Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
Not Yet Rated

Monday - October 26, 2009

From: Kaysville, UT
Region: Rocky Mountain
Topic: Invasive Plants, Problem Plants
Title: Containing roots in Kaysville UT
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I'm planting my yard in all native Rocky Mountain and Great Basin plants. Is there a way to halt or contain the root propagation of Smooth Leaf Sumac and Quaking Aspen? I've considered digging down some depth to place barriers to contain the shoots to a specific area but don't know if this would be effective. My soil is medium to light clay with varying amounts of moisture and sunlight depending on the location.

ANSWER:

Populus tremuloides (quaking aspen) Quaking aspen reproduces rapidly from seed and root suckers. It is short-lived and plagued by disease and insect problems, but is practically indifferent to soil conditions. From the USDA Forest Service website Populus tremuloides you will get a lot of technical information on how and why this plant suckers, but not much suggestion in how to limit it. 

Rhus glabra (smooth sumac) is the only plant native to all 48 contiguous state. Sumacs will grow in dry waste areas, such as impossible slopes where even junipers struggle. They are fast growing, generally pest and disease-free, and drought-tolerant. Colonies are often single-sexed, formed from a single, suckering parent. Only female plants produce flowers and berries.

Ordinarily, when we are asked about control of suckering, it has to do with a tree or plant that has been cut down, and the gardener is trying to eliminate. The suckering, besides propagating the plant, is also a defense mechanism against damage, such as being cut down. In those cases, we recommend cutting off or pulling the suckers immediately when they reappear. For saplings already established from the parent root, the best way is to cut them off close to the ground and paint the cut surface within five minutes with a broad-spectrum herbicide. This gives the herbicide access to the roots befoe the cut begins to heal over to protect itself. However, in your case, you probably don't want to do that as you apparently wish to keep the parent trees.

We found a couple of articles about installation of root barriers, but these had to do with protecting foundations from encroaching tree roots. The first is from Horticulture Update from the Texas A&M University Cooperative Extension, Root Barriers. Another article, Root Barriers Prevent Costly Damage offers some more possibilities.

We have no personal experience with these procedures, but hope you can develop your own way of dealing with those roots.


Populus tremuloides

Populus tremuloides

Rhus glabra

Rhus glabra

 


 

More Problem Plants Questions

Toxicity of catalpa wood?
June 05, 2012 - Is the sawdust from cutting up a catalpa tree or the smoke from burning the wood toxic? Thank you,
view the full question and answer

Fast-spreading desert-type tree with thorns in yard
July 21, 2014 - There is a fast spreading tree in my backyard - many multiple almost symmetric flat green oval leaves on either side of the stem (sort of like a moringa tree but this is not that). Grows straight up, ...
view the full question and answer

How Can I Tell an Invasive Thistle from a Native
May 01, 2012 - Mr Smarty Plants, I have some thistles coming up in my yard. I'd like to keep them if they are native, but not if they are invasive or non-native. How can I tell? My yard is a wild area in West Lak...
view the full question and answer

Identity of and how to get rid of plant in planter in Indiana
May 17, 2013 - We moved to Mooresville Ind. (Brooklyn area) 3 yrs ago. In one of the 12x12 planters out back, these one THINGS keep cutting back and spreading everywhere. They are tall, hollow stem, seems like ther...
view the full question and answer

Elimination of non-native, invasive King Ranch bluestem in lawn
June 06, 2006 - How can I eliminate an annual infestation of king ranch bluestem in my bermuda lawn? Thanks.
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.