First off, where are you? Zone and general area/state. Second, the pictures do not show enough detail - we need close-ups! Next, it looks like you've got two different plants here - a brambly-looking one in pictures 3 and 4 (does it have thorns or prickers?) and a round leafed one that looks like a sprout from a tree root. Are they both problems?

Please, better pictures!

Thanks! I'll upload better pictures to this thread tomorrow. I live in southern Maine. Those roots you see have smaller weed trees attached to them, which we are continually pulling up.

Mowing those seedlings regularly will stop them from growing, although for a time there will be the stems around. It appear5s to me that the soil is unamended clay that needs a lot of organic matter to grow a good turf that might help keep those tree seeds from germinating and growing.

kimmq is kimmsr

What kind of tree are the roots attached to?

I agree that you have a Rubus species there and the other one looks like a Populus species to me. Notorious for throwing shoots. And disturbing the roots just makes them do it more. They aren't seedlings - they're suckers.

Just curious. Some trees do sucker. Would pulling the suckers out act like pruning? The root is injured, so now it branches out even more? Would round-up work or would it eventually kill the mother tree?

Aside from being listed as a potential carcinogen that glyphosate product would kill the tree if sprayed on any sucker from it. The mode of operation for glyphosate products is that the poison is taken in to the plants roots and since the sucker is attached to the trees roots the tree is also poisoned.

kimmq is kimmsr

kimmq, I still wonder if pulling out the suckers would act like pruning and the roots will make MORE suckers.

I have a vague memory of a post from several years ago in which the poster did put herbicide on root sprouts and it did affect the mother tree.

Looks like a berry bush of some kind (Blackberry or Raspberry). Shave/score those exposed roots and poison them with Glyphosate (use a small paint/basting brush) on the wounds, roots, and any part of the plant that is exposed, including those suckers.

Gang,

I had this looked at by an arborist on Saturday and he indicated it is part of the root system from a poplar tree I cut down (last year or earlier this year, I can't remember). The recommendation is to grind the stump and poison the root system. That should go a long way to helping with this situation. Thanks again to everyone who chimed in on this thread. I really appreciate it.

Bill