Ground Elder

[HisBetterHalf]

Does anyone have any tips for getting rid of ground elder? Aside from digging it out, which is almost impossible, are there any chemicals/sprays that ill get rid quickly but not harm wildlife/ pets etc

Simple answer is ‘no’. ....but you can use glyphosate. I tried and failed (had to be spot application as amongst treasures). Digging it out does work and then keep digging up any re-sprouts. I’ve moved on to pulling all the leaves off every night. I doubt it will work, but I feel I need to do something... good luck!

Yes, digging it up does seem to weaken it and stop it’s spread.

Any glyphosate based weed killer will kill it but as It tends to scatter itself amongst plants you don’t want to kill it is hard to spray.
I dug out a major infestation about 5 years ago. It was a long back breaking job but it did get rid of the majority of it. I still get the odd shot which I paint the leaves with roundup gel
www.wilko.com/weed-killer/roundup-total-weedkiller-gel-150ml/invt/0313328

That usually kills it within a week or so.

Thank you. It is in a border at present where I haven't yet planted any flowers but it just seems to wake up and come rampant once the spring comes

You have my sympathy. I have ground elder too. I dig down and try to pull out all the roots and runners, but it seems to flourish in my soil.....

I googled this a couple of years ago, after fighting the bastard stuff for years, and a famous gardener (can't remember who) advised that the best way to get rid of it was to move house.

I followed his advice and it's worked perfectly

Apparently you can eat the young leaves - supposed to be like spinach. Well, it might weaken the plant a bit!

Mix the glyphosate with wallpaper paste and paint it on amongst your treasures. Persistence is the key I'm afraid.

I have loads of it. It's been dug up many times but it is coming in from next doors garden under the fence. So annoying, as is their bloody ivy coming over too.

We’ve got it from next door too. It is hard to dig it out without bits being blown or dropping on other bits of the garden. I did use weedkiller on it but all it did was kill off the lily of the valley that was next to it.

My new approach is to pull off the leaves and put tons of bark down. That weakens it.

The only good thing about ground elder is that it is not deep rooted so easy to dig out if you have the time and patience to do so. The root is like cooked spaghetti long thin white strands so it is easy to see to pick out. But if you have nothing in the bed I would spray with resolva 24. It says it kills within 24 hours but I find it does take longer to get right down to the root. Needs to be done now whilst it is actively growing so that the plant takes it right down to the root to kill it.
You might possibly need to give a second spray a week later but it will die.

Chickens!!

Chickens dig up the roots and leave them exposed which makes it harder to grow back. As soon as we got chickens and I realised this is what they did, I got a fork and loosened the ground up and made a fence and off they went!

It was still in the lawn, but not as badly as it was when we moved there. By the time we left, it was barely visible.

If you are going to use weed killer, it has to be on young fresh leaves as the older ones are waxy and it doesn't seem to work.

All the leaves should be young and fresh now as they die right back in winter. Everything above ground now will be fresh growth that is why now is the best time to tackle it.
It is a shame that it is so invasive as when it flowers it does look pretty.