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| Hi All, I have a warning to share. I spend so much time, effort, and energy continually working on eradicating this horrible plant. There are so many other things in my gardens that I’d rather be doing and if I can help someone out by warning them about the potential risks of planting this monster, then that at least would make me a little bit happier. So here goes. Lathyrus latifolius I planted seeds of 'Red Pearl' two seasons ago. The germination rate was truly outstanding (a blessing in disguise). The problem is not that this plant spreads underground as much as that it self seeds prolifically. And to compound the problem, what at first appear to be little seedlings are actually very deeply tap-rooted monsters. By the time the seedling foliage shows up on the surface, they have developed a long multi-pronged taproot and they are extremely difficult to dig up. To make matters worse, if you leave behind even one little piece of root material, a new plant will grow. I have very strong hands and fingers and even I find it very, very difficult to successfully dig out these little buggers. I’ve also tried covering the most affected area with cardboard and a thick layer of mulch on top of that. Not effective. And forget trying Round-Up. I’m not a fan of chemical plant eradicators, but I’m on my second season of battling this beast and I gave in. Multiple sprays barely killed the foliage and the taproots were not affected in the least. Granted, other folks may have different experiences with this plant in different areas with different growing conditions in different types of soil, etc. But be forewarned. This plant can be a real monster if not diligently dead-headed. If you do decide to grow it, please don’t ever let it go to seed. I hope this information is helpful! Regards all, |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Wed, May 8, 13 at 18:40
| And forget trying Round-Up. I’m not a fan of chemical plant eradicators, but I’m on my second season of battling this beast and I gave in. Multiple sprays barely killed the foliage and the taproots were not affected in the least. ==>>> then you are not using it properly... are you using pre-mixed.,, or reading the label and using the proper dilution for vines???? its something like double or triple the concentration ... there is.. a product actually called vine killer.. which is different than RU .... it took me 3 years to kill poison ivy... no one said any of the killers will work in one application .. good luck ken |
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| Perennial sweet pea self-seeded pretty prolifically here as well. I found that removing all foliage as soon as it appeared worked pretty well to eventually eradicate it. It helped that I passed that spot in the garden on my way to and from my vehicle every day, so I noticed any pea foliage right away, but it did take two or three years to succeed in completely removing it. I should have been warned by the two old farms I know of where an entire field has been taken over by Lathyrus latifolius. |
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| I planted it several years ago and I sort of liked it. However, my former neighbor was kind enough to kill it for me along with some other plants. |
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| Thanks for the warning. I've thought about trying this vine on and off for a number of years and something told me not to. I guess the inner voices were right. Kevin |
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