Kikuyu grass: an insidious invader

Pronounciation of Kikuyu "kih-KOO-yoo" (kɪˈkuːjuː)

Helena knows about this stuff ...

Helena: You gotta dig it out.

Sam: I can’t do that. My back.

Helena: Then another option is to get a digger in.

Sam: Expensive. Can’t we just spray the noxious nuisance? Glyphosate, or something, I heard works.

Helena: Yeah. Like Roundup. Spills over into the ecosystem. Consider the birds. Formulate a coexistence with the enemy plan. How about this: Layers of black polytheme plastic. Build a planter around the perimeter. Fill the planter with compost and potting soil, blood and bone. Make it fertile. 

Sam: Doesn’t the kikuyu find its way through the plastic? 

Helena: It might break through. Here’s how to deter it. Multiple layers of polythene. Check for breaks or tears. Trench around the planter and drive a net fence 30 centimeters down. Check around the planter for kikuyu rhizomes exploring a way in.

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Voice-over

Prepare a stockade, protect the vulnerable, and promote vigilance.

The Lime Tree and the Lemon Tree

A tale of two citrus…

Sam: Planted both about four years ago. The Tahitian lime roared up and the Meyer lemon just remained a dwarf. Despite a healthy crop of fruit this year.
Helena: Tahitians are vigorous. And Meyers are semi dwarf and often grafted onto dwarf rootstock. That could explain it.
Sam: There’s also kikuyu. 
Helena: Oh yes. Kikuyu is a notorious invader around here. I see it in your lawn.
Sam: I wondered about that. Competing for resources like water, oxygen, nirogen in the topsoil?
Helena: Oh yes. Less so for a vigorous chap like the Tahitian, his roots go deep. But the kikuyu also can release allelopathic compounds inhibiting growth of the shallower rooting Meyer.
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Voice-over
So there’s some reasons for the height differences between the lime and the lemon. Genetics, rootstock, and an invasive species. Celebrity gardener Helena may have some thoughts on controlling invasions later.