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How to get rid of an asparagus bed?

2K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  NRA_guy 
#1 ·
I planted a 24-ft. long bed of asparagus about 15 years ago, and it was great for about 10 years, but for the past 2 or 3 years all we are getting is skinny little female asparagus sprouts.

I am going to replace the asparagus with some other vegetable, but I found that pulling the plants up is like pulling up a small oak tree. No can do.

Obviously, I can snip the plants off at ground level, but I need to eliminate them---roots and all.

I don't really want to spray them with 2-4-D or other plant killer.

I can dig them up with a shovel, I suppose, but that's a lots of work. I suspect that the roots go pretty deep.

Has anybody run into this?
 
#4 ·
Thanks GTX63 and Danaus29.

I know that when I planted the asparagus crowns, I had to dig a trench and put the crowns in the bottom; so I figure the roots are pretty deep and have spread like nutgrass.

By the way, I see now that there are "all male" asparagus crowns available. If anybody plans to start an asparagus bed, I highly recommend going with an all male variety.

Female asparagus plants produce seeds that produce even more female plants. Every year you get more and more female plants. And pretty soon all you get is spindly little asparagus shoots about the diameter of a pencil.

The alternative is to remove (cut back) the female plants before they bear seeds, but it's hard to tell the male plants from the female plants when they get chest high. And . . . you cut most of the male plants to eat them when they were about 8 inches tall; so there are not many left.
 
#6 ·
Thanks. I cut them down to the ground level with a hedge trimmer.

Next I plan to do just that: till it up.

I have a powerful enough tiller that should have no trouble with the roots.
 
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