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Willow acacia roots from neighbor everywhere in my lawn.

3K views 5 replies 2 participants last post by  aaarneson 
#1 ·
Not sure if this is the best place for this question...

How can I get rid of all these suckers growing in my lawn? Been fighting these for months and have seemed to try everything...Even had a landscaper come and dig along a part of my fence to...that didn't seem to work either....I don't think he dug along all of the fence that needed it.

Is there a spray I can use that will kill the suckers and not my lawn?

Any other help?

Thanks
 
#2 ·
Anything you spray that will kill the suckers will likely also kill the tree itself. And it will certainly kill your lawn. I removed a Crepe Myrtle from my yard years ago. I "painted" individual Myrtle suckers in my lawn for years with fence-row killer to get rid of them. But I want the original tree and all the roots dead. I don't think that's a viable option for you. If you kill your neighbor's tree, that would be bad.

How big is the tree trunk in girth? How long of a section of fence are we talking about? I'm just wondering if a root barrier might be feasible. I installed a 6 foot radius of the 24" DeepRoot plastic barriers around the Japanese Cherry and Dogwood trees I planted in my front yard...

https://www.deeproot.com/products/root-barrier.html

So maybe you can install a linear 3-foot deep barrier along you fence line. It seems a little extreme to me though. How visible are these suckers? I'd love to see a photo.

My reason to install root barriers was to prevent damage to my pavers. But now that you mention it, this barrier will also prevent root suckers from appearing in my lawn. The Cherry tree is very prone to suckers and watersprouts.
 
#3 ·
Sorry, I was not totally clear. The neighbor already cut the tree down...now the roots are sending out the suckers. I have about 30+ suckers in my small lawn...I have not even been watering my lawn for the last couple of months, but we did get some rain a while ago. The roots are only about 6" deep.
 
#4 ·
Oh! Kill dat suckah! Let the shoots grow up a few inches so ther are some leaves. Then paint the leaves by hand with "Crossbow" herbcide mixed 50/50 with some diesel or kerosene. I mix up about 1/4 of a red solo cup (just a few ounces). I then wear two 9-mil nitril gloves on my right hand and one glove on my left hand. I dip my right index and ring fingers in the mix, then wipe the excess off against my thumb while over the cup. My thumb and fingers are now "loaded" with herbicide. Then I very carefully paint each shoot with those wet fingers. It's a light pinch and swipe that take just an instant. I've been lucky enough to not spill herbicide any on my bermuda and I've had no grass kill so far. The Crossbow kills the entire root and you get no more shoots. Other roots will also send up shoots, so you'll have to repeat this process several times each year for several years. But eventually, they'll go away.

Good luck!
 
#5 ·
@aaarneson I had another thought. If the stump still exists in your neighbor's yard and you are on good terms, ask if you can kill the stump. Attack from both ends, so to speak. Bore some 1" diameter holes in the stump about 10" deep with a brace and bit. Then pour stump killer and/or Crossbow into the holes and let it soak into the entire root system. There may be specific products out there for this, so do a web search for "stump killers".
 
#6 ·
I think that the stump is gone...at least I can't see it. They removed it to put in a pool. They are trenching now...I can see some of the roots that are coming through to our yard and there are some big ones. Thanks for the advice...I was talking to a landscaper and he too said that this could take a few years....
 
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