Re: Getting Rid of Allium triquetrum

Christine Caliandro wrote:
> 
> Dear Tony and Moira,
> 
> Thanks for your answer to my allium triquetrum question.  I am brand new to
> a Mediterranean climate and just starting my gardening.  So far, I do not
> think I have the allium in my garden but wanted to make sure not to
> introduce it accidentally.
> When I mentioned the subject to friends of mine nearby, they immediately
> recognized what I was talking about and indicated they have the pretty weed
> in their garden.  They would love to be rid of it.  If you have the time to
> let me know your method of eradicating it, I will pass it on to them.

Hi Christine

The only effective eradication technique I found came from a study of
its lifestyle. At the end of each growing season it has produced a nice
fat resting bulb -a little round white "garlic" as big as a large
cherry. When I first started I tried digging these out, but you might as
well try picking up the sands of the sea or, if it comes to that, the
bulbs average weed Oxalis!

In  season each bulb sprouts a new shoot and then quickly produces a
flower spike. This is the vulnerable stage, as by the time the spike has
formed the bulb has given up all its food and shrivelled to almost
nothing, making the plant very easy to pull up roots and all. This is
the proper time to attack, but there is a trick even about pulling them
up. They tend to grow in dense clumps and one should never try to pull
individual plants, but rather grasp whole handfuls which will usually
come out with the greatest ease, without even the need for a weeding
tool to loosen them. Work steadily through the patch and then pull any
remaining stragglers.

That's all for the first season. Next year the infestation should be
greatly reduced, though there will always be the odd one which broke off
and also seedlings from past years. Go through the area methodically a
second time and I wager you will then have the situation under control
in that particular area. However if you live in a district where the
pest is rife you will need to keep vigilant to notice any new
infestation starting.

I had great success with this method in my professional days, much more
than with any spray I tried (the majority seemed to do a great job of
killing the tops, but had very little effect on the bulbs). Weeding in
the way I have described was really very easy, quick and actually quite
satisfying to do  <G>

Moira
-- 
Tony & Moira Ryan
Wainuiomata NZ, 
where it's Summer in January and Winter in July.
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