wondering if anyone can help, I have an existing & well established dogwood that I would like to clear. It is reasonably aggressive & sends out runners that keep popping up - any way to see it off for good?
Never met a cornus racemosa but good luck with it. Just keep digging it out and/or cutting back stems so the roots get no feeding from leaves.
I had a cornus Midwinter Fire in my last garden that outgrew its position so I dug it out and moved it along with a dozen or so smaller offshoots growing from suckers. 3 years later bits of the original were still popping up from suckering roots beyond the excavation site but it did give in in the end.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast. "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
Thanks for the responses. It’s pretty big - I’ve only been at the property 2 1/2 years but dig out suckers twice. It’s not in a very good location as the suckers come up through the shed & flower beds.
What chemicals would be suitable as a last resort? Concerned due to location I won’t be able to get to all the roots & suckers. It’s certainly going to take a lot of sweat & a pickaxe!
A strong formulation of glyphosate is probably best - in the UK they're usually called brushwood killer or something similar. Dig out as much of the roots as you can get to, then keep treating the regrowth whenever it appears.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
A strong formulation of glyphosate is probably best - in the UK they're usually called brushwood killer or something similar.
Glyphosate /Roundup is still legal in UK...but as yet we do not know where Niknak 2 lives! It is banned in many countries.
I would never recommend using it in any other than the manufactures recommended dose. It is designed to be absorbed by the leaves and carried right down to all the roots...it kills slowly. Doing it in a stronger dose may just instantly kill the leaves before they can absorb the chemicals...leaving the roots still strong/healthy. It may need more than one treatment.
Sorry I wasn't clear. I meant a ready-to-use brushwood killer formulation designed for woody growth, not mixing up the standard stuff at a different dilution.
The gel formulations are good for precise application without risk of spray drift, and I would only use it on growth coming from roots that can't be dug out (eg the ivy that was coming from under my garage - whoever laid the concrete base hadn't got rid of all the roots first).
If Niknak 2 is not in the UK, they'll need to find out what is available locally in the way of a systemic weedkiller that gets taken down into the roots. If no systemic weedkillers are available, then it would be best just to keep cutting/pulling the new growth after digging out every root that can be reached. A weedkiller that just kills the top growth won't do any better.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Just another point on gel weedkiller (sorry if it's obvious) - I find it best to wear rubber gloves and support the leaf on one hand while rubbing on the gel.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
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We used to grow many different Cornus but never ever came across Cornus racemosa....Northern swamp Dogwood.
Hardly anyone in UK is listed as selling it...maybe because it is an aggressive problem.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornus_racemosa
There is no easy way to get rid of suckering shrubs...either dig it all out OR use chemicals to kill it right back to the root.
I had a cornus Midwinter Fire in my last garden that outgrew its position so I dug it out and moved it along with a dozen or so smaller offshoots growing from suckers. 3 years later bits of the original were still popping up from suckering roots beyond the excavation site but it did give in in the end.
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
What chemicals would be suitable as a last resort? Concerned due to location I won’t be able to get to all the roots & suckers. It’s certainly going to take a lot of sweat & a pickaxe!
I would never recommend using it in any other than the manufactures recommended dose. It is designed to be absorbed by the leaves and carried right down to all the roots...it kills slowly.
Doing it in a stronger dose may just instantly kill the leaves before they can absorb the chemicals...leaving the roots still strong/healthy.
It may need more than one treatment.
Sorry I wasn't clear. I meant a ready-to-use brushwood killer formulation designed for woody growth, not mixing up the standard stuff at a different dilution.
The gel formulations are good for precise application without risk of spray drift, and I would only use it on growth coming from roots that can't be dug out (eg the ivy that was coming from under my garage - whoever laid the concrete base hadn't got rid of all the roots first).
If Niknak 2 is not in the UK, they'll need to find out what is available locally in the way of a systemic weedkiller that gets taken down into the roots. If no systemic weedkillers are available, then it would be best just to keep cutting/pulling the new growth after digging out every root that can be reached. A weedkiller that just kills the top growth won't do any better.
Thank you all so much for your advice & knowledge - it’s very appreciated to a novice gardener
You're very welcome! Good luck
Just another point on gel weedkiller (sorry if it's obvious) - I find it best to wear rubber gloves and support the leaf on one hand while rubbing on the gel.
That was my ID based on pics & descriptions on the internet. I’ll post a photo if you are interested - more than happy to be corrected