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What is this horrible weed growing in my garden?
This is a really bad plant, so thank you to Shawn for sending this in! It's Smilax bona-nox. This noxious plant is very common in areas near greenbelts.
There are few chemical treatments you can use. You could try a combination of Glyphosate and Triclopyr, but they don't work well. You would have to use them numerous times, and without extreme caution, you could harm other plants in the vicinity. If you do select this method, cut the plant back and just "paint" the cut stem with the herbicide.
The best thing to do is dig them out! Wet the soil first to make it easier. Then go in with your trowel or shovel. You'll have to dig very deep to get the entire root system out of the ground. Like other tenacious deep-rooted plants, you may have to keep on top of this, especially since it will continue to creep over from greenbelt areas.
photo credit: CTG viewer Shawn
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