I cut down a Rose of Sharon bush that had become a tree, which was growing up against my house. Now I have "suckers" coming up through the ground in an area about 10 feet all around where it was! Help!
They are impossible to pull out of the ground (long roots). Is there any way to get rid of them? I am unable to remove the root system from the Rose of Sharon since it is very deep and mainly under my house.
Hardiness Zone: 5b
Thanks!
Kathy from Indianapolis
Kathy,
While Rose of Sharon is beautiful to some gardeners, it is the bane of many others. The ROS suckers will eventually disappear, but it's going to require some patience and persistence on your part.
It may take several seasons worth of yanking and digging, but eventually you'll win! Try removing them by digging down as far as you can and cutting them out.
Another alternative is to keep mowing them down as they spring up. Eventually the roots will tire and stop sending up shoots.
If you plan to turn the 10-foot area where the suckers keep popping up into flowerbeds, you might want to try to cut the suckers out, and then cover the area with several sheets of newspaper followed by a thick layer of mulch. This should help prevent new suckers from sprouting. If you want to plant the area, just push aside some mulch and pop the individual plants in.
Ellen
About The Author: Ellen Brown is an environmental writer and photographer and the owner of Sustainable Media, an environmental media company that specializes in helping businesses and organizations promote eco-friendly products and services.
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AAAAh! I hate to see someone kill a plant that someone else just might be able to use. Dig up some of those suckers and give them to friends before you spray. I just paid 12 dollars for a Rose of Sharon bush I wish I lived near you I would dig them up myself.
Ugh!! I can't IMAGINE paying for this plant! The flowers just aren't worth it! I wish you lived near ME! I would PAY YOU to come over here and get this horrible beast and all it's little demon suckers off of my property!
Holy cow! I would read up on this monster demon plant before putting it in the ground! We've been trying to get rid of one for two years. The suckers have now passed UNDER a sidewalk and are trying to take over another bed (after destroying an entire 10ft bed of its own)!!!! We're now building a raised bed with two layers of thick cardboard on the bottom, and then soil on top of those. I will despair if this horrid beast manages to push through again! But if you're planting this demon, perhaps I could interest you in some English ivy as well?
I have both....been fighting ROS since I purchased my home...AND...they have put out English Ivy...so...I'm trying to contain it so it doesn't kill all the other olants...it's constant work...til I figure how to kill ivy as well
If you live near Ohio, help yourself to my backyard. I fear I will have a Rose of Sharon forest this year!
Boiling water will kill off the top. However, it won't kill the root. Frankly, digging them as deep as you can is the safest and cheapest, if you have a strong back.
I live in a house that was built in 1902, and the original owners planted a Rose of Sharon, which was huge when we moved in. I don't recall the plant ever putting up suckers, except those shoots that come from the base of the trunk. It does however, reseed itself every year after the blooms have past. The seedlings come up the following spring, have deep roots, and are vigorous growers. They are easiest to pull when young and small after a good rain has soaked in.
Spray the leaves of these shoots with a herbicide any of the brand names like killex will do. With a spray you can get the ones you want and it will take it down to the root system and kill off the rest of the plant. voila dead sharon lol
sue
Try cheap vinegar. I used a broken golf club to pre puncture and then spray them with vinegar making it more effective but some of them died without even puncturing.
I know you can use vinegar to kill roots.....it's cheap and worth a try....and non toxic.......I use it on deep rooted weeds all the time....don't get it on things you want to live though......plus it dissapates and is dilutable with water so I would think after a time you would have no trouble growing other things there like you would using poisons
I had the same problem with Purple Sage, dug them out and still have them coming up, I spay the new shoots with Round-Up hopefully that will stop the growth.
Never use roundup. It's very toxic and is now proven to cause cancer. How it's still on the market it beyond me!!
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