I bought a tool called an extractigator. It works pretty well, as long as soil is moist. When my clay soil is dry it just breaks them off. But when the ground is moist it’s much better than a shovel. I would buy it again, if you have an issue tree saplings.

in my sand.. i also found in spring.. i could just pull out things .. but by late june or july.. the soil was so hard.. nothing short of digging stuff out worked..

you dont mention your soil type .. nor how big these plants are.. you really arent trying to pull out 4 or 5 year stock.. are you??

i just cut everything flush to teh ground and applied a stump killer immediately.. and im not aware anything ever grew back ..

any time you disturb the soil.. you can activate seeds stored in said soil.. so the beauty of cutting flush.. etc... is no soil disturbance..

i can show you my handy dandy applicator.. if you havent seen it before.. lol ..

i used non diluted round up.. as it is labeled as a stump killer inthis concentration.. or it used to be anyway ...

once you remove all you need to properly apply and maintain mulch to severely retard seed germination. .. and to keep the soil friable so you can pull out new sprouts EVERY SEASON ... you cant do this every 5 years or so...

ken

Did you get the classic size or the Big Daddy?

Classic size. I wasn’t sure I could handle the larger one. I get lots of walnut and hickory saplings which are impossible for me to pull unless I catch them when they are tiny, so this tool has been a huge help to getting things out of my flower beds.

I ordered the classic as my 47th Anniverery and Valentines gift from my husband. The suggested gift for 47 is garden or plants although every anniversary gift is outdoor related at our house.

The only time he has balked at the proposed gift I thought I would get was the chain saw I wanted many years ago when I was a 100 lb weakling. He had/has a normal sized one but I couldn't handle the weight of it so I thought a smaller one just for me would be a wonderful idea.... He disagreed and gave me a pole saw.

We have had health issues so I have just been able to maintain for the last few years. Spinal surgeries, rotator cuff x 2 because of a fall that messed up the first surgery, covid ongoing issues, sciatica etc. Getting old is the pits. I did the straight round up on the stumps but ugly agnus just won't die. The past privet jungle area just has so many seeds that keep sprouting so it is a constant issue. I did get a load of tree chippings from the electric people that I am planning to use in that area. The soil is red clay so I must do my pulling during the winter after rains soak the ground. I can't wait for it to get here!