DIGGIN鈥� IN
Tree-of-heaven can be stopped 鈥� with a lot of effort
Q: In our backyard we are being infested by a bunch of volunteer trees. I think they are coming from the neighbors鈥� tree. In the two other backyards that abut mine and his, they are having a lot of these young, fast-growing trees show up too. The neighbors鈥� tree has been pretty fast-growing and has a trunk about a foot around, and it鈥檚 easily 15 feet tall. The leaves grow along long stems, and now it鈥檚 wearing these oddly green-colored clusters of tiny 鈥渇lowers.鈥�
The ones invading our yard are growing along a fairly straight line and heading to a couple of shrubs that we water regularly, so we鈥檙e convinced they are seeking out the water we offer to our landscaping. Can you tell us what type of tree the neighbor has and most importantly, how do we get rid of the invaders? 鈥� N.W., sa国际传媒官网网页入口
A: I believe the tree you are describing is called tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima).
This tree can be called a weed tree, but because it grows so rapidly, under the most adverse conditions, offers quite a bit of shade and doesn鈥檛 require a lot of maintenance, that鈥檚 how it got its name tree-of-heaven.
It was the description of the oddly green-colored clusters of flowers that convinced me that that鈥檚 what type of tree the neighbor has. That and I鈥檝e fought to gain control from tree of heaven interlopers in my yard for several growing seasons.
Here鈥檚 how I鈥檝e aimed to eradicate them, and I need you to know it鈥檚 a lot of work.
First you鈥檒l need to dig up as much as humanly possible any of the baby trees as you can, all the while following the root and digging it out also. A strong back and a pickaxe have been my most used tools so far. Your truest aim will be to not leave any of the roots behind. Dig, dig, dig and pull out all of the roots attached to the young trees.
Now once you have reached your property line and have unearthed the last of the root that鈥檚 on your property, paint it with a glyphosate-based herbicide. I鈥檓 recommending it because if you use a weed killer, you could easily poison parts of your yard, making it uninhabitable for anything worthy to grow there.
Be cautious when applying the glyphosate-based herbicide. Read the manufacturer directions before use and wear appropriate protective wear.
When I get to the end of a root growing onto my property, I paint it thoroughly, making sure the root is freshly cut, and then place a small zip-close bag around it and tie it off with a twist tie to hold the bag and the chemical in place. Several days later I remove the bag and tie and then begin the watch for the next invasion of this unwanted heavenly tree.
Be sure to snip out any of the flower clusters you see now, even before the digging up and root pulling, so they won鈥檛 continue to grow and set seed that could propagate anywhere else in your yard.
No, you may not treat the tree-of-heaven that is on your neighbors鈥� property. That could be the beginning of a large range war, and that鈥檚 not good.
The tree-of-heaven does have its plus sides, I know, just not when it鈥檚 infiltrating your property. Like I said, it鈥檚 a lot of hard work to regain control, but if you don鈥檛 do it while the trees are young, it鈥檒l be more challenging as they age. Good hunting!
Q: I have a small bed in the front yard that I鈥檝e decided to plant cannas in. I dug it up a couple of weeks ago, giving it a good turn and adding some compost. I鈥檝e watered it right away to settle it and am planting the cannas soon. It鈥檚 just now that there are a lot of small grass clumps popping up. I need to get rid of them before planting the cannas, right? 鈥� P.B., sa国际传媒官网网页入口
A: You betcha! To me it sounds like the bed you are going to plant has sat dormant for a while, so in actuality you did the best thing you could do by turning and watering and waiting. You awakened a lot of weedy grasses and perhaps a few other types of weeds to pop up, so you will have an easier time eliminating them before you plant your cannas in that space.
Give the area a good dampening and then pull out all the pop-ups. Dampening first before you pull will guarantee that you get root and all, which needs to be your aim.
Whether or not you know it, you did the best thing you could do before planting your cannas.
Happy Diggin鈥� In!
Tracey Fitzgibbon is a certified nurseryman. Send garden-related questions to Diggin鈥� In, sa国际传媒官网网页入口, 7777 Jefferson NE, sa国际传媒官网网页入口, N.M. 87109, or to features@abqjournal.com.
