Unwanted sycamore growing from house foundation.

dianealive

For some years, there has been a sycamore growing from the foundation/wall of my house. It grows from a small gap behind a concrete step and so is impossible to dig out. And of course, it sprouts back stronger every time we cut it back! Any advice would be most welcome. Thanks.

Dovefromabove

This is one of the instances where a weed killer really is needed. I would paint SBK brushwood killer onto  the leaves and wait for it to die. You may need to repeat a couple of times depending on how established the roots are. 

dianealive

Thanks so much Dovefromabove! Yes, I thought that might be the case. Peaceful gardening! 

Dovefromabove

   🕊 

josusa47

Unwanted sycamore?  Didn't know there was any other kind!  At least, not in private gardens.  I do love the baby leaves in spring, though.

dianealive

Yes, and there are plenty of baby leaves due!

josusa47

 I recently heard on telly (so it must be true!) that sycamore wood has anti-bacterial properties, so has traditionally been used for breadboards.  Glad to know it's of some use.

B3

It hides my neighbours for most of the year.

Paul B3

With the mentioning of "for some years" , I assume the stem is more than 2" diameter .

Simply drill two or three holes (to about 3" deep) into the top and inject neat Roundup into them ; an old washing-up liquid bottle (with cap) will suffice ; problem solved and decay will occur naturally .

dianealive

Thank you all for your comments! Paul B3...A good idea but the stem is probably 1/2-1 inch diameter at the base and it would be quite difficult to get to with a drill.
Really, I am always concerned about using toxic chemicals on anything - having a dog. Maybe I shall put a black plastic bag over it after application. 

Lizzie27

That would be a good solution @dianealive. I've used the black plastic bag method over some berberis stems I don't want to grow again in a particularly difficult spot.