Asked on Jun 11, 2015
Crepe mytle will not die!
+7
We took down a crepe myrtle tree. It keeps popping out new shoots all along the root system. Way out into the yard. I've been digging roots for over a year! What can I do to kill this thing once and for all!?? Using Epsom salt & vinegar to help with trunk. ( I can't grind b/c of location.)
5 answers
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The only way to kill a crepe myrtle is to have the stump removed. I have one that kept coming back too.
Lisa
on Jun 11, 2015
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In a battle between a tree and thee, the victory goes to whomever is most persistent. I know this first hand. The tree never gets impatient and frustrated. It just keeps sending up shoots, determined to be a tree again. But....the root system eventually needs light. That's what the shoots are seeking. Cutting them down during a lawn mowing doesn't work, because they still get light. Mowing actually strenghtens the growth. You need to break off the shoots at the ground. Usually, they're tender enough to do this easily by hand. One by one. Often. Like, every few days, at first. Yes, it's annoying and tedious and seemingly takes forever. But it does work. And it's free. I had a forty foot tree whose roots were everywhere. Hundreds of shoots. The first couple of weeks was the worst. But the number of shoots seemed to quickly reduce as long as I was persistent. By the end of the summer, it was down to a manageable dozen or so shoots. The next spring, some shoots kept trying, but eventually, they gave up, too. Who knows? Maybe the tree only gave up sending up shoots in my yard, and moseyed its roots way down the block to a neighbor's yard, who just can't figure out what the heck is popping up all over his lawn. Good luck, Hope..
Kate
on Jun 11, 2015
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Thanks! I have a buckthorn that will require this little bit of persistance...
Nancy Spencer Carlson
on Jun 12, 2015
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You might try cutting the root completely in two at each of the new sprouts.. then remove the sprout as previously suggested... by doing this it cuts the sprout root off from the main stump and eventually the roots will die out... hopefully..
Buster Evans
on Jun 12, 2015
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After 7 years, I have crape myrtles that pop up. They also seed and seeds can last for years. so you may not be battling a root system of sucker plants but years of seeds germinating. It is just easier to take a shovel and dig them out and eventually you will succeed.
The Garden Frog with C Renee
on Jun 14, 2015
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