How do I kill a sumac tree? - Ask Extension
We have a large non-poisonous sumac tree growing very near our house (less than 1 foot away) and we have cut it back to a few trunks only to have it s...
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How do I kill a sumac tree? #257933
Asked June 29, 2015, 12:21 PM EDT
We have a large non-poisonous sumac tree growing very near our house (less than 1 foot away) and we have cut it back to a few trunks only to have it sprout out like crazy at the cuts with an abundance of sprouts off the root system on either direction around the perimeter of the house. We live in Arvada. The first photo is after the trees' "haircut" yesterday. The other two photos are the "babies" coming off the root system.
Jefferson County Colorado
Expert Response
Please see this fact sheet from the University of Arizona regarding woody plant removal via chemical means.
http://cals.arizona.edu/extension/ornamentalhort/landscapemgmt/prunning/cutstump.pdf
You can also try to dig up the trunks/shoots, but this is labor intensive and if you break off a sucker or piece of root, it will likely re-sprout.
Sumac is notorious for sucker sprouting and can be difficult to eliminate from a landscape.
Good luck!
http://cals.arizona.edu/extension/ornamentalhort/landscapemgmt/prunning/cutstump.pdf
You can also try to dig up the trunks/shoots, but this is labor intensive and if you break off a sucker or piece of root, it will likely re-sprout.
Sumac is notorious for sucker sprouting and can be difficult to eliminate from a landscape.
Good luck!
Thank you, Mary! Time to put my gloves on and go out and buy some Glyphosate, cut and apply. The task will be well worth it. Thank you again!
Kay
