I have not actually removed a full grown tree, BUT I have regularly had to remove seedlings that get ahold and grow to a decent size and that seem determined to continue growing. What I have found is that if you dont get all the roots up, IT WILL RETURN OVER AND OVER AGAIN. Even the smallest ones. So I'd imagine that a big tree with a well established root system would be quite a job and removing all the roots would be essential to get rid of it.

Oh yes... they will keep coming back seemingly forever if you leave the roots. We learned the hard way by cutting down a fully grown crepe and are STILL fighting the 'sprouts'.

Ditto. And that's even with digging it up and spraying whatever's left with round up for 2 years.

I vote for leaving a bit of the tree/bush to use as leaverage when getting the "entire" root system up. I agree that it will keep coming back if you leave any.

Crepe Myrtle is my favorite plant....

when we had a tree fall on one of ours 3 years back, we had to keep spraying the entire area with RoundUp to keep the new shoots from coming back. It didn't come back this year thank goodness.

Dora

I cut one down 11 years ago because it was a darned moldy mess. Unfortunately it STILL comes back. Hopefully we'll get all the roots out this year with a bulldozer. I love the trees, just not the type that get white mildew all over them!

I took down a crepe myrtle last year - leaving about 4". Wrapped the remaining part in a scrunched up black plastic leaf bag, then covered with an inverted terracotta pot. Man, did that crepe want to continue living! I've finally gotten it whooped and grandsons are hacking away at the remains with an ax. Would have considered getting the entire root system dug but adjacent shrubs and tree roots would have suffered, plus didn't want to replant in that spot. Let us know what you do.

Rosie, in Sugar Hill

I cut one to the ground and drilled holes in the trunk with a cordless drill, poured ortho brush-b-gone concentrate, straight up, not mixed, in the holes. Didn't take much and I used a paint brush to cover the cut surface of the trunk with the stuff. Killed it completely. I did this when there had been a lack of rain.

I tend to prefer the ortho over round up but that's a personal preference. I've used it to get rid of a lot of scruff trees in this manner.

I used Ortho Poison Ivy and Tough Brush Killer (contains 8% Tryclopyr) and it worked great. After my 26 year old Crepe Myrtle tree was cut down, I drilled a dozen holes in the lateral roots next to the stump and filled them with the Triclopyr (pour the liquid in immediately after drilling a hole). I never had a single sprout come up. My arborist told me that I would have hundreds of sprouts come up for years, but I didn't have a single one! Don't bother with Roundup, it's designed for weeds, not woody plants. Triclopyr absolutely works. Just make sure you pour it in quickly after drilling a hole, as the sap starts to fill the hole within seconds in order to try to protect the roots.

"Don't bother with Roundup, it's designed for weeds, not woody plants."

Not true at all! You haven't read the label (at least for the concentrated versions)! Roundup (glyphosate) works wonderfully for woody plants (actually better than triclopyr in some cases) when properly applied (to freshly exposed phloem, preferably at proper times of the year, and in concentrations strong than the premixed blends). CrApe myrtle is no exception.