|
| We bought our house about 3 years ago and the previously there was a black locust tree about 8 ft from the house. The previous owner cut the tree down before we moved in but the tree tried to send up shoots every year from the stump.
Is it a bad idea to have a black locust tree that close to the house? I don't think the top of the tree will hurt the house but I worry that the roots will damage the foundation. Any thoughts on this? |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by dan_staley 5b/SS 2b AHS 6-7 (My Page) on Wed, Sep 21, 11 at 17:41
| Cut it out and kill it. There are worse trees to have that close to the house, but not many. Dan |
|
| Dan, I already tried cutting it down to the ground several times. It doesn't seem to kill it. Any thoughts on how to achieve this? I would prefer to not having to use chemicals. |
|
| When you cut it down, immediately paint a weedkiller containing the active ingredient triclopyr. That material is moved into the roots and, over time will kill them so now more sprouts. But you need to repeat the cut and paint every time you see new growth. Best time to do it is fall, when the sugars are moving into the roots. If you don't want to use weedkiller, then simply dig to the base of each new sprout, then yank it off the larger root it arises from. This method does work but requires a longer period of time than if you used the weedkillers as described above. Whatever method you use, the goal is to starve the roots. In any event, it may require several years. It's your new hobby. |
|
- Posted by dan_staley 5b/SS 2b AHS 6-7 (My Page) on Wed, Sep 21, 11 at 19:19
| It's your new hobby. Agreed. I don't know how well copper nails would work on that one. Dan |
|
| I know you said you preferred not to use chemicals, but, IMO, that's the sensible way to address the problem. A very small amount of a relatively safe chemical (at least safe on a per use basis and for this application-trying to avoid the philosophical hypotheticals) can do the job very well and save you possibly years of continuous effort. Either triclopyr (Brush-B-Gon, Garlon, etc) or glyphosate (RoundUp, Gly-4, etc) can do the job well. Use them in their concentrated form and apply them to the freshly cut phloem. It's also important to treat all the suckers (not just a few or a few now and a few some other day). |
|
| I will give the triclopry or glyphosate a try then when I get a chance. Thanks guys! |
|
| Black Locust makes great firewood if that's any consolation ;-) Another good time to cut these down if you wish to minimize the post removal root sprouting (sorry..no way to *completely* eliminate the root sprouting) is to whack it down to the ground in late spring as soon as it sets flowers. At this time of year it has exhausted the most of the energy that was stored in the roots from the previous season in order to make the current year's leaves and flowers. Treat the stump with herbicide as others have described no matter when you take it down. - Brad |
|
| When using systemic herbicides, I find fall (before dormancy) works best. I get absolutely zero sprouts on most anything I treat at that time of year. The chemical is pulled down into the root system, as the sap is moved down, and works extremely effectively. If I wasn't going to use herbicide, I'd definitely prefer doing the removal in spring just after the tree leafs out, for the reasons Brad described. |
|
- Posted by stevelau1911 6a (My Page) on Wed, Apr 25, 12 at 2:20
| I just cut down a 2ft diameter black locust which was sending shoots all throughout my flower beds, and into my neighbors garden. I'm going to guess that these shoots will persist for a few years, but my idea is to drill some holes in the cambium of the tree stump, and inject some stump killer into it. There are thousands of roots within about a 40ft radius so it's almost impossible to dig them all out, but I would guess that after so many years of continual mowing and shoot removal, the roots should run out of energy. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Trees Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.