Plant Doctor Archive

Liverwort a nuisance

CAN you tell me the best way to kill off liverwort which is becoming a nuisance around palms, cycads and on the soil surface in many parts of my garden?

THERE are many products on the market that claim to control liverworts and some gardeners claim a solution of vinegar also does the job.

While most of these products do work quite well, their effectiveness can vary depending on the local conditions, how well you apply the product and how severe the liverwort problem is.

However, my friends at Totara Waters Subtropical Garden in Whenuapai have started using the coconut oil-based weedkiller Hitman and find it very effective at quickly getting rid of liverworts. Within a few hours of being sprayed, the liverwort changes colour and starts to die off.

As with most of these types of products, you need to be careful using it - they all work by breaking down the cell walls of whatever plant material they come in contact with, so make sure not to get the spray on desirable plants.

Reproduced with permission from the former Weekend Gardener magazine. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the RNZIH.