Eradicating Ground-Elder permanently .

Paul B3

Has anyone some advice on how to get rid of this scourge once and for all ?
A border I clear every year is absolutely infested ; I've cleared it manually and applied various weedkillers over time , but it always returns .

Not exactly environment friendly , but a colleague of mine had a similar problem with bamboo shoots surfacing everywhere throughout a small nursery he was running ; resorted to a mixture of Roundup and diesel .
Would that work on the above ?

The_herpetologist

Unless you want your border to become a toxic wasteland like the patch of garden that used to accommodate my japanese knotweed (RIP), then a light impermeable membrane would be the best option. It would take 2 - 3 years to work but in the meantime you could place pots on top of it. I have heard that some people have eradicated it just by cutting it out just below ground level whenever it appears (apparently in time it just gives up), but this necessitate hyper vigilance and persistence. 

hogweed

It may but will surely kill the soil!
Persistance is the key. If you have dug over the ground and removed every trace of root you have found, you then need to wait until it pops up and immediately spray with Roundup or whatever you favour. And keep on doing it until it will eventually go. 

Lyn

It was everywhere in my garden when I started, I dug it out, you have to trace the roots along and make sure you don’t break them, all I get now is the odd tiny bits poking through and the roots are usually only about 3 - 4 “ long. 
Best way is to dig, that’s gardening! 

Dovefromabove

Dig it out as Lyn says. The only place I'd use glyphosate is where it's entangled in shrub roots and then you need to paint it on carefully. 
Constant vigilance is the key. 

Paul B3

Thanks for the responses ; the G/E problem is in a garden I attempt to maintain !
Not keen on using weedkillers of any type ; it's just the time involved to physically extract the plant + roots .
Non-gardeners often have limited concepts of how long some jobs take ; I'll think of another plan !

Hostafan1

If it's a garden you maintain, inform the client how long it will take manually , or the alternative use of roundup. Let them choose then your conscience is clear.
I once said to a client of mine:
" If you had an infinite amount of money, and I had an infinite amount of time, we could get rid of this manually, however as neither of us have such luxuries, I'd suggest we give in and use weedkiller. It's your choice, and bank balance" 
She choose weedkiller.

Paul B3

That sounds like a good plan !
The mere mention of money around here creates palpitations to some locals ; that'll probably be the deciding factor though in this particular case ; thanks again for all your responses .

Hostafan1

Paul B3 said:

That sounds like a good plan !
The mere mention of money around here creates palpitations to some locals ; that'll probably be the deciding factor though in this particular case ; thanks again for all your responses .

Funny how some folks high morals go out the window when they realise how much it's going to cost.

Paul B3

Too right !!!!!

micearguers

I read somewhere that ground elder likes disturbed soil. Bad news, as pulling it up disturbs the ground. In my garden it comes from under the fence, when I look over the fence the ground elder is rampant in the neighbour's garden. My approach is fourfold: 1) don't panic, don't aim for complete removal, just include it in regular weeding regime 2) I use a two-pronted fork to pull bits out/off (try for minimal disturbance), 3) I mulch a lot (hopefully leads to more crumbly soil and easier removal)  4) I plant the area (so light, nutrients etc are competed for). It's too early to tell whether this is a winning formula, but at least the time of panic is over.