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Ozarks Gardening
melani_mo

killing nandina

22 years ago

We have two nandina that were planted against our house by the builder 7 years ago. They looked very nice for the first 5 years, but they've now started spreading e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e ! At first, these little 'shoots' would pop up near the base of the plant, but now they appear in the lawn and in shrubs that are two feet away. So, I want to dig them up and destroy them this fall. Will digging up the main plants and roots be enough to get rid of these? I'm afraid I won't be able to dig up all the shoots since some are coming up through our other established shrubs. I've pulled out some of them and they seem to link all the way back to the 'mama' plant. Does anyone know if the shoots will develop their own root structure and just keep on growing after the main plants are removed?

Any suggestions on how to eliminate this plant?

thanks,

Mel

Featured Answer
  • 22 years ago

    Just a thought...when the berries turn bright red, cut them & store in a box to use with Christmas greenery, wreaths, etc. They last for several years without dropping off the stems.
    Suzi

    Comments (8)

    • 22 years ago

      Put a "Have for Postage" post on the Plant Exchange forum, and folks will be clamoring for them. LOL.

    • 22 years ago

      I don't know if this will work or not but probably will. I read that if you keep the canes cut back on bamboo they will die from lack of nutrients. It should work for just about anything if you can leave the roots in the ground just mow them over.

      Nancy

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    • 22 years ago

      Nandina is not bamboo.It is a shrub with the nickname of heavenly bamboo.I would have some if I was close!Posy Pet

    • 22 years ago

      Don't you think it is the red seeds that are sprouting everywhere? In my yard, the plant is not invasive. I think if you cut off the seeds, the plant would not spread.

    • 22 years ago

      I've gotten a couple suckers on mine where they come up a foot or so from the plant. They don't seem to be very deep though so maybe putting edging around the parent plant would keep it from suckering. I may have to do that to mine.

    • 22 years ago

      Thanks for the replies. While I may have some sprouting from seed (as helenh suggested), the sprouts I am trying to pull up do lead all the way back to the main plant's root.
      I have searched the variety on the internet and found the following.. "spreads 3 to 5 feet". This is part of my problem, as I am trying to confine the 'trunk' to a 12-18" space. It has now spread to where it is coming up through my other foundation plants (juniper, holly, etc) which are up to 3 feet away.
      I also cannot mow it as it is set in a foundation planter with landscaper's plastic which is covered by black rock around it. It has even grown through tiny holes in the plastic ... not to mention the lawn just beyond.
      Looks like I will try and dig the plants up soon. and hopefully they will not return.
      I'll post my results later .. thanks again
      MeLani

    • 22 years ago

      Melani that is the 'normal' growth pattern of nandina with multiple spreading stems. What we do is to keep the outer part of the clump cut back to the ground. The plant will continue growing but it will retard the spreading. We remove the berry clusters in late winter before spring growth so we will not destroy the flowers. However robins feed on the berries in late winter. We have been here 18 years and one of our nandinas was a full grown plant when we came here. One winter it was frozen back severely, we cut it all the way back and it regrew. We've also removed a few seedlings to other areas. EP

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