Invasive weeds

[LWolf]

I haven't gardened since I moved. I've got 6 acres of rocks and weeds, and I'm so busy trying to deal with them that I just never get around to trying to deliberately plant something.

Except for a few fruit trees, which are thriving. But...

My place has a problem. One of the weeds I'm dealing with is this:



It's perennial pepperweed, a noxious invader. It's difficult because it propagates by spreading roots underground, like bermuda grass. I can pull them; all of the root never comes up. The roots just travel too far. If I pull them, and then make sure that area doesn't get ANY water, they won't grow much that season. Instead, they'll migrate to where the water is, and take over there.

I can't not water the entire place. There are trees. There are lilacs, roses, and other shrubs that were already here. There are my fruit trees.

One of the main reasons I don't have a garden any more is that I'm spending all my spare time trying to keep the perennial pepperweed from taking over.

Any suggestions? How can I eradicate this weed without killing everything on the place?

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

1. Gardens Alive.com has a product called Iron X.

it is an eco friendly weedkiller. Ortho also sells it at retail home improvement centers and garden centers - forget the exact name. The GA version is a concentrate that has to be mixed in a sprayer. I had success with it on Cats Ear, a dandelion cousin, that also propagates via underground roots. Once the spray killed the foliage, I dug up the roots.

http://www.gardensalive.com/product.asp?pn=3721&ss=iron-X

[LWolf]

2. I'll check it out, thanks!