Killing large roots

9 years ago

I bought this house in 2007 fall. The previous owners planted these large shrubs around the house. These pictures are about 5 years old. Front and back. Every year we would trim them and every year they would grow twice as high and twice as big. They became a nuisance. Way too big for near the house.
So I started whacking them off at the bottom, some stalks were 1" in diameter, well the also grew like bamboo, there were roots all under the ground and some as big as my arm, new bushes started popping up everywhere. I tried digging them out. I had to use a large hatchet, but couldn't get them all, then I used a rotor tiller and got a lot of the roots but on the side they were too thick the ground was saturated with the roots and I cant get through them. I do not know what they are. They took up the whole side and front of the house. I would like to kill them by any means necessary so someday I can plant small flowers or roses where they were.
Is there anything that will kill he roots, I will try anything, after they die I can rotor tiller the dead roots out. If not I will have to rent a bobcat and dig everything up. I think some might be boxwood's. Some have red leaves.
Anything? that will help would be appreciated.
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This post was edited by larrylwill on Sat, Nov 22, 14 at 16:26

Comments (2)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
get full strength round up.. or generic... none of that pre diluted stuff ...

put it in a container like at the link ...

cut to stumps .. about a foot or two ... leaving NO LEAVES .... and apply a line of RU around the edge of the cut ... it will get sucked into the cambian layer.. the vascular system of the plant.. and EVENTUALLY kill the plant ... 90% of the time...

if anything sprouts up.. use hand shears and snip it off.. and put a drip of RU on it ...

i like to say.. pruning never killed anything.. and you are a prime example .... it takes a bit more than hope and prayer.. with most stuff ...

i said leave a foot or two ... so once its dead ... you can start digging it all out ... and often.. the leverage of the 2 feet.. allows you to move the stump around.. to find out where the next large roots is ...

a sawzall with a tree blade.. works wonders ... though it is tricky to use in soil ...

it once took me 3 years... to kill a very large underground poison ivy vine ... if you start in spring.. these should be dead by fall ... the point being.. just stay after them ...

or.. just hire some guy with a chain and an old pickup ..... and tug them out.. and use the RU system for anything that pops back up ...

but with them being so old.. it might help.. to know where the utilities are ... both for digging and yanking ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link
larrylwill
Original Author
9 years ago
I bought some stuff tonight with 40% of the main ingredient in round up, $18 concentrated for 21 gals if I dilute it. The round up was $75 to make 42 gals RU had 50%. Most other stuff was 18%
I have pulled out every one I could with the motor home, but I have several clumps that have no root ball just a mass of roots connecting them to gather, just stalks about 4
ft high, now 1 ft high, then there are some coming back as small individual plants. I think I found all the root balls and dug them out this morning, but the clumps I cant.

Earlier this spring I cut down a holly tree planted 1 ft from the house and 20ft tall, I also cut some juniper with 10-12" trunks planted 2ft from the house and taking up 10 ft linear. I also have a Japanese red maple about 8" in dia and 20ft high planted 4ft off the house right next to the sidewalk and limbs hanging over the roof. I cant bear to cut it so I just keep it trimmed. Some people have no idea how or what to plant next to the house.
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