Kill My Palmettos!!! PUH-LEASE!!!!

[infiniteMPG]

We have an acre lot in west central Florida and palmettos are the norm just about everywhere. I have dug up some 'infestations' and they never come back but you have to dig them out completely. A few places in our lot the palmettos have sprung up at the base of nice southern pine trees. We have a weed whacker with a brush attachment blade and we can hack 'em down to the ground which we do... several times a month. What we were wondering is if there is anything we can do to exterminate the palmettos without harming the pine trees? We were half way tempted to cut them down and then pour weed/brush killer in the cut trunks/stems, trying to be careful not to spill it all in the ground at the pine tree roots.

Anyone got any suggestions short of napalm or bulldozers????

Thanks!

[merlinsbest1]

Yes, take a pair of vice grips, clasp the very center new leaf coming from the truck with them. pull straight out. You are injuring the heart. Injure the heart of a palm, it dies.

[Paul Cassel]

Digging them is the only really safe method I can think of. Sahara will probably work as will diesel oil.

[ray.cruz]

A weed wrench, large weed popper or puller will allow you to extract the entire plant. Several sizes of various weed pullers are available depending on the size of your palmettos.

See a comprehensive chart and description of all sizes and types of weeding tools at ergonica.com/weeder_features.htm .

Chemicals and muscles optional...

[zxcvbob]

Make hearts of palm salad?

Bob

[infiniteMPG]

probably work as will diesel oil.

entire plant. =A0Several sizes of various weed pullers are available depend= ing on the size of your palmettos.

Would do this except the ones in question are growing all up thru the roots of large southern pines. There is no way to pull them up as they are completely intertwined with the pine tree roots. I can try pulling up the hearts but prior to cutting down to the ground, some of these palmettos were about the size of a decent sized VW beetle :O/

Anything like "stump killer" or anything that can be pour carefully into this heart and kill the palmetto without seeping into the surrounding ground and harming the pine trees?

[ray.cruz]

l probably work as will diesel oil.

entire plant. =A0Several sizes of various weed pullers are available depend= ing on the size of your palmettos.

Earth augers of various sizes and diameters can be used to drill several feet into the roots or hearts of the palmettos. You can probably rent some of these machines at a Home Depot to see if they will help. They come with gasoline motors and are designed for digging holes for fence posts and similar projects in construction.

[infiniteMPG]

feet into the roots or hearts of the palmettos. =A0You can probably rent so= me of these machines at a Home Depot to see if they will help. =A0They come= with gasoline motors and are designed for digging holes for fence posts an= d similar projects in construction.

Drills make holes in straight lines. Palmettos grow like spaghetti around the roots of other trees. I doubt I can do much to the palmetto without drilling up the roots of the pine trees they're growing at the bases of probably killing the pine tree and the palmettos will survive.

*********************************************************** I guess my question is as stated in the previous reply.... Can I maybe drill out the top of the heart of each stalk and pour a small amount of brush killer into the hole and kill that plant without killing the tree it's growing around???? ***********************************************************