Tropical soda apple

If you live in central Florida you know what this spiny weed with the little watermelon colored fruits are. They came from south america. If one neighbor lets them flourish they spread like wildfire. Digging them out by the roots would be a full time job on ten acres. What can be done to control them.? There is a bug that eats the leaves and a bug that lives in and consumes the fruit but I do not know where to get them. I hate herbicides but that may be the only way. Any suggestions?

Would goats eat em?

They may eat the fruit, trouble is that's another way they spread, in the manure. These things have thorns all over that will go right through a leather glove, I rate them on the same level as fire ants, a gift from Hades!! Also goats require fencing we don't have. I'd hate to see the goats migrate to the strawberry/blueberry fields in back of us. Thanks for the idea though!

You can graft eggplant and tomatoes onto them! They are a nightshade and supposedly a graft will set. Why do that? You'd have an indestructible, nematode proof, big rooted rootstock. Believe it or not, I've been on the lookout for TSA seeds or plants to give grafting a go. The nematodes are so bad in my soil I can barely grow anything unless it is nematode resistant.

with the hog farm and rabbits and eggs we are pretty busy for that , I really just want to kill them. If you stop by I will give all the plants you can dig and the seed fruits too. They seem to be very hardy. If you cut them off they come right back! Thanks for the idea, it's quite interesting and food for thought!