How to Kill Pachysandra

There are different varieties of pachysandra (Pachysandra, USDA plant hardiness zones 5 to 9), and some can be invasive and may be referred to as a weed. You can use natural or chemical weed killer for pachysandra, and either may work. Before choosing which one to use, it makes sense to understand what kinds of natural methods can work as well as the chemical composition of herbicides. It's also advised to start with barrier methods or all-natural ways to kill the plant.

Pachysandra is a popular evergreen ground cover. It spreads through underground stems, or rhizomes, and can spread out aggressively, creating a seemingly endless mat of leaves and stems. By doing this, pachysandra can crowd out more desirable plants and grasses.

Some people are able to eliminate their pachysandra by digging it up, but this can be a huge undertaking if there is a lot to remove. It is important to completely take out the root system; otherwise, the plant will almost definitely grow back.

You can also try covering it with black plastic. This prevents the sun from coming in. There are some DIY weed killers that may or may not work on pachysandra, but they're worth a try if barrier methods or removal fail. Combine 1 gallon of white vinegar, 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap and 1 cup of salt in a spray bottle and spray the plants during the sunniest time of the day.

As a last resort, you can use a commercial weed killer. The chemical composition of herbicides kills plants by altering or disrupting their metabolic processes.

Pachysandra can be killed by ones that contain glyphosate, sethoxydim, glufosinate-ammonium, triclopyr, dicamba and fluazifop-butyl. Always read the labels thoroughly and use these products with care.

With all that being said, many people like having pachysandra ground cover and do their best to take care of it. Like other types of plants, pachysandra is susceptible to getting infiltrated by weeds itself, and when they start poking out, it can ruin the appearance. How can you kill these weeds without sacrificing the ground cover?

The safest way to remove weeds from pachysandra is to pull them out by hand along with the roots. Once they are out, you can fill in the holes with some mulch to prevent them from growing back.

Roundup will kill weeds without harming pachysandra, but only use it on a small area first to test it. You should place it directly on the weeds. Once the ground cover is well-established and dense, weeds should not be a problem, and you should not need any weed killer for pachysandra.

There are five varieties of pachysandra that grow in the United States. All are herbaceous perennials and grow from 6 inches to 1 foot high. Japanese spurge (Pachysandra terminalis 'Variegata') is shrubby, with white-edged leaves and small white flowers. It is thought that this variety is less aggressive than the others when it comes to being invasive. Allegheny spurge (Pachysandra procumbens) is drought tolerant, with lighter and more rounded leaves.

Japanese pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis) is similar to Japanese spurge, with brighter leaves and no white edges. Green Carpet (Pachysandra terminalis 'Green Carpet') has teeny white flowers that appear in the spring. Green Sheen (Pachysandra terminalis 'Green Sheen') also has white flowers and oval leaves at its stem ends.