(OT): Anyone tried the Uprooter?

[Michael]

We have a ton of buckthorn at our place. We're cut and pasted chemicals and the buckthorn has won every year.

Has anyone tried this thing?

Thanks,

Mike

[Leon]

First thoughts, looks gimmicky. IMHO it does not lift enough to prevent much work on your part. You end up with holes in the ground.

I think I would use gas trimmer with a blade to cut off, even with the ground, and spray some RoundUp on the fresh cut.

[Michael]

I just use a chainsaw and knock down a bunch and then paint on some Garlon. It's a ton of work, and the buckthorn continues to win. I'm wondering if getting to the roots will help.

[tdacon]

I don't know how well it would work on buckthorn, but up here in the Pacific Northwest we use them to pull Scotch broom and they work a treat. It helps if the ground is a little wet so that the roots are more likely to come out instead of breaking off at the surface. We're after eradication since the broom is an invasive species.

Tom

[krw]

RoundUp first, then cut when dead. RoundUp kills from the roots, though it's easier to apply to the leaves.

[Artemus]

same invasive noxious stuff. The only thing I found to have any effect is to cut the thickest stems off at right angle where it is about 1/2" or more in thickness. Drill down the pith of each with a 1/8" bit about 1 to 2 inches depth. Fill holes with roundup concentrate 47%, undiluted, and cap with tin foil and rubberband. Within 2 weeks the entire plant will be dead. Remove everything above ground. Have a beer and rejoice, it is forever gone. This may also work on buckthorn, but I've never tried it. Art

[Leon]

It is likely that there is a network of roots that sprout up new growth. You may never get all of the roots out if that is the issue.

[DerbyDad03]

I had a locust tree that was severely damaged by an ice storm so I had it cut down. Locust are notorious for sending out roots that are very close to the surface which made my yard very bumpy. For that reason I was glad to see it go.

I pulled the stump myself after cutting all the roots within about 5 feet of the stump, filled the hole and planted grass. The next spring I had hundreds of locust trees sprouting across the yard as each root decided to try again. In some areas you could see a 20' line of tiny locust trees. I ended up tearing up almost my entire front yard to remove the roots that were just a few inches below the surface. What a PITA, but I got them all.

[krw]

That's why you use RoundUp on plants *before* you cut them off/out/up.

[G Ross]

We don't have locust here, but bradford pear does the same thing. What prevents it is to drill several 1" holes about 1-2 inches from the sides. Drill them about 4 inches deep and fill with straight roundup. It even works after the roots have sprouted up. I try to drill the holes above where a root comes out, but all the holes are in the flat stump. Does not work so well on holly.

[DerbyDad03]

Would RoundUp have killed the 20+ 2"-4" diameter roots that ran 20'-30' out from where the stump was?

If so, how much would it have taken and how long before they rotted enough for me to have a smooth yard again?

[DerbyDad03]

From the sides of what? The stump was gone. It was the roots that were buried a few inches below ground level and running 20'-30' out from where the stump used to be that were sprouting the little trees.

[Markem]

You drill a 3/8" hole about an inch deep within about an inch of the camber every 6 inches, fill with concentrate. wait a month grind out the stump.

[krw]

Likely, as long as it was a species that RoundUp is useful for. There are better products for some species but the principle is the same. RoundUp kills the plant by screwing up the roots.

RoundUp kills the plant. It doesn't dig it up.

[G Ross]

The stump. Yes, I realize yours was gone, as apparently was the rest of your problem. This was just general information for others who might avoid the problem of the roots sprouting.

[Steve]

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st trees sprouting

d see a 20' line

o remove the roots

DD-- I have a copper beech that sounds very similar. Unfortunately, bugs got to this huge, beautiful, 100 year old beast that used to hang over my d riveway. That is, it used to until the day one tree doctor looked at me in all seriousness and asked, "Do you like your truck?" We cut it down within a week. (I may be asking some of you guys for some portable sawmill advic e here soon...)

Anyway, that bumpy shallow-rooted sprout network that's spider-web-ing all over my yard, I think, now holds an additional threat: the giant sinkhole that will come once the root ball rots out. For exactly that reason, I hav e resisted the temptation of dousing the remaining stump with the Bayer Adv anced Brush & stump product.

Anyone want to comment on the threat or lack thereof? Am I over-concerned? Thanks.

[Sonny]

l over my yard, I think, now holds an additional threat: the giant sinkhol e that will come once the root ball rots out.

Aren't you in the San Antonio area, i.e., somewhat dry area? The rootball shouldn't rot so fast, that you can't backfill any depression gradually, a s it depresses gradually. Each year, when you re-pot your wife's flower po ts, just dump the old soil in the depression... that should do it.

The problem I had with a downed tree, in my, then, neighbor's yard, the roo ts had compromised a neighborhood drainage line. Once the roots rotted, the sinkhole erosion, through the pipe, was hard to stop. Had to call in the city to plug the end on the drain at the coulee (adjacent property, whi ch is now my woodshop's lot). Once the line was plugged, I back filled th e depression/hole. I had 10 yds, I think it was, of dirt hauled in. It wa s later discovered, the 2 adjacent lots, behind me, had underground erosion (fairly large cavities), also.

When the coulee was subsequently concreted, other cavities were discovered along the coulee on the back lots. This whole area use to be a cow pastur e, with a barnyard, and there was old fencing and other junk buried on thos e back lots.

Sonny

[DerbyDad03]

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et of the stump,

cust trees sprouting

uld see a 20' line

to remove the roots

The tree that totaled my van looked healthy and beautiful...until it did this:

We were standing in my 2nd floor office watching a micro-burst storm send leaves and rain flying horizontally past my window. You couldn't see halfwa y across the small parking lot. As storm slowly cleared, we noticed that the the huge tree in the back corner of the lot had come down. It was then that my co-worker looked at me and said "Isn't that your van?" The visibility ha d been so bad that we didn't even see the tree come down, just the aftermath.

The healthy looking tree was basically a shell of it's former self. The 4'+ trunk was hollow from the bottom up to the main crotch. It split right down the middle and fell at a 90° angle, landing on 2 cars on each side. Mi ne took the largest hit. The large limb hit right in the top corner of the driver's side, pushing the driver's door back so that it ended up overlapping the slider by about an inch. It then slid down the pillar ending up on the hood . Even after be slowed by the roof and pillar, it came down hard enough that the bolts on the top of the strut tower punctured the hood.

You can "see" the weight of just that one limb by looking at how much the driver's tire is depressed. When they lifted the limb off with a front load er, the ole' girl bounced right back to level. Alas, at 10 years old and pushin g

170K miles, I knew she was totaled as soon as the storm cleared.

[John Grossbohlin]

At about 4:30 is the solution!

[Steve]

ll shouldn't rot so fast, that you can't backfill any depression gradually, as it depresses gradually. Each year, when you re-pot your wife's flower pots, just dump the old soil in the depression... that should do it.

I went to college in San Marcos, but I'm a Boston native and live NW of Bos ton. Definitely wetter than SA, that's for sure. I suspect I won't know it...until I know it. Also, all the other beeches that sprout all around this thing continue to prove at least a portion of the root ball's life! The trunk was almost 4 feet around at its widest point... it'll take more t han a few flower pots, if/when it goes. Somewhere in the range of 10 yards should be about right. Hopefully I won't see it happen for about 15-20 ye ars.