I have been manually trying to dig this plant up in my yard and it keeps coming back. Does it respond to salt/vinegar treatment or burning? It seems to put out a lot of bulbs and tubers and is in several parts of my yard. I don't like using chemicals in my yard, so that isn't an option.
Although digging may be effective for small infestations, it could also spread the bulblets and infestation, if great care is not taken. If the tuber/bulb is not removed from the soil while digging, the plants will resprout. Do not move soil from infested sites to new areas or to backyard compost piles. Sifting the soil can help find all the little bits. All parts must be bagged and disposed of, not placed in the compost bin. Also cut the berries off in August before it seeds.
Control methods for Italian Arum
Some suggest success by pouring boiling water on the plant’s roots. If using vinegar, 20% vinegar solution is best. This type of vinegar, sometimes called horticultural vinegar, can be found at garden centers, farm stores, or online. Wear gloves and protective clothing to protect skin from possible irritation. Follow–up work will be required to control any plants that develop from missed plant parts.
Flame weeding entails passing a flame over a weed briefly to heat the plant tissues just enough to kill them. The goal is not to burn up the weed, but to destroy plant tissue so that the weed dies. Flame weeding kills the above-ground portion of the weed, but it doesn’t kill the roots. Read more in this noxious weed control fact sheet on Italian Arum.
