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How to get rid of these PERMANENTLY!

petes80petes80 Posts: 5
in Problem solving
Hi All

We had a tree removed in our garden a couple of years ago. The guy who did it even used a stump grinder to ensure it was fully gone. However ever since, these things keep growing in the exact space the tree was:



(sorry the image is sideways, the original image is the correct orientation but GW only wants to put it that way round for some reason!)

Over the last 2 years I have dug them up repeatedly, including as much of the roots as I can find. I have sprayed the shoots with roundup weed killer, which will kill that shoot but others will still grow. I also found what I think is the remains of the stump which I then put about 20 copper nails into.

This patch clearly has no grass on it as I keep ripping it up and spraying chemicals on it. But this is part of the lawn and I want it to just be grass!

What is it and how do I get rid of it for good?!



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Posts

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    edited August 2021
    What tree was it?   Looks to me like the tree is desperate to live on - assuming those shoots match its leaves in shape and colour.  A normal systemic weed killer should kill those shoots and also send the poison down to kill off the roots but you'll need several applications probably.

    However, if you can improve the soil with some compost and then level it ready for sowing grass seed in September you'll probably find that regular mowing cuts off those shoots so they can't feed the roots and it will eventually give up.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    I suspect they are suckers from the roots of the original tree.  Just removing the trunk doesn't necessarily kill the whole tree particularly if it is a keen "sucker".
    Do you know what the tree was ?  A Sumach ?
    See what others think anyway :)
  • KT53KT53 Posts: 9,016
    Sumach would be my guess too.  Absolutely terrible to get rid of as they regrow from virtually any piece of root, or so it seems.
  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    A listing that is no longer listing


    Rutland, England
  • petes80petes80 Posts: 5
    Thanks for getting the image the right way BenCotto! Much better!

    I'm not sure what tree it was. I was told that it is a weed that grows into a tree. There is one in our next door neighbours garden too so I shall take a pic of that and post it here.

    If it helps the leaves when it is a tree are green, oval shape and very dense. You can't see the branches behind the volume of leaves it produces.

    I did hope that 2 years of constantly destroying any shoot would be enough to make it give up, but it's still trying!

    At this rate I might need to dig the entire area of soil out, about 3ft down and then replace with new soil just to be sure it's all gone.

    Easier said than done in our garden though!
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Have a look at the Rhus [sumach] that others mentioned @petestubbings80tduSa_s4,  and see if it's a match.
    It can be a right PITA. Beautiful in the right spot, but notorious for suckering when pruned.
     
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • petes80petes80 Posts: 5
    Not a Sumach, however I think I've got it. I'm pretty certain it's a Bay Tree.
  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    edited August 2021
    Bay suckers tend to green up pretty quickly once they emerge.  Unless you have only just uncovered those suckers to take the pic, I'm not convinced. Difficult to really see the leaf shape from the photo tho.
    Whichever it happens to be, the habit is sucker, sucker, sucker I'm afraid :)
    Maybe @Silver surfer could ID ?
  • petes80petes80 Posts: 5
    Yes these are pretty new, I have been regularly ripping them up or spraying them with roundup so these are fairly fresh. My tactic this time round was to leave it a few weeks to allow all of the active roots to sprout through the ground, then spray them all in one go to get a higher volume of weed killer into the plant network as possible.

    Unfortunately that also doesn't seem to have worked as more new sprouts are still springing up! :s
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    Can you let grass grow over and just mow it regularly?
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
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