I hope someone here can help me...my yard is being overrun by this
plant...Roundup does nothing to it, digging the roots out hasn't helped,
even gasoline doesn't do anything....aaarrrgghhh!!!!!! The stem is red, the
leaves have red veins, the stem is about 1/2 around, will grow to about 6'
if left alone...I think maybe some kind of bamboo???
In someone's infinite wisdom, I would hope someone can put a name to this
beast....please. Any how to get rid of it for good.
Thanks any and all.
www.buffnet.net/~gntry/1weed
www.buffnet.net/~gntry/2weed

CG in NY

gntry wrote:

I hope someone here can help me...my yard is being overrun by this
plant...Roundup does nothing to it, digging the roots out hasn't helped,
even gasoline doesn't do anything....aaarrrgghhh!!!!!! The stem is red, the
leaves have red veins, the stem is about 1/2 around, will grow to about 6'
if left alone...I think maybe some kind of bamboo???
In someone's infinite wisdom, I would hope someone can put a name to this
beast....please. Any how to get rid of it for good.
Thanks any and all.
www.buffnet.net/~gntry/1weed
www.buffnet.net/~gntry/2weed

CG in NY


I don't know what it is but it isn't bamboo.
--
Travis in Shoreline Washington

--
Travis in Shoreline Washington

"gntry" wrote in message
...
I hope someone here can help me...my yard is being overrun by this
plant...Roundup does nothing to it, digging the roots out hasn't helped,
even gasoline doesn't do anything....aaarrrgghhh!!!!!! The stem is red,
the
leaves have red veins, the stem is about 1/2 around, will grow to about 6'
if left alone...I think maybe some kind of bamboo???
In someone's infinite wisdom, I would hope someone can put a name to this
beast....please. Any how to get rid of it for good.
Thanks any and all.
www.buffnet.net/~gntry/1weed
www.buffnet.net/~gntry/2weed


It is hard to tell from the picture. How big does it get if left alone?
Have you seen it bloom? Does it get fruit? My first thought is that it is
a sucker from a tree. Some trees are notorious for colonizing an area by
sending out suckers from roots. I have a large colony of paw paw trees that
are trying to take over part of the woods behind my house. Is there a tree
in the area that could be the source? My other thought is that it might be
poke weed. Pokeweed is a poisonous weed that is often found in pastures and
in land that has been cleared near a forest. The plant is vascular and
produces a lot of berries. It self sows and birds spread the seed. All
parts of the plant are toxic to humans except for the new shoots in the
spring, which can be boiled and eaten if the correct procedure is followed.
It can be hard to get rid of because it has a long tap root that is very
difficult to remove. http://kaweahoaks.com/html/poke.html

I hope someone here can help me...my yard is being overrun by this
plant...Roundup does nothing to it, digging the roots out hasn't helped,
even gasoline doesn't do anything....aaarrrgghhh!!!!!! The stem is red, the
leaves have red veins, the stem is about 1/2 around, will grow to about 6'
if left alone...I think maybe some kind of bamboo???
In someone's infinite wisdom, I would hope someone can put a name to this
beast....please. Any how to get rid of it for good.
Thanks any and all.


CG in NY
Could be a polygonum (smart weed), likely Japanese knotweed (Polygonum
cuspidatum) that is also known as Mexican bamboo. For more info and control
options, see:
http://www.extension.umn.edu/project...mexbamboo.html
sed5555

Can't tell a whole lot from your photos, but take a look at
descriptions of "Japanese knotweed" -- may have the scientific
names of Polygonum cuspidatum, Renoutria japonica or Fallopia japonica.

If that's what you've got, you're in for a battle, but do keep after it.
It only gets worse.

http://plants.usda.gov/cgi_bin/plant...?earl=plant_pr
ofile.cgi&symbol=POCU6 (paste the URL back together)

http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/pocu1.htm
http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/esadocs/polycusp.html

gntry wrote:

I hope someone here can help me...my yard is being overrun by this
plant...Roundup does nothing to it, digging the roots out hasn't helped,
even gasoline doesn't do anything....aaarrrgghhh!!!!!! The stem is red, the
leaves have red veins, the stem is about 1/2 around, will grow to about 6'
if left alone...I think maybe some kind of bamboo???
In someone's infinite wisdom, I would hope someone can put a name to this
beast....please. Any how to get rid of it for good.
Thanks any and all.
www.buffnet.net/~gntry/1weed
www.buffnet.net/~gntry/2weed

Looks like Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) to me.

Maybe poke, although I don't think so, a little hard to tell from the
pictures. It might also be pigweed , Amaranthus retroflexus
http://www.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/amare.htm.

I understand that you are frustrated by trying to control this weed, but
it's a bad idea to pour gasoline on the ground. It contaminates the
groundwater, is probably illegal where you live, and as you have noted, not
always effective anyway.

For either poke or pigweed, you can pull small plants in the spring, and dig
up the larger ones. If you miss some of the root, they will attempt to
regrow, but if you are diligent about pulling/cutting the new growth, the
root will exhaust itself. It's probably impractical to aim for total
eradication; both plants set plentiful seeds, and poke berries in particular
are a favorite of birds and get spread through them.

Cheers,
Sue

--

Zone 6, South-central PA


"kate" wrote in message
...


gntry wrote:

I hope someone here can help me...my yard is being overrun by this
plant...Roundup does nothing to it, digging the roots out hasn't helped,
even gasoline doesn't do anything....aaarrrgghhh!!!!!! The stem is red,
the
leaves have red veins, the stem is about 1/2 around, will grow to about
6'
if left alone...I think maybe some kind of bamboo???
In someone's infinite wisdom, I would hope someone can put a name to
this
beast....please. Any how to get rid of it for good.
Thanks any and all.
www.buffnet.net/~gntry/1weed
www.buffnet.net/~gntry/2weed

Looks like Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) to me.

"SugarChile" wrote in message
...
Maybe poke, although I don't think so, a little hard to tell from the
pictures. It might also be pigweed , Amaranthus retroflexus
http://www.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/amare.htm.

I understand that you are frustrated by trying to control this weed, but
it's a bad idea to pour gasoline on the ground. It contaminates the
groundwater, is probably illegal where you live, and as you have noted,
not
always effective anyway.

For either poke or pigweed, you can pull small plants in the spring, and
dig
up the larger ones. If you miss some of the root, they will attempt to
regrow, but if you are diligent about pulling/cutting the new growth, the
root will exhaust itself. It's probably impractical to aim for total
eradication; both plants set plentiful seeds, and poke berries in
particular
are a favorite of birds and get spread through them.


I have had reasonable success in controlling pokeweed by simply stepping it
down when it appears. Eventually, it dies. Unfortunately, new plants
spring up in other locations. We must have a big reservoir of it close by
that the birds feed on and then seed my lot.

"gntry" wrote

...Roundup does nothing to it,

When you say Roundup won't kill it, did you try cutting it off at an angle
to give lots of surface area, then painting straight Roundup on the wound
with a brush? Some plants have waxy leaves that chemicals have a hard time
clinging too, so you need a more direct application method. This is the
technique used by the local power company to eliminate weed trees that grow
under their lines.