Ailanthus- treated but regrowing

[Tom C]

20 months ago we felled and treated a mature Ailanthus that was affecting the surface of a customers tennis court by producing shoots from the root system.

The tree was situated less than 2 metres from the court.

I used Amcide( compost accelerator! ) which was placed in a groove in the cambium.

Being aware of their invasive nature I used about double the amount than normal and 6 months later ground the stump to a depth of approx 250mm.

However, the roots are continuing to produce growth through the surface of the tennis court and surrounding areas which are then sprayed off but still they persist.

There has been no occurrences this year so far but Ailanthus are hardly displaying much leaf growth as yet so I'm expecting it to reoccur.

The customer isn't happy as he wants to re instate the surface.

I would welcome suggestions.

[woodyguy]

Strange choice of potion to kill it. Any tree that suckers freely from the roots needs a systemic herbicide like Glyphosate or equivalent. An overdose of fertiliser, such as Amcide, is unlikely to do much. Yes they are hard to kill in this situation, but only something that translocates throughout the plant stands any chance.

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

Not a particularly helpful reply here, unlike WoodyGuy's above, but in a former Tree Officer life we would always try to kill off both Ailanthus and Robinia (and White Popular!) prior to removal...and then treat the stump and sometimes still have suckers to deal with.

 

Yep, a translocated herbicide, and doubtless repeat applications, is the only option.

 

Good luck..!

 

Paul