How to Get Rid of Soda Apple Plants

Control in Small, Isolated Areas

• 1

  Identify tropical soda apple in the yard or garden. The plant closely resembles the less troublesome horsenettle, which has lavender flowers and yellow fruit, while tropical soda apple has white flowers and green fruit. Tropical soda apple has multiple branches with short hairs and straight, off-white prickles over most of the plant.

• 2

  Hand pick any fruit present on the tropical soda apple plant and dispose of it so the seeds cannot germinate. Bury the fruit in a deep hole or, if allowed in your area, burn it.

• 3

  Mow the plants down to about 3 inches tall. Try to time the mowing so that the plant, even if it has flowers, has not yet begun to set fruit.

• 4

  Spray the stubble thoroughly with herbicide to kill the plant down to the roots. Be careful not to get the herbicide on nearby plants you wish to keep. Systemic herbicides such as Roundup may be effective. Mix other herbicides such as Milestone, Forefront and Remedy with a surfactant before spraying. Surfactants are oils or soaps that help the herbicide cling to the plant long enough to kill it.

• 5

  Wet the leaves and stems of small patches or scattered, individual tropical soda apple plants with herbicides if mowing them is impractical.

• 6

  Monitor the area every month or two for signs of new growth. Mow and re-treat any new growth you find. Continue monitoring the area for at least one year.

Control in Large Areas

• 7

  Apply 5 to 7 ounces per acre of Milestone herbicide, or 2 to 2.6 pints per acre of Forefront before fruit forms on the tropical soda apple stand. Mix the herbicide with a surfactant for better adherence and add dye, if needed, to mark the treated plants so you don't miss any. Dyes are generally available at large garden centers and farm supply stores.

• 8

  Mow the stand if fruit is already present, since hand-picking in dense stands is impractical. Wait one month for the seeds released by the fruit to germinate into small plants.

• 9

  Treat the stand, including the seedling plants, with herbicides as before. Monitor the area closely for new growth. Spot-treat new growth with Milestone at the rate of 10ml per 2.5 gallons, or use Remedy or Forefront at the rate of 50ml per 2.5 gallon. Mix with a surfactant before applying, and add dye if needed.