The Best Way To Kill Jasmine Ground Cover

Have you stepped into your garden recently and thought, "My jasmine is out of control?" Jasmine, particularly Asiatic jasmine (​Trachelospermum asiaticum​), is a commonly planted ground cover that is incredibly popular in home gardens. Climbing jasmine varieties, as this one can become with proper training, are especially fast-growing, lush, and beautifully fragrant. However, when not kept in check, these climbing jasmine varieties can quickly grow out of control, overwhelming your landscape.

Why is your jasmine out of control? A common lawn problem with which outdoor and indoor plant keepers alike often struggle is understanding and interpreting the behavioral patterns of their plants. Taking the time to really learn your plant's language and growth habits is a number one strategy for not having to do much plant-killing in the first place. When planting jasmine ground cover, there are tips to keep in mind.

When initially planting jasmine within your landscape design, intentionally designate which area you would like this lush ground cover to occupy. With your perimeter set, meticulously monitor the shape of your jasmine ground cover. Whenever tendrils of jasmine touch the ground, they quickly sprout new roots. Left to its own devices, jasmine ground cover can thus overwhelm the surface area within which it's given free rein. Using a string trimmer or a lawn mower, regularly cut jasmine back to 1 inch above the ground, keeping your crop trimmed tidily within its designated confines.

Even with the most meticulous lawn maintenance schedule, it's still common to see jasmine growth climb out of control. Jasmine vines root quickly, and this is what helps them span such vast surface areas so quickly. However, while they root quickly, they also root shallowly. So, when you find yourself needing to kill jasmine, your best bet is to begin by watering the area you're hoping to clear the day before you're planning to unroot the ground cover.

Once a day has passed, working one section at a time, use a shovel to loosen the roots of the jasmine. Then, very carefully, hold the plant and try to extract the roots from the soil, keeping them as intact as possible. If the roots break and stay behind within the soil, they will likely sprout more plants. Getting as many roots out of the soil in one piece as possible is your best bet when clearing climbing jasmine varieties by hand.

With the plants and roots extracted, place the unwanted jasmine in trash bags and dispose of it. Once you've completed your removal, let your soil rest a few weeks before replanting new seedlings.

As with any lawn removal project, if you've exhausted this by-hand approach and are still finding your lawn overrun by jasmine, it may be time to employ a weed killer. You'll want to turn to a broadleaf liquid herbicide for the job. If you're someone who tries to avoid using chemicals on your lawn at all costs, you can try pouring white vinegar onto the jasmine you're hoping to kill. However, white vinegar will not discriminate, and it will kill all plant life with which it comes in contact, so it use accordingly.

Overall, climbing jasmine varieties are abundant, incessant garden plants. Kept in check, they can be a reliant ground cover option. The trick to not having to kill jasmine or remove jasmine, though, is to know what you're getting yourself into ahead of time and to plan accordingly.