Hi. I have a couple oleanders in my yard that I am removing. One of them has some pretty large roots (~ 4" dia) a few feet down. I am attempting to remove them all but im not sure i will be able to dig deep enough. I would like to put a citrus (probably dwarf) in the space where they were, however, I am concerned about leaving roots in the ground that might contaminate the fruit of the citrus.

I have found studies on the web that claim that composting oleander will remove most but not all of the toxicity (Im throwing all the remnants out regardless) but I have not been able to find anything about the roots. Knowing the oleanders robustness, and how long it takes normal roots to decompose makes me a bit nervous about planting there. I even have nightmares about the citrus roots travelling downwards and grafting themselves onto the oleander root remnants.. not sure if thats even possible but still horrifying.. :-)

Does anyone have any experience with this and/or know of any studies into this kind of thing?

Thanks,

Mike