Method to Kill Sanseveria (Mother-In-Law Tongue)

Very invasive. I have some in lower yard that keep coming back, too.
You have to dig up all the roots and there's still no guarantee you'll get them all but you can get a reprieve and scale them back.
Would you believe some people actully pay for them as an exotic? Good Luck.

Would you believe some people actully pay for them as an exotic?

That was the second of my two thoughts: (1) having a backhoe come in and scrape out the top 6" plus of dirt along with them; and (b) stick 'em on craigslist and sell them in pots as captive ornamentals which (c) may offset the cost of the backhoe! Look out for people in your area doing building as you can often nab a backhoe driver on his way home from a job and he'll be happy to pick up a few extra dollars - got a nice portion of one of my nasty spots cleaned out in half an hour a few years back doing exactly that.

On NPR last month (April 26, 2014), the weekly radio show "You Bet Your Garden" from WHYY in Philadelphia just happened to answer that question.

From http://whyy.org/cms/youbetyourgarden/does-your-lawn-have-mysterious-runways-and-chewed-up-plants-we-may-have-the-answer/

QUOTE
Runaway sansevieria

Sandra, from Island of Culebra, near Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands has a sansevieria problem. In colder parts of the US sansevieria is known as a reliable houseplant, but in tropical climates it thrives outdoors. Sandra calls Mike for advice on controlling two large plants that are taking over her courtyard. Mike suggests two options: Sandra can cut down the plant and trim back new growth regularly to starve the roots or solarize the soil [explained at http://www.gardensalive.com/article.asp?ai=565 ] and bake the roots. Mike says: “I would imagine where you are in the tropics that you could solarize a level piece of ground in two months. What you would do is literally mow the plants down … and then you would soak the soil and you would pull clear plastic over the top of it during the hottest part of the year.”
UNQUOTE

For more ideas, including digging and chemicals: https://www.google.com/search?q=sansevieria+control

I love that show and often listen on Saturday mornings but must have missed that one.

Great post STXBob...

i read that cat urine is good to help kill them. i have them too and dug all of them ( or so i thought ) roots and all up. they have since come back. i am not sure how you would collect the cat urine

i am not sure how you would collect the cat urine

I posed the question to my clowder and got a most strange look in response.

lol, i can only imagine thanks for the afternoon laugh

I had to look up the word "clowder" LOL!!!

As I have researched this extensively, I've found it more helpful to search for methods to kill agave as sanseveria is in the same extended family. In Australia where agave is considered a nuisance weed, they recommend a triclorpyr and picloram herbicide like Dow Access at a rate of 1L per 60L of diesel. The diesel is used as a means to keep the triclorpyr and picloram residue in contact with the leaves longer. Dow's Access product isn't available in the US but there are other brands of triclorpyr and picloram available. I'm going to try this as I don't have the patience to dig this ugly menace up only to have it grow back again.

It was always quite common practice (and likely still is) for locals to douse cut bush stubs with old motor oil to kill off the roots when doing any land clearing. Unfortunately that's just as environmentally toxic as is such as RoundUp and similar products.

Dow AgroScience has a product called Tordon that is applied to freshly cut Tan Tan stumps. It is the only really effective herbicide that I've found to eradicate TanTan and other similar super hardy trees and is really effective. I get it from Amazon and ship it to Paradise Freight.

Canuck,
How big of an area are you trying to get rid of? 2 guys with the right tools should be able to make a pretty good dent in it in 8 hrs. If some start coming back,....get them before they spread. My thought is that even if you killed it you would have all that debris rotting in your yard. Those are very fibrous and take a long time to rot!! I had a guy dig some out of my yard with success and I was impressed with the amount that got removed in one day... Have a dumpster at the site to maximize production.

Happy digging!!

cut the tops off and cover with black plastic. Seal the edges of the area with sand and let it cook. The plastic tarp can produce very high heat and will kill the roots. Let it sit for a month or so. This is a lot less toxic than Tordon and much less than motor oil.

that also sounds better than cat urine. would that also kill tan tan roots?

Dow Tordon is the only effective way to kill Tan Tan. You can get it RTU quarts on Amazon. You apply it to the stump and any other off shoots immediately after the cut and that plant is dead.

thank you

Dow Tordon is the only effective way to kill Tan Tan. You can get it RTU quarts on Amazon. You apply it to the stump and any other off shoots immediately after the cut and that plant is dead.

And like so many similar products, to heck with the environment. Even Dow documents its ecological unfriendliness. Oh well. "Working the land" is becoming archaic.

I have used Tordon for tan tan and it works. I've learned a few tricks along the way.

I bought it at Garden Spot but I think Gallows Bay carries it.

Tordon is expensive. About $35 qt.

Wear protective gloves.

To minimize waste, put some in a small bottle that has a dropper.

Only apply a drop or 2.

You don't have to cut at the ground. A foot or two stump is fine. It will still do the trick and you're not hunting for the cut in the grass or other plants.

Doesn't seem to affect surrounding plants.

"Working the land" is great, but Tan Tan are impossible to kill unless you can dig up the entire root, or shade it out with a bigger tree. They need lots of sun.

Mother in Law Tongue,....I would try the black plastic approach.