Viewing post #721182 by jvdubb

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Oct 22, 2014 10:29 AM CST
Name: Jennifer
48036 MI (Zone 6b)
Cottage Gardener Houseplants Spiders! Heucheras Frogs and Toads Dahlias
Hummingbirder Sedums Winter Sowing Peonies Region: Michigan Celebrating Gardening: 2015
@SCurtis , at first I tried the poison the tops and keep picking it out method. It got me no where.

Here is what I did. I had this beast in two areas (from the former home owner). The second area came from the first area because like yours it rooted under the sidewalk and spread to the next bed. It was so bad in the original bed that the roots strangled one tree and three shrubs. I ripped all of that out. Then I dug out THE WHOLE BED, 18 inches deep. I sifted all the soil. Yes it was a pain! And it looked like hell for the whole summer (I could only do bits at a time). I then let the bed sit over the winter. In the spring I waited to see how much would come up. Only a few pieces did. They were easy enough to dig out. Then I planted the bed. I still have to keep an eye out though. Because apparently it reseeds too. So occasionally I have little babies starting. Luckily they have shallow roots and are easy to pull. I just have to be vigilant because I don't want any to get established and go through that hell again!

Now the second area where it spread I could not dig out because I have a lovely Japanese Maple there. So all I could do there was carefully dig out what I could and then every week of the growing season I would monitor new shoots and paint them with undiluted weed killer. I'm still doing this two years later. I don't think I will ever win. But at least it has not harmed the tree.

As for it in the grass...I had to resort to spraying the grass with a product that has 2,4d in it. It kills the tops of the of the chamelon plant but does not harm the grass. Thankfully it had not invaded the grass too much.

So that is my Chameleon Plant horror story. You can win the battle but it takes extreme measures.

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