Q. My neighbor’s tree is sending
out suckers that go under my cinder block wall and come out in my planter. I
try to pull them out and spray them with weed killer, but to no avail. Is there
anything I can do to keep them from coming up? I have the same problem in the
front yard but it’s the neighbor’s palm trees and seeds. They root in the front
yard. Anything I can do to kill them too?
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| Palm seedlings |
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A. Actually, these are two separate
problems. The palm seedling cure is the easiest to fix. When palm seedlings are
about 8 to 12 inches tall, pull them out. It works best in wet soil after irrigation.
Palm seedlings will die if the bud in the top of the plant, the terminal bud,
is removed or killed but it leaves the rest of the plant which can be
unsightly. There are sprays that will kill the plant. They are sold as woody
brush killers, but they must be sprayed only on the problem areas.
The
first problem requires more work on your part. There is no spray, but you will
have to remove the planter, remove or cut the roots that are suckering, and put
in a physical “root barrier” and then put everything back.