PLEASE HELP>>>>>HOW DO I KILL THIS TREE ITS GOING FOR SEPTIC

This tree grows and puts out suckers so fast and dont think roundup will kill it it just makes the root spring up some where else If you pull it any root you dont get grows i live in florida and a freeze kills it till it warms up then OMG all the roots com up. The roots have been dug up and fallowed almost 200 feet. I have not seen any bloom and i was told it was one of the plants they replant burned out areas due to the fact it spreads so fast. Its at my septic area and i go tr to kill it or have to put new septic on other side of yard $ 6000> and it will travel with in a few years over there HELP PLEASE The pic is it coming up under my orange tree.

This message was edited Mar 14, 2011 8:35 PM

What about putting poison in the septic to kill any roots that make it that far?

The reason I gave that as a potential is that I lived in a rental that had the old sewer line that kept on getting the roots of pecan trees in it. The owner wanted me to flush root killer down the drain.

Dawn

You will want to make sure that whatever you flush down the drain does not kill the bugs in your septic system.

Have you looked into using a herbicide that can applied to the leaves/stalk of the plant ?

That looks like a Mulberry tree. Cut any sprouts you see and spray or wipe brushkiller on them.

I'll agree that the leaves look like the Mulberry tree I had to put up with in my New York yard thanks to my next door neighbor. The bottom leaf does not ring true, but leaves sometimes do funny things. killdawabbit's idea of wiping leaves seems good. I don't think I'd spray them as the spray could hit other good leaves/plants etc. I can't help with a better solution. Good luck, chefmike92.

This message was edited Mar 28, 2011 9:03 PM

I vote NO for poison in the septic--as JC said you do not want to destroy your septic biology and I also don't think it would be effective. Better to try the brush killer on the leaves.

I didn't mean to wipe the leaves. Cut the suckers back to about a half to an inch above ground and wipe the stems or spray them if the spray won't get on anything valuable nearby.
All mulberry leaves do not necessarily look alike.

42% Glyphosate (active ingredient in RoundUp) applied with a paintbrush to cut stump/branch will kill it. It must be applied within 5 minutes of being cut for best results. The 42% is to be used undiluted - straight out of the container. There is no need to leave any of the stem aboveground: just cut flush with surrounding ground surface and paint immediately.

Mabe i should have said this tree is on my neighbors property 150 ft from the property line and 200-300 ft from my septic i will post another pic tomorrow to show the how bad this is getting i pulled 40 suckers from under ONE of my orange trees theest roots go for ever!!!!!

Labour_of_Love, thanks for the info. I am going to try that instead. How do you apply yours?

Paint brush works great on cut off stumps and saplings using straight Roundup.

Doug

Chefmike,
You have my empathy. We have been dealing with a tree in the
sunroom attached to the house. We have cut down at least a
dozen times. Painted the stump each time, we have used Roundup
straight up and (like starry eyed children) ANY other product
recommended by those at garden centers and after 8 years we have
more or less given up.

We recently heard about drilling holes in the tree & pouring diesel
fuel in them - might try that one.

Good luck

Try drilling holes and putting ammonium nitrate in them. That's the active ingredient in the "Stump Out" you buy for 3-4 times as much.

Doug

You should try an herbicide that is designed for killing trees. I used Arsenal AC because it can be had for $75 a quart. The other good stuff is a bit more expensive. Garlon, Targon and Pathfinder are also good products but a bit more pricey since they don't sell it in smaller units.

Arsenal is made by BASF and the others by Dow Agro.

There is a BIG difference between RoundUp and the 42% RU concentrate. Use the concentrate, paint it on - the plant will die.

Painting wont work when the sap is rising in the Spring, when the new leaves are in active growth. When the leaves are mature, the flow is to the roots. Also in the Fall when the leaves are dropping,

There is a product called Tordon that works great for killing trees and can be purchased by the quart for not that much. Meaning I don't remember but I'm thinking about $30. There is a drawback, the chemical goes down through the roots and on out. It may stunt or kill tender plants near the major root zone. So I wouldn't use it for those volunteer trees in the middle of your rose bed! But for trees along the foundation or out in the lawn or grove, it works great. My grove is full of mulberry and buckthorn trees. Just cutting them off makes a shrub the next year. I want them dead. Of course read the instructions and talk with your chemical dealer for their best advice!

Since the tree is on your neighbor's property it would most likely be illegal for you to do something that kills the tree. But since the roots are going to damage your septic you might have some recourse to make your neighbor get rid of it--you'd need to go through appropriate legal channels on this though and not just take matters into your own hands. I'd start by talking to them--it may be close to getting in their septic too and they just aren't aware of the problem so they might be perfectly willing to cooperate and get rid of it once you let them know about the problem. And if they don't cooperate, look into what the laws are in your area--since it's going to cause property damage you might be able to force them to get rid of it (or pay for the cost to repair or relocate your septic).