How to kill crepe myrtly water shoots?

Apr 29, 2008 7 Replies

Anyone ever use or heard of using Naphthalene Acetic Acid?



I had to dig through some roots of a large crepe myrtle a couple years ago and have numerous water shoots coming up in that area of the flower bed and yard. Roundup only kills the foliage and the shoots reappear after a time.



Anyone familiar with anything to stop this unwanted growth?


Napthalene acetic acid? You must be joking.

Get out the pruning shears and cut them off.

I don't think it is a joke, but I don't know if it will work, so I'm asking for help.

I already tried that and without that task, I have enough job security, just feeding goldfish and watering flower beds. Crepe myrtle grows well here and the shoots are close to the ground, clipping them in such numbers is a job almost as bad as picking butter beans. :)

I've had shoots come up from a crepe myrtle which I dug out 5 years ago. I paint them with straight undiluted roundup and that seems to have done the job.

Albert

Hal ( snipped-for-privacy@privacy.net) wrote: : : >>Anyone familiar with anything to stop this unwanted growth? : >

: >Napthalene acetic acid? You must be joking.

: I don't think it is a joke, but I don't know if it will work, so I'm : asking for help. : >

: >Get out the pruning shears and cut them off.

: I already tried that and without that task, I have enough job : security, just feeding goldfish and watering flower beds. Crepe : myrtle grows well here and the shoots are close to the ground, : clipping them in such numbers is a job almost as bad as picking butter : beans. :) : -- : Hal Middle Georgia, Zone 8 :

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Hal wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

can you just keep them mowed? the roots will eventually die & stop sending up the shoots. lee

Thanks Albert!

I've found a spray with brush strength Roundup will kill the shoots, but they return in a short time. I didn't really want to kill the entire bush, just the shoots and I was hoping someone here had an easy method.

I really hope so, but even then part of them are coming up inside the flowerbed and the crepe myrtle is more tolerant of herbicides than many plants and accepts pruning better than most and it looks like a rest of my life type job keeping the shoots down at best. I was hoping someone here knew an easier way.

Thanks for your replies! I'm going back to my routine and an occasional visit here.

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