Question
I recently asked a question re: an unknown groundcover in south shore of L.I.. After you put me in contact with bluestone perennial I have found my enemy to be lineare golden teardrop Sedum. It is a real drag. Not sure how I got it.  Any suggestions on the removal. It is showing up everywhere even in the grass.  It is too low to be mowed down and it is surrounding my plants in the garden. I suppose hand removal will be my best way in the garden?  thank you for any time and consideration.

Answer
Nice work, Kristine.  Sedum lineare (aka 'Stonecrop') qualifies as a Dream Plant for some gardeners because it's so easy to grow.  It's drought tolerant, but it's also moisture tolerant.  It grows in Sand as well as heavy Clay.  Salty Soil?  No problem.  Shade, full Sun, no difference.

It's not, however, invasive.  And it DOES have an Achilles heel.  Sedum is a succulent, which means it CAN'T HANDLE FOOT TRAFFIC IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER!

Of course, Grass is not made of Stone, so there will be some modest collateral damage in this exercise.  But Grass, unlike Sedum, can recover.

Another way to DOOM your Sedum invader: Water it to death.

This is a bit of a balancing act because you do after all have a Lawn.  What your Lawn can do, however, that your Sedum can't, and is shrug off certain disease causing Fungi caused by constant moisture.  My favorite of those would be a specific kind of Crown Rot caused by a Fungus called Pellicularis rolfsii.  Its spores are probably sitting in your Soil, along with a few million other spores, waiting for you to get too generous with the watering can and provide the H2O they need to embark on a Sedum-hunting mission.

Incidentally, this is why Sedum grows BEST in nutrient-poor dry Soil.  You weaken Sedum, and eventually destroy it, if you over-water any area with rich Soil.  It's the 'rich' that holds all the Fungi.  Many plants that need superb drainage and prefer that their roots are be surrounded by particles of Sand are highly susceptible to Fungus; Sand simply does not have as many spores, or provide the conditions the spores need to trigger a full outbreak of Fungus.

If you're worried that you might set off an outbreak of other Fungus in your Grass, remember that you can deal with Grass Fungus easily: Stop overwatering.  Just wait to solve your Sedum problem first.  The Pellicularis species of Fungus in particular has NO taste for Grass.

Now, your Sedum has been flowering all Summer, no doubt, and there are all kinds of Sedum Seeds floating around your Grass.  They'll germinate next Spring and you'll think you're back to Square One.

Just be prepared -- psychologically -- for this.  Because if you walk on the baby Seda, before they are teenage Seda, you will ensure these juvenile delinquents will never see the light of day beyond the half inch they might achieve in their short Seda lives.

Sedum is also most comfortable in Alkaline Soil.  Much more than your Grass, believe it or not.  So don't put any Lime down to make it even MORE comfortable next Summer.  In fact, stop Liming until you get this Sedum thing out of your life and have moved on.

If you like the information I've given you this weekend, I would very much appreciate your checking the 'Y' under the 'Nominate for AllExpert of the Year?' when you rate me.  I would like to get on their list... again... in late '08.  Thanks for writing, and be sure to followup if you have any more questions.

THE LONG ISLAND GARDENER