Learn to Effectively Remove Invasives
Removing stubborn invasive plants from a garden can be difficult. Knowing which invasive plant you are dealing with and how it grows can help you choose your method of removal. Many invasive groundcovers, such as periwinkle and goutweed, spread by aggressive roots. Invasive plants can be removed through two methods: a combination of hand-pulling and digging or smothering.
Remove small patches of either species with careful and persistent hand-pulling or digging between April and October. This process can take several years of monitoring and immediately pulling new growth to eliminate the plant completely. To make the process a bit easier, wait until after a rainfall so the ground is softer and wear gardening gloves with rubber palms and fingertips to improve your grip on the plants and gardening tools. Grab the plant at the base of the stem and pull the plants and all the roots as any bits of root left behind in the soil will sprout into new plants. Remove deeper roots with a hand trowel or shovel, which are available in ergonomic designs to limit wrist and back strain.
Smothering, also called tarping, with black plastic or cardboard is an easier, but longer-term method for dealing with large patches of periwinkle or goutweed. The tarp should cover at least one metre of ground past the visible goutweed or periwinkle growth. Secure the tarp tightly to the ground using heavy objects such as rocks or ground staples. Keep in mind, smothering can take two years or more and may damage the soil’s beneficial microbial population which will take time to build up again. Planting in front of the tarped area or adding planted containers along the edges can help to hide the tarp during remediation.