When I pulled the rotten steps off my house I discovered to my dismay that under my porch there was a minature elm forest, from suckers from the 80 year old elm in my front yard. Is there a tool that I haven’t tried that would help?
The porch is about 8 ft by 30 ft and there is less than 10 square foot that is not super packed by small elm suckers. Electric hedge trimmers merely bent the branches. Brand new sharp hedge trimmers did the same thing while giving me a blister on the palm. My big honker loppers cut the branches, 2.5 inches at a time so that at the end of an hour, I had a garbage can full of them and about a one foot square area cleared. The space under the porch has a clearance of about 3 foot–I was lying on my side to do this work. I think that means that I can’t use a weed eater or a power saw. Poison would require me to get in pretty deep and would probably kill me before hurting the suckers. Any ideas? I need these things out before the porch steps go back on and I am getting tired or going to the back door to get in the house. Thanks in advance. Ruth
Replies
Hi Ruth, my first impression when you said you had 3 foot of crawl space was a lawnmower with the handle released down to ground level. A careful process for sure but it sounds like you already beat yourself up pretty good already. Hope you find a solution. Best to ya.
Oh, and by the way, I think if you were to go lawnmower route you should hire it done:)
Edited 4/17/2002 10:44:47 PM ET by rez
I'm thinking a weed wacker with a brush blade.......
Truss Designer Extraordinaire
don't worry about what is growing under your porch, cutting that won't stop it from growing back every year (you gonna go under there every year and do this?
Dig up the root and cut it off, outside the edge of the porch. Might hurt the tree a little, but that root is doing you no good now.
I was gonna suggest to put Round UP on the suckers after you cut them but that would likely kill the whole tree system, cutting one root ought to be safer and more permanent than only cutting the suckers (unless you will go under there and cut them every year).
This lollipop invasion calls for strenuous measures and the .50 caliber machine gun is up to the task.
I believe there are plenty available in the middle east for some reason.
-Peter
ALERT!
New tool excuse!
LOL
How about a battery operated sawzall?
or rent a goat and fence him in under there.
;>)
Ruth,
I'm assuming that your little elm forest is the result of a root that has grown beneath your porch, yes? You could actually use Round-Up safely as the product is systemic and will be taken into the sprayed foilage and shouldn't hurt the tree itself. (It would take gallons of the stuff to kill a tree like that.) However... eventually there will be more unless you take away their reason for living. I'm also assuming that some amount of sunlight is getting through.
You're best bet probably is to simply treat the area w/ Round-Up, then lay down and secure a weed blocking fabric or heavy plastic. Remove the sunlight factor and you eliminate photosynthesis which, by the way, is actually how Round-Up works. (It chemically breaks down photosynthesis which is why it takes so long to work. It's slow but effective!)
Good luck!
Michael - CSI Landscape Inc.