner), have been spraying them for almost two years and they keep coming back. I'll do what was suggested and keep at it. THANKS!!

  • almosthooked zone5
    9 years ago

    Is it a problem when you cut your grass? Cut it off the same length or does it grow really faster then the lawns? Definitely looks like an Elephant ear plant. Here I just kill them with kindness .

  • annpath
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    almosthooked - they grow faster than our weekly grass cutting. it's insane how fast they grow and how nearly impossible it is to get rid of them. we are screwed. :)

  • almosthooked zone5
    9 years ago

    My goodness maybe I am glad they don't live here. Jack in the beanstalk type sounds nasty... Roundup and strong formula to maybe WOW
    Faye

  • josephines167 z5 ON Canada
    9 years ago

    This plant and it's associated family (alocasia/colocasia) has tuber/rhizome-like root systems also that you might have difficulty in eradicating, even with Round-Up. If it is popping up sporadically in the lawn, how about just digging it out? You should get good chunks of the tubers that way. Otherwise it will just keep popping up.

    I've read somewhere that RUp didn't quite get rid of it...might have been on some other forum. Good luck...hope you get rid of it. :-)

  • Jon 6a SE MA
    9 years ago

    Take a cheap foam paint brush and paint each of the leafs that you can find with glyphosate (Round Up). This will kill each leaf and more importantly the roots that keep spreading the unwanted invaders.

    Use rubber gloves and be careful not to spill on or paint the grass.

    Jon

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    9 years ago

    looks like caladium to me .... or what they said ...

    bazinga.. on not hosta.. lol ...

    what i would do ...

    get a dollar store butcher knife ... cut out a 3 to 6 inch square of sod .. 3 inches deep ... pull it out.. trying to keep the sod plug intact as much as possible ... remove the tuber.. and plug the plug back in .. add a little soil under if need be .. and water it deeply ...

    think golf course divets ...

    i love and live by RU ... but would NOT use it in this application ...

    a flat shovel.. sharpened ... would do just as well .. but give you leverage ... like at the link ..

    ken

    Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:643043}}

  • User
    9 years ago

    Either a colocasia or an alocasia, i.e. "elephant ears" come in many sizes. I had some in our front flower bed when we moved here 8 years ago. I thought I'd pulled it all out but no way, they keep coming back. After you have a nice rain (I know you don't get much rain there)......dig down and open a nice enough hole that you can pull out the piece of corm and as much root as possible. Around here they mostly go dormant in the winter, so you must get them while they are visible.

    Some varieties get huge. And, the root/corm is edible in some parts of the world but they process it to make a flour and in the process it removes any plant toxins. I'm not an expert and recommend that you read up on it on a site like Center For Disease Control if your primary concern is the safety of your toddler who might put it in the mouth.

    I sympathize with your problem. Some plants are harmful if the sap causes an allergic reaction. If it were a hosta, it would be safe to consume the leaves from what I read. Of course, I would not kill my favorite plant to make a salad. :)

    Good luck.

  • don_in_colorado
    9 years ago

    I was wondering what the heck kind of hostas you can grow as perennials in coastal Southern California! : )

    Don B.

  • Jon 6a SE MA
    9 years ago

    The trouble with cutting out the invaders is, because they are spreading by rhizomes the rhizomes remain intact and will pop up somewhere else. Painting the foliage with glyphosate will kill to the roots and the problem.

    It is quicker, easier, far more effective and doesn't leave bare spots. The only drawback is if you kill it back to where you may really want it. I don't think this is the case in this instance

    Jon

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