Climbing asparagus: October's pest plant of the month!
- angelawadsworth
- Oct 1
- 2 min read
Originally from South America, Asparagus scandens is a serious pest plant in Aotearoa. It may look delicate, but it is seriously damaging!
It climbs through, up, and over native plants, slowly smothering them.
Growing quickly, it can rapidly take over an area and form dense infestations
It does not support our native wildlife
It forms dense mats covering the ground, stopping new native plants from establishing.
If you are trying to remove the plants, tiny nodules in the roots often break off and stay in the ground, where they grow into a new plant.
What does it look like?
Thin, fern-like leaves
Thin, wiry stems that wrap around and strangle other plants
Grows across the ground and up and over other plants
Green or orange-red berries
Small whitish flowers.
What can I do to get rid of it?
Important: Appropriate disposal of the roots and rhizomes is crucial. The stems and foliage can be left to rot down. Berries should also be collected and disposed of if present.
Dig up roots and rhizomes
Dispose of roots/rhizomes in a container of water with a lid or in a heavy-duty weed bag to rot down over several months. Alternatively, dry them out, or burn them
Cut down stems and foliage and leave on site to mulch down.
Careful spot spraying can be used to treat seedlings and regrowth - talk to us about borrowing spray equipment.*
For larger infestations:
Cut away all stems and foliage in one go close to the ground, then return and treat any regrowth after a few weeks, or dig up all remaining clusters as they appear.
Talk to your friends, family and neighbours about how bad climbing asparagus is and encourage them to take action too!
See more pest plant information on our website.
*Always read the label before using any herbicides.
If you have a significant area of climbing asparagus threatening an area of bush or a reserve, please get in touch!
How you can help:
Recognise - Learn what it looks like
Report - If you see climbing asparagus, report it to us. We now have a new Weed App for reporting locations of key weeds - get in touch to find out more.
Remove - Find out how to control the vine and get supplies from our Tool Shed.
Restore - Plant natives in its place, to stop it coming back, and to support our native wildlife.
Links:
Climbing asparagus- Pests in Auckland (Auckland Council)
See page 16 of the Plant me instead booklet
Check out the Weedbusters: Climbing asparagus page for lots more photos.
What can I plant instead?
Contact us:
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