How deep does a bush's tap root grow down? Can I use salt to kill it?
by
Shuganne
+6
In the pic, the hand tool is pointing at a white dot, which is the top of the bush's tap root. It is still 3/4" across, at least, and you can tell from the exposed tree root, at least 8" underground. This is why I keep digging the bush out every spring! Now the tree is 2" from the cement steps on the right and maybe 6" from the foundation of the house, at the top of the picture. They must go!!! Remember in World History how Caesar's conquering army would not just destroy a town but also salt the fields so nothing would grow? I have bags of water softener salt and a busted softener. Could I at least make a little lemonade from my lemon and put salt here, so nothing grows from any of the roots I miss? How much do you suppose I'll need to do it? Could this be unsafe?
If you chop it off as far down as you can in, all likelihood, it will not re-appear.
cut the entire remaining stem, dig around and make a solution of white vinegar and salt.only if there is nothing surrounding the bush
Thanks! I'll try the vinegar and salt solution.
How much of each do you think I need? A good rain? Standing water? Stone soup broth? I really don't care about having dead earth here. I want it covered in stones and barren. It's been the mosquito hangout forever. I'm also rerouting a down spout so maybe I can walk out the door without losing half a pint. Lol
So try this treatment. Drill some holes into the tap root and put some old, used motor oil in the holes. This will stifle the growth and eventually kill off the plant.
I used this on an old Maple that we cut down and it killed off all of the new potential growth.