Getting Rid of Star of Bethlehem

Written by Lee Wyatt (last updated June 1, 2022)

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Star of Bethlehem is a beautiful white flowering plant that can either be looked at as a gorgeous addition to your garden, or a pervasive and nasty threat that you need to get rid of. The trick is that either way you look at the plant, it is exceptionally aggressive. While getting rid of Star of Bethlehem can be a little difficult, it is something that you should know how to do if you have any in your garden.

  • Use some herbicide. One method that you can use for getting rid of Star of Bethlehem is to use a bit of herbicide. While this method can work, you will need to use a bit of caution when you do it. The reason for the caution is that the herbicide can very easily damage your lawn or even other plants that you may have planted near the problematic plant. This method will probably require multiple applications of the herbicide to be truly effective.
  • Dig the plants up. An extremely effective method for getting rid of the troublesome Star of Bethlehem is to dig them up. This method is usually only really effective when you are getting rid of a small infestation, or you can end up digging up large portions of your lawn or garden. Since this type of plant is a bulb, you will want to dig up each individual bulb, and dispose of it in your trashcan. Be sure that you check around each bulb to ensure that you don't leave anything behind.
  • Replace the entire lawn. Perhaps one of the most drastic, and arguably most expensive, methods for getting rid of Star of Bethlehem is to simply remove your lawn and have it replaced. This can be a lot of hard work, and will require a bit of care on your part or you can easily end up with a dirt pit. If you do end up deciding going with this route make sure that you know how to replace the lawn that you have removed.
  • Hire a professional. While it can be expensive to hire a professional, you can simply kick back and enjoy yourself while someone else does the work. Besides saving you some blisters, one thing that may help you decide to go this route is that many (if not all) gardeners and landscapers guarantee their work, and they will usually know how to deal with this type of a problem.

When you have finished all the steps for getting rid of Star of Bethlehem, there is still one step that you cannot forget. This step is the same one that you will take with any excessively aggressive plant, keep an eye out. Just because you think you have removed the plant doesn't mean that you have, so keep an eye out for any signs of resurgence, and remove it and the dirt around it for at least one foot around and six inches deep. As always, dispose of the soil and plants properly so that there is no further contamination.

Author Bio

Lee Wyatt

Contributor of numerous Tips.Net articles, Lee Wyatt is quickly becoming a regular "Jack of all trades." He is currently an independent contractor specializing in writing and editing. Contact him today for all of your writing and editing needs! Click here to contact. ...

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What is five more than 3?

2018-04-18 04:37:05

Marilyn

Oh, that getting rid of Star of Bethlehem were as easy as digging up a plant. I dug a hole about 2-3 feet deep and 2-3 feet around, and was still cutting through bulbs. some of them 2-3 feet deep had small white shoots silently working their way to the surface, to see the light who-knows-how -many-years-later. Ortho Nutsedge spray worked best for me and it seemed as if the problem was almost solved--after 2 years of spraying. But now they have come back again with a vengeance. Probably from the bulbs that were several inches below the surface. I would not wish this week on ANYONE!


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