RoundUp or some other form of Glyphosate is the only thing I've seen recommended to kill it, certainly not an organic solution. (There are just some invasives that nothing organic will kill.)

If you could spare a big chunk of summertime gardening, you might be able to put a substantial dent in the datura population by solarizing the soil where the sun shines on it, a method that's acceptable to organic gardeners. But it has to be done in the hottest part of the summer, and it take 4-8 weeks of coverage to work, depending on your location.

Here is a link that might be useful: Soil Solarization

I can see how soil solarization would kill the seeds of this, but any piece of the root forms another plant and there is a whole bunch of these roots in the garden and under the cement. In my prior battle with bermuda I finally had to give in and use TeflonEster to get it out of my tall fescue, sigh......., I really didnt want to have to use RoundUp yuk

stompoutbermuda

I have the same sort of invasive pest in bindweed, so I know your conflict. But not even RoundUp kills it, while many sites say it WILL kill datura if sprayed on mature plants.

Are you sure that with a long enough period of solarization, the roots of the plants wouldn't be snuffed out? (I am just asking questions, not saying what will work!)

Without greenery leading to the root, I'd think most roots die unless they're very large and connected in a mat like bindweed. "Many roots" and plants are different than a connected mat of roots.

For instance, a connected mat of bindweed roots can draw sustenance from other roots in the mat that have produced greenery as far as an acre away. As soon as you think you've got it wiped out in an area, it pops up again from the large spread of underground roots that have reinvigorated themselves from afar!

Anyway, I don't have a datura problem, and you surely know what works better than I!

Jimson Weed, Datura stramonium L. is a common weed in my pastures . The U of Fla recommends preemergents to control seeds and follow up sprays for plants .

" Postemergence applications of Staple or glyphosate are extremely effective on jimsonweed. Additionally, most all postdirected herbicides will provide 90% or greater control of jimsonweed."

I do not like the idea of using killing sprays either but this particular weed seems impossible to control without an herbicide spray . I think it is important to eliminate this weed since all parts of the plant are poisonous .

When one is fighting this type of problem and wishes to remain organic there are very few options. Yes, a garden bed could be solarized. But this approach becomes difficult when dealing with a massive invasion throughout a property. So, the next question is how to approach the problem with chemicals using them sparingly. This is usually accomplished by cutting off the foliage of each plant and pouring a few drops of full strength Round-up or brush killer on top right after cutting. Or, a few drops of Clorox straight out of the bottle should work. If it is possible to pierce the roots with a knife before treating this would be helpful. Not an organic solution but at least chemicals are not being sprayed heavily. What I suggest is a long job over a period of years. In certain situations such as this or dealing with overwhelming amounts of poison ivy one should consider hiring a professional with a spray license to apply the correct formula to do the job once and then plan to go on vacation while it is being done.

One approach is to slice the stems off just under ground level and KEEP DOING IT until the Datura gives up.

It's much like grubbing out Bermuda.

s local here got rid of bind weed by mixing plant food with roundup. she painted each vine to keep the exposure down and the bind weed went away. she painted the blossoms with the mixture. this stuff seem to be impervious to most weed killers and her inventive approach worked for this obnoxious weed. i am going to try it on the bind weed in my garden.
fool it with a mixture of plant food and roundup.
good luck
WM

The use of any glyphosate proeduct is unacceptable to any organic gardener/farmer and so anyone that does advocate the use of those products is not an organic gardenr/farmer.
Some members of this fairly large family are desireable plants while others are considered noxious "weeds" which, like Nightshade, can be spread very easily by birds dropping the seeds all over the place. The only really effective way to control this is to kill the roots, either by digging them up or keeping any new green growth cut so the roots are not kept fed so they, eventually, use up all the nutrients stored in them and then die.

I am confused as this is an organic thread and to my knowledge organic methods do not include roundup. Kimmsr, would burning and boiling work over time? If this works isn't this the "organic" solution? What would certified growers do?

Flaming the weed kills the top growth, but not the roots. Boiling water kills the top growth, but usually not the roots. Vinegar will kill the top growth but not the roots. But repeatedly killing the top growth will, eventually, cause the now starving roots to die.
With aggressive weeds such as this mechanical removal is the best means of control.

How big of an area are you talking about here? If you don't have a massive property, is consistently digging up the roots and harassing the plants an option for you? I'm sure the vegetative growth would produce some great organic matter for your compost bin or garden and if you cut them down consistently, it'll be all vegetative growth. One thing I have to mention about Daturas are that they contain very strong alkaloids that can cause intense hallucinations and even death if ingested so you want to be really careful if you burn them not to inhale the smoke and probably want to be careful handling them too (at least wear gloves).

Well, i would not suggest any chemical fertilizers for to get rid of weed. Since the purpose of these products is to kill pests, you can bet that many of them have ingredients in them that are also harmful to humans. For example, the active ingredient in Round-UpÂa weed-killer popular with gardenersÂis known to cause kidney damage and reproductive harm in mice. And cypermethrin, one of the active ingredients in the popular ant and roach-killer Raid, is a known eye, skin and respiratory irritant and has negative effects on the central nervous system. Read the article here that helps you with organic weed killer (herbicide) tip.

Here is a link that might be useful: Regular Vinegar as Weed Killer

The wild datura I have here just laughs at RoundUp and keeps on growing. If I mow it, it springs right back up in a few days. Most of the plants are higher than my head! I desperately need a way to kill it out that's safe for my little horses. Obviously I can't solarize the seven or eight acres of paddocks where it has taken over. HELP!

One way to get it is to keep after it ... start early in spring and pull every seedling you find, or burn All the leaves down to the soil, and patrol weekly and do it again.

Do this regularly for as long as it takes.

Weed torch, glyphosate, hand-pulling or a digger - whatever it takes.

Most Daturas are annuals, a few are short-lived perennials, so you can get rid of it, but you have to be persistent.

Above all, do NOT let it form flowers and seeds! If it's an annual you can clear an area in a few years just by preventing seed formation.

It can be composted - the toxic stuff gets decomposed and the compost is safe to use.

If the clear plastic is large enough, you can do the solarizing the soil in the Fall, Winter or Spring.
If it does not snow.
IMO if one does not want to hear round-up, then they should say organic solution only.
Many people are just telling what worked for them or their friends. Round up is better than gasoline which will kill most anything on contact.
All anyone has to do is a search on organic weed/grass killing on this site & get tons of answers.

Here is a link that might be useful: grass killer

I miss that one, I think, it has been three years. Organic Garden people are the nice people, until someone says ROUND UP. Then some OGP are rude,mean & it is okay because some one cross the line.

I spoke with MSU and they explained that this plant is an annual meaning if you remove or kill the green plant, thats the end of that one, but its the seeds that made it into the soil that is sending out new sprouts. My barnyard has been full of these for about 15 years now. Frustrated for sure. Had a handle on it for a little while but I got lazy. Going to try PREEN to see if we can affect the seeds.

Annual, then mow it once a week for six months, it may take more than one summer.