Subject: Re: Liriope Invasion

From: [email-masked] (Chad James Segura)
Date: 4 Apr 1995 16:30:33 GMT

[email-masked] wrote:
: I am a newbie who has just purchased a new house that is being overrun by an
: ornamental grass, I believe it is called liriope.  What can I do to get rid of
: it?  I don't want to poison the trees around the liriope. 

: Thanks,

: Myra Amler
: [email-masked]

Pull it out.
Chad

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From: [email-masked] (Meredith Morris-Babb)
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 95 16:11:18 GMT

In Article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked]
wrote:
>I am a newbie who has just purchased a new house that is being overrun by an
>ornamental grass, I believe it is called liriope.  What can I do to get rid of
>it?  I don't want to poison the trees around the liriope. 

Myra - i had the same problem in my last house, and all i could do was
hand-weed (ohh my aching fingers!) then dig and plan anew.  The problem is
some types of Liriopse spread by tubers or off shoots of rrots that grow
underground and come up someplace else - usually where you do not want them.
I have never found a successful solution to permanently hlting the growth.

Someone once suggested I bury some lawn edging around the liriope (at leasst
tweleve inches into the ground) to see if that would contain it, but i never
found the nergy to rent the ditchwitch.  Anyone???

Meredith, zone 6 or 7

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From: [email-masked] (Christine Owens)
Date: 5 Apr 1995 07:32:19 GMT

In <[email-masked]> [email-masked] writes: 

>Thanks,
>Myra Amler
>[email-masked]

Hand weeding will work best.  Wear a pair of gloves -- the grass
stems will slice your hands to pieces.

Chris Owens

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From: [email-masked] (Chad James Segura)
Date: 4 Apr 1995 16:30:33 GMT

: Thanks,

: Myra Amler

Pull it out.
Chad

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From: [email-masked] (Meredith Morris-Babb)
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 95 16:11:18 GMT

Meredith, zone 6 or 7

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From: [email-masked] (Christine Owens)
Date: 5 Apr 1995 07:32:19 GMT

Chris Owens

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From: [email-masked] (Meredith Morris-Babb)
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 95 16:11:18 GMT

Meredith, zone 6 or 7

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From: [email-masked] (Christine Owens)
Date: 5 Apr 1995 07:32:19 GMT

Chris Owens

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From: [email-masked] (CRSC Account)
Date: 7 Apr 1995 18:36:21 GMT

I've been reading this thread about Liriope with a great deal of interest
since I also have a problem with this plant.  However in my case, I have
a large bed of Liriope that has been invaded by grass.  [My husband, being
unfamiliar with this plant, has on several occasions mowed the Liriope, 
allowing grass to sprout and grow.  I have now educated him. ;-)]  This
bed of Liriope and grass is too big to hand weed, (I spent an hour one
day and didn't even make a visible dent) so my question is: is there any
other way to eliminate the grass and leave the Liriope?  I usually don't
like to use herbicides, but I am tempted to do so in this situation, if
it's possible.  Or am I going to have to go with my alternative plan of
killing off the whole lot, Liriope and grass, and replant the area?

Thanks,

Lisa Becker

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From: [email-masked]
Date: 4 Apr 95 10:35:21 EST

Thanks,

Myra Amler
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Steven M. Begley)
Date: Thu, 6 Apr 1995 00:59:39 GMT

>it?  I don't want to poison the trees around the liriope. 

Myra-
Liriope is an ornamental grass that can be highly invasive, It spreads by 
runners. I have never tried to get rid of the stuff although I have planty of 
it around. I don't know for certain but I would cetainly assume that you kill 
it with round-up. It shouldn't have any effect on the trees it is under. 

Steven

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From: [email-masked]
Date: 5 Apr 95 20:29:47 -0600

> it?  I don't want to poison the trees around the liriope. 

If you've got Liriope muscari, you might want to wait until it's 
bloomed in the fall (usually August to Oct) before you decide to
get rid of it: it will send up tall spikes (8-10") of lavendar
blue flowers.  You might also have Ophiopogon, with pinkish/purple
lily-of-the-valley type flowers in July or August.

Both are members of the lily family, the Liliaceae, not of the
grass family, Gramineae or Poaceae.  The places I've seen it planted,
like at Missouri Botanical Garden, have, come to think of it, 
tended to have beds of it between sidewalk and building, or similar
contained spots.  

Liriope grows in shade or partial shade, while Ophiopogon will take
shade or sun.  Both are pretty good low-maintenance grass substitutes.

If you're really intent on getting rid of your groundcover, think
of what you want to replant in its place (remember, most true
grasses don't do well in heavy shade).  Several months before you
intend to replant, mow the plants and cover them with black plastic,
cardboard, or other light-excluding cover, and let them die of
starvation.  You'll still probably have to hand-weed the survivors.

The reason I suggest replanting with a preferred ground cover almost
immediately is that bare soil is an open invitation for every weed
seed in the soil to sprout.  You could wind up with worse problems!

Kay Klier     [email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Bob Young)
Date: Mon, 10 Apr 1995 16:08:12 GMT

Better yet ask friends if they would like some and have them come help.
Have you seen what the nuseries charge for this stuff?

        Bob