Managing Tradescantia (wandering Jew And Its Relatives)

[sandgrubber]

I've concluded that the reason my dogs are so itchy is because Tradescantia virginiana, aka Virginia spiderwort, a close relative of Wandering dew/Jew is all over my property; it's having a bumper year, and is now in full bloom. There's no hope of getting rid of it all this year. I think I'll be able to greatly reduce numbers in coming years by mowing close and weed eating around the margins. (Unfortunately, it seems to be naturally RoundUp ready, and poisoning won't help).

Question: What to do this year? Are the dogs still going to react to cut flower stalks and leaves? Will the allergy-provoking compounds go away as the stalks wither, rot, and dry? (It's starting to get hot here . . . .daytime temps hitting 32 or 33 . . . we can expect periodic rain). Is the problem likely to subside as the flowering plants die back, as they do each year. I've got Calendula on order (and some seeds in the ground) and will try bathing the dogs in tea solutions. Is it worth dosing them with Benedryl or some such?

[JulesP]

I did find the wandering jew caused more issues when it was flowering. You can try putting dishwashing liquid in the RoundUp, that is supposed to help it stick on the leaves better. I found using a rake the best method for removal.

Washing the effected parts of the dog worked best for me. Anti histamines didn't seem to do a lot. I used a horse/dog itch wash.

[sheena]

I kill or very greatly reduce my wandering jew using roundup. Sometimes if it is very thick I will rake it up first with a steel rake, then spray. You will have to wait for it to show again & repeat spraying & after that just need to walk around & spot spray. I put a dye in my sprayer so I can easily tell where I have been. You need to spray it when it is in a good growth period. If it is struggling, then the roundup wont work as well. I just walk around the garden occasionally now & spot spray it & other weeds. I lock the dogs up till it drys. I have never heard of mowing down low to get rid of it...I would be more inclined to think that this would promote growth as it spreads from underground runners.

Edited April 27, 2014 by sheena

[Pepper21]

Wandering Jew is a massive issue in my area. Or it was... until some resident brush turkeys cleared the bushland behind my house. There is literally none of it anymore. Quite incredible. Prior to that though, the council advised us to pull all the weed up by hand, lay some black tarp over the ground and cover it in sugar mulch. This is supposed to heat up the ground and kill any plants underneath. This was not even remotely feasible for my area, but it could be of use elsewhere.

[sandgrubber]

I kill or very greatly reduce my wandering jew using roundup. Sometimes if it is very thick I will rake it up first with a steel rake, then spray. You will have to wait for it to show again & repeat spraying & after that just need to walk around & spot spray. I put a dye in my sprayer so I can easily tell where I have been. You need to spray it when it is in a good growth period. If it is struggling, then the roundup wont work as well. I just walk around the garden occasionally now & spot spray it & other weeds. I lock the dogs up till it drys. I have never heard of mowing down low to get rid of it...I would be more inclined to think that this would promote growth as it spreads from underground runners.

Thanks everybody!

T. virginiana has an erect flower stalk that may get as tall as 400 mm. It doesn't like mowing, but seems to have developed resistance to roundup. I am sure it would do well in Eastern Australia. Pretty blue flower, looks lovely growing in the field and along roadsides. If you see anyone growing Virginia spiderwort, ask them not to.

I spray my fencelines and virginiana is practically the only thing growing on the fence. The other species we have just goes to ground when you mow. Guess I'll have to get out the spray bottle. Hard when your dog yard is a couple acres.