amitymamaThe Attachment Parenting Community

BlueRoseMama · 03-20-2006, 02:26 PM

I found out last year that I have Nightshade in my yard. The stuff is deadly, and I ripped it all out, but now it is coming back. I have thought seriously of using a toppical herbacide like Round Up to get it out of there because my only other option is taking out ALL of the sod out of my garden area. That is a BIG job. And I am not sure if it will even work. What do you think? Will removing the sod remove the Nightshade?

Val

thea · 03-20-2006, 05:59 PM

I doubt removing the sod would get rid of it. You have to pull it out by the roots. Are you sure it is really the deadly variety? I don't live in the same part of the country as you, but I know that around here, it is pretty common for people to get all worked up about "deadly" nightshade, when what they actually have is bittersweet nightshade, which is somewhat toxic, but not deadly.

BlueRoseMama · 03-20-2006, 07:52 PM

Yep. I am sure. This Nightshade is a Narcotic (Belladonna is made from Nightshade) You would have to eat three or four berries to get the effect, but hell... I am not interested in risking it with kids running around here all the time. My dad said to round up the whole area and he is an organic gardener. lol! By the end I may but I feel like I should try removing the sod first. Perhaps I will hire the teens across the street to help me one weekend.

Val

Linda · 03-21-2006, 05:23 AM

Have you ever read about no till gardening or lasagna gardening? (you can google either term)You could layer newspaper and compost over the areas that have the nightshade(or the whole thing) and then sow seed over it all. That should kill the nightshade and give you your grass back.

I just pulled some out here...it was the deeadly variety...I had no idea what it was. I was suspicious of it...so I looked it up. Scared the crap outta me!

Good luck getting it out. We pulled ours by the roots, but now you have me rethinking it...ugh!

MotherMoon · 03-21-2006, 11:07 AM

Is it only toxic to eat? Personally, I would not be concerned. Mine, especially Samantha, put lots in their mouths but not weeds. Only onions and garlic. We have talked since they were tiny about poisonous plants. This is what we have to do. They are all over - pointsettas (highly toxic to people and animals), elephant ears, oleander, certain trees, etc. We have poison ivy and oak all over and these sticker vines that leave large welps where they stick you. We live on 15 acres, all wild except within 20 ft of the house where I have planted plenty of poisonous things (like elephant ears and daffodils). I can't have them eating anything. It is like with snakes. It is a matter of teaching. We have snakes. They stop, leave the area and tell an adult. With plants, if you are hungry, come inside and get an apple. They have been taught to live on our land since crawling age. They spend hours a day outside when we are home. They have to know.

BlueRoseMama · 03-21-2006, 12:13 PM

The difference with Deadly Nightshade is that the berries taste ok. (Think of it like antifreeze to cats) And sitting right beside Rasberries in my garden is NOT someplace I want it. You know? Big beautiful red berries in clusters. Looks way to tempting to my friends kids (my kids are well past this age and know all the plants they can and can't eat for years)

First and formost Nightshade is a type of narcotic. It helps you sleep and can be very wonderful in small doses as a nerve seditive. But I am talking small doses in pill form... you NEVER EVER want to eat the berries. Depending on the color they can have different concentrations of the seditive and if you accidentily get too much... they kill you. Like a drug overdose. They are not like a poison that makes to vomit first so you know something is wrong etc. Nope... you act a little strange, go to sleep, and don't wake up. I don't want it in my yard.

If I am getting new soil anyway... the lazanga gardening tip may be a good one. Hmm... I'll have to think on that. It would kill it for sure... but where to get the stuff?

crissy · 03-21-2006, 03:11 PM

try www.squarefootgardening.com for some of the framing, but I am sure you could build it yourself.

Linda · 03-21-2006, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueRoseMama

The difference with Deadly Nightshade is that the berries taste ok. (Think of it like antifreeze to cats) And sitting right beside Rasberries in my garden is NOT someplace I want it. You know? Big beautiful red berries in clusters. Looks way to tempting to my friends kids (my kids are well past this age and know all the plants they can and can't eat for years)

First and formost Nightshade is a type of narcotic. It helps you sleep and can be very wonderful in small doses as a nerve seditive. But I am talking small doses in pill form... you NEVER EVER want to eat the berries. Depending on the color they can have different concentrations of the seditive and if you accidentily get too much... they kill you. Like a drug overdose. They are not like a poison that makes to vomit first so you know something is wrong etc. Nope... you act a little strange, go to sleep, and don't wake up. I don't want it in my yard.

If I am getting new soil anyway... the lazanga gardening tip may be a good one. Hmm... I'll have to think on that. It would kill it for sure... but where to get the stuff?

yeah Val you are so right on the berries being tempting and tastin good and that they kill...kids can be impulsive...even if they know better.

you could get straw from mucked out stalls locally??? I was thinking how cool it would be to know someone who worked at a Starbucks...they could keep a bucket of coffee grounds for you...wouldn't that be cool!?

BlueRoseMama · 03-21-2006, 06:28 PM

Coffee shops around here keep that for people all the time. I should ask. That would be very cool.

Val

thea · 03-21-2006, 06:37 PM

Poison berries next to raspberries do sound like a recipe for disaster. A good thick sheet mulch (aka lasagna gardening) would probably do the trick. Where to get that much organic matter can be a challenge, though. I hope you find some!

xt · 03-22-2006, 12:37 AM

You can try spraying a combination of vinegar and lemon juice on the nightshade. (those are the ingredients in the Burnout organic herbicide). It'll probably kill a little patch around the plant, too, though. It works on the grass in my driveway.

Of course, I'll resort to Roundup for poison ivy that I can't control any other way (we're super allergic). So I'd probably do the same for deadly nightshade near the raspberries if nothing else worked.

Try a horse farm if you want to do the newspaper thing. I have done that in the past (didn't even know it was called lasagne gardening till a few weeks ago!), and the horse manure is great to add in. You might also find a lawn service that bags grass clippings that would be willing to share. My neighors think I'm weird when I've asked for the leaves they just raked, but they've never said "no".

MotherMoon · 03-22-2006, 10:54 AM

Yes, next to plants eaten regularly, I would get rid of it, especially with others' children around. I think the lasagna gardening is probably the best way to start. Dig the nightshade with a trowel first then do a nice lasagna on top. Watch through the summer for any that might pop through and pull it or spray with something non-toxic. In our summer sun of Alabama, anything mixed with cayenne pepper works well. The sun and pepper basically burn the plant to death. But, I am not sure how it would work other places.

tikva18 · 03-29-2006, 08:33 PM

I had nightshade in my last yard... we even tried round-up - dh applied it b/c I couldn't take the smell and he managed to kill the grass, but tha blasted nightshade did not all die. I managed it by pulling it out by the rooots and then throwing it in the garbage. If you leave even a leaf of it behind, it will take root and grow more - incredibly tenacious stuff. Be sure that you throw out every single piece that is not dead.