Getting rid of Ground elder can be challenging but manageable with consistent efforts using various tried and tested methods. 

In this post, we’ve outlined different ways you can use to eliminate Ground elder in your landscape.

The Effective Ways to Get Rid of Ground Elder

It’s hard to ignore this problematic weed, especially since it grows rapidly and takes up a lot of space in the garden. Whether you’re dealing with a small or large infestation, here are the most helpful strategies to get rid of Ground elder:

1. Manual Removal 

Digging and hand-pulling can be effective, especially for small infestations. Remove as much of the root system as possible since even small fragments can regrow. 

Regular monitoring and mowing of new growth can also help prevent re-infestation.

2. Mulching

Applying a thick layer (2-3 inches) of organic mulch, such as bark chips or straw, can suppress Ground elder by blocking light and smothering the plants. The mulch method will weaken and eventually kill the weed over time.

3. Solarization

Solarization involves covering the affected area with clear plastic during the hottest part of the year. The penetrating sunlight heats the soil and kills the weed, including its roots and seeds.

This method is effective during peak summer months and requires lots of patience for effective results.

4. Landscape Fabric

After cutting the plants to the ground, you can cover the infested area with dark landscape fabric or even heavy-duty materials like cardboard.

These materials starve the remaining plant fragments and roots of light and nutrients, effectively killing them over time and preventing regrowth. You should avoid using plastic landscape fabric.

5. Herbicides

If natural methods are insufficient, herbicides can provide better control of ground elder. Homemade solutions containing vinegar or salt can be applied on actively growing foliage of the weed.

The most recommended commercial herbicides for ground elder control are triclopyr or glyphosate. These should be applied to actively growing foliage, typically in late spring or early summer. As with every strategy, you may have to make several applications to effectively get rid of the weed.

6. Preventive Measures

The last thing you want is the re-emergence of the weed in your garden after getting rid of it. First, ensure that any new plants introduced to your garden are free of ground elder.

Secondly, barriers should be used to prevent it from spreading from adjacent areas into your garden or landscape. Additionally, improve soil drainage and reduce shade to make the environment less hospitable for Ground elder.

Combining these methods based on your specific situation and the severity of the infestation often yields the best results. Remember, persistence and regular garden maintenance are key to keeping ground elder at bay. 

Sylvia Kiragu

Lead Editor for Insight Weeds.

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It is easily identified by its compound leaves with three toothed leaflets that form a lush canopy and its clusters of small white flowers in umbels. 

Aegopodium podagraria Classification

• Domain: Eukaryota
• Kingdom: Plantae
• Phylum: Tracheophyta
• Subphylum: Angiospermae
• Class: Dicotyledonae
• Order: Apiales
• Family: Apiaceae
• Genus: Aegopodium
• Species: Aegopodium podagraria
• Varieties: Aegopodium podagraria var. podagraria and Aegopodium podagraria var. variegatum
• Common Names: Goutweed, Bishop’s weed, Bishop’s goutweed, Herb gerard, English masterwort, Wild masterwort, and Snow on the mountain. 

Nativity and Distribution

Ground elder is native to Europe and Asia. Today, the plant can also be found in parts of:

• Australia
• New Zealand
• North America
• Japan

Physical Characteristics

• Leaves: Compound leaves with three-toothed leaflets
• Fruits: Oblong-ovoid, flattened brown fruits
• Stems: Erect and herbaceous that can reach up to 1m in height
• Flowers: Clusters of white flowers in umbels
• Roots: Rhizomatous root system

Aegopodium podagraria is a perennial herb with an erect habit to 1 m in height. It is easily recognized by its long-petioled compound leaves with three-toothed leaflets and small clusters of white flowers in umbels.

Stems are hollow and grooved and green, although they may have a reddish or purplish tint, especially in the lower sections. The leaves are alternately arranged on a fleshy stalk attached to the rhizome. 

The lower leaves are ovate with typically 9 leaflets (3-8 cm long) that have an acute apex and serrated margins. The upper leaflets are arranged in three, smaller, with similarly toothed margins.

Flowers have 4-5 petals and are arranged in umbels about 6-12 cm wide. Each umbel is located on a long peduncle and can contain 15-25 individual rays, each 2.5 cm long. The rays form an umbrella-like white appearance that contrasts with the green foliage. Flowering occurs from May to June.

The seeds are small (1.4mm wide), elongated, and brown in colour. 

Reproduction, Dispersal, and Life Cycle

• Life Cycle: Perennial
• Seeds: One mature fruit produces 2 seeds
• Climate: Temperate climate
• Dispersal: Wind, water, and animals

Aegopodium podagraria behaves as a perennial weed. It reproduces by seeds and rhizomes. 

However, the small quantity of seed produced, environmental conditions like shade, and poor seed viability (typically lasting less than a year), severely hampers propagation. 

Ground elder primarily reproduces through underground stems where nodes produce shoots on shallow depths to form new plants. These new offshoots form dense colonies allowing the plant to colonize new areas quickly.

Similar Plants

• Daucus carota 
• Angelica sylvestris
• Heracleum sphondylium
• Cicuta virosa

Uses

1. Young leaves are added to salads or cooked as leafy vegetables.
2. Boiled leaves and root wraps were used as traditional medicine for gout and arthritis. 
3. It is used as an ornamental plant. 

Impact on Farms and Environment

A. podagraria is an aggressive and invasive weed. Once established, it can quickly overtake or limit the establishment of native plant species and become hard to control. It is especially invasive in riparian areas, lawn edges, forests, trials, and pastures. 

In the state of Maine, ground elder has been observed to alter soil structure and reduce shade, leading to low growth of shade-tolerant trees like white pine and balsam fir. 

While it’s a popular pollinator plant, it can also alter pollinator interactions in non-native areas, causing significant disruptions in local biodiversity.

Due to its invasive and extensive root system, it typically costs landowners time and money to eradicate it. In the United States, several jurisdictions have prohibited the sale of the plant including Maine, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. 

Control

• Mechanical control: Digging and mowing
• Chemical control: Multiple applications of herbicides containing triclopyr or glyphosate

Digging up the entire plant and its rhizomes can provide effective control against goutweed. However, it’s important to discard all pulled parts effectively as it can resprout from the smallest fragments.

Frequent short mowing can help slow growth on lawn edges and roadsides but may not be viable for large infestations.

Chemical control typically provides better results but requires time and patience. Repeated applications of triclopyr or glyphosate herbicides on actively growing foliage are recommended. 

Frequent mowing and herbicide application as an integrated weed control system has also been reported to be effective against Aegopodium podagraria.

Sylvia Kiragu

Lead Editor for Insight Weeds.

insightweeds.com/

The post Aegopodium podagraria (Ground Elder) appeared first on InsightWeeds.