interesting link.. whats that all about ...

if you removed the trunk.. and the root/trunk interface .... then any roots left.. should most likely die ... just like they would .. if it was a large tree.. and it was ground out ....

of course weird things might happen.. but i wouldnt bet a penny on it..

ken

drat.. lost my penny .. lol ...

ken

thanks for the info.this is what i dug out.should i take out even the hairlike roots like the top pic? i see good amount of tiny roots.still need 6 trees to go :)

CrApe myrtle roots, left in place, frequently resprout. Pulling them out is nearly impossible without digging. The top growth of these resprouting roots will pretty much always break off before the roots would ever come out of the ground.

If you continue to faithfully remove the sprouts, the roots will eventually run out of energy, but that can be a long, long process and requires keeping a good check out for new sprouts. An easy way to address this problem would be to treat the newly exposed root ends (the ones left in the ground) with herbicide (glyphosate, for instance) right after removing the plant for transplant. You can also treat sprouts once they come up, but you might have to do that a few times before all the roots are killed.

remove some small crepe myrtle trees

==>>> those roots arent from what i would call a small tree .... whats your definition...

and are you sure these are all CM roots???

ken

yup i got that from a tree that is about 3 and half foot tall.hmm i dont think i'll be using glyphosate since i will be planting a different tree in it's place.i'm probably going to ask my brother to see if he'll bring over the tractor loader.that way i'll know for sure all the roots are gone.

I doubt there is a need to use glyphosate in this case. It has a really short active life. For all practical purposes it must be sprayed on a live part of a plant to function on contact.

"hmm i dont think i'll be using glyphosate since i will be planting a different tree in it's place."

Of course it's your decision on what to use or not use, but glyphosate (used properly) would pose no danger to the next tree. Glyphosate would be one of the easiest and least problematic herbicides to use in this case, but there are other options (including not using herbicides at all).

"I doubt there is a need to use glyphosate in this case."

Only if dealing with root sprouts for the next few years concerns you, or if you want to avoid having to dig up tons of roots.

"For all practical purposes it must be sprayed on a live part of a plant to function on contact."

Spraying would not be the correct way to apply glyphosate in this case.

"CrApe myrtle"

The 'a' and 'e' interchange is much less heinous than the inclusion of a space, it must be said. It isn't a myrtle, afterall.

To the OP, just pull any new shoots as they show.

I wouldn't worry about them coming back. Just run them over with the lawmower several times. They won't come back. Doesn't look very much like a crepe myrtle to me.

"Just run them over with the lawmower"

But, that might be hard if you plant a new plant in the same area and the root sprouts come up very near the new plant, or the original plant was in a flower bed where you don't/can't mow.

"Doesn't look very much like a crepe myrtle to me."

Yeah, crepe myrtles always have those thin pancakes hanging on them. (-: