Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
jenn_gw

Carrot wood tree roots sprounting

jenn
11 years ago

About 4 years ago we had our mature carrot wood tree removed. Yesterday, we noticed tiny sprouts in the area where it grew, so we dug down and traced the sprouts to a huge root about 6 inches in diameter.

A large section of the root is now exposed but there is more we cannot see. Other than digging up the whole area to find and remove every root, is there anything we can do to this one to force all of them to die? Growing nearby, there's a new dwarf Navel orange and a handful of other plants I'd rather not have to move unless absolutely necessary.

Comments (8)

  • hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
    11 years ago

    Round up.

  • hosenemesis
    11 years ago

    I'd hit the sprouts with round-up. It works through photosynthesis, as I understand it, so it's better to hit the foliage than the stump.

  • jenn
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Round-up and that's it? I know Round-up will kill the sprouts, but will it also kill the big root (eventually) so that no more sprouts emerge? The big root is still exposed and I've read about drilling large holes in roots to induce or speed up the decay process.

    The sprouts are as skinny as toothpicks but there were about a dozen of them in a few different places.

  • socal23
    11 years ago

    Jenn, glyphosate is a systemic herbicide - it translocates to the apical meristems (growing points) of both roots and shoots and kills them, eventually resulting in the death of the plant.

    Ryan

  • hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
    11 years ago

    "RoundUp (glyphosate) inhibits a key enzyme that plants and bacteria use to make amino acids called EPSP synthase. Structurally, glyphosate resembles the chemical structure of the amino acid glycine. Because of its structural similarity to glycine, glyphosate binds the active site of the EPSP synthase enzyme that is critical for the production of aromatic amino acids.

    Without a functional EPSP synthase enzyme, the plant can no longer make the amino acids phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan or any other compounds that use this pathway. Since plants must synthesize all of the amino acids that they need for protein production, inhibition of EPSP synthase by glyphosate causes the plant cells to starve for amino acids. All plants and bacteria use EPSP synthase to make aromatic amino acids, so all plants and bacteria are sensitive to RoundUp. [Image of EPSP Synthase]

    Glyphosate is quickly absorbed by leaves and shoots of plants. Once absorbed into the leaves, glyphosate cannot be broken down. The glyphosate moves quickly through the plant and accumulates in areas of active growth called meristems. Spraying a plant with RoundUp results in a lack of protein synthesis in that plant. Without amino acids, Plants stop growing. Within a week or so, many plant tissues and parts slowly degrade due to lack of proteins. Death of the weed ultimately results from lack of nutrients and dehydration a week or so later.

    Roundup does not affect mammals, birds, fish, and insects because these organisms do not have the enzyme EPSP synthase. However, a recent study has found an increased risk for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoms (NHL), a type of leukemia, in agricultural workers exposed to large quantities of RoundUp."

    --from Indiana university web site, make of it what you will

    Here is a link that might be useful: source of quote

  • bahia
    11 years ago

    Roundup is less than worthless on weedy bulbs such as Oxalis pes-capre and that weedy Northoscordum odorum. So it apparently doesn't prevent certain plants from continuing to grow.

  • hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
    11 years ago

    Looking around the UC Davis site, it appears one recommended technique is to make cuts in an exposed root with a machete-type device and pour straight round up immediately into the wounds. Something you might try...