Kill Yucca Plants

Yucca plants are hardy perennials, and it is often very difficult to get rid of them completely. Because they have an extensive root system, it is virtually impossible to remove the entire network. Even if you cut the plant down, surviving roots will send up new shoots. Completely killing yucca plants may require several attempts.

Steps

Sheet Mulching

1. Cut the plants back to ground level. If the trunk is too large to cut with shears, you may need to use an ax or chain saw.
2. Cover the areas where yuccas grew with heavy pieces of cardboard or newspaper. If you use newspaper, use 5 or 6 layers of it.
3. Put several inches of mulch on top of the cardboard or paper to keep it in place.
4. Leave the area completely covered for 1 year. It should be safe to remove the covering once a year is up without having yuccas sprout up.

Herbicide

1. Cut down as much of the yucca plant as possible. Remove all branches and vegetation with pruning shears, then cut down the main trunk if you can.
2. Paint the yucca's trunk with tree stump remover herbicide. Stump remover is available at most nursery and hardware stores.
3. Drill a series of 2-inch (5 cm) deep holes about 4 inches (10 cm) apart around the trunk of the plant. Angle the holes down at a 45-degree angle.
4. Pour herbicide into each hole. The plant absorbs the herbicide through the trunk and circulates it through the plant's root system.
5. Watch the area for shoots. You might see some sprout up after the main plant is killed. Any roots that are not destroyed by the herbicide will still make new shoots.
6. Drench the shoots in herbicide as soon as they develop. You may need to repeat the herbicide application several times to get rid of them.

Dig Up Yucca Plants

1. Dig down at least {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} (1.2 to 1.8 m).
2. Remove the entire root system, or as much of it as is possible.
3. Spot-treat new shoots with herbicide as they develop. It is virtually impossible to remove the entire root system of a yucca plant.

Tips

• Try mixing diesel fuel or vegetable oil with the herbicide in a 50/50 ratio. The fuel or oil helps the herbicide coat the trunk of the plant, increasing the rate at which the plant absorbs the herbicide.
• If you have removed the main plant, continue to remove shoots as they come up and eventually the root system will die off. Without green leaves growing above soil level, the plants are unable to make food to store in the roots below ground.

Warnings

• Yuccas are hardy plants that can successfully compete with other plants. Therefore, bringing in another invasive plant such as mint, ivy or lilies will not help. It may just lead to a situation where you have several invasive plants that you have to get rid of.

Related Articles

• Eat Yucca
• Make Chopsticks from a Yucca Stalk
• Make a Tropical Style Garden
• Create a Green Desert Landscape

Sources and Citations

• http://www.gardenguides.com/90662-kill-yucca-plants.html
• http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/xeriscape/removing-yucca.htm
• http://depts.washington.edu/hortlib/resources/resource_search.php?term=2179

See also

• Handle and Apply Pesticides Safely
• Get Rid of House and Garden Pests
• Clear Ants off a Deck
• Protect Garden Berries
• Deter Possums from Your Garden
• Get Rid of Millipedes
• Get Rid of Deer
• Kill a Stink Bug
• Get Rid of Animal Pests With Hot Pepper Spray
• Get Rid of a Beehive

Read more ...

What links here

• Test if a Plant Is Edible