Mimosa tree removal - Ask Extension
Mature mimosa trees are on our new-build lot in North Beach, MD. Do you recommend we removed these trees? What is best method for removing these trees...
Knowledgebase
Mimosa tree removal #883380
Asked August 28, 2024, 11:15 PM EDT
Mature mimosa trees are on our new-build lot in North Beach, MD. Do you recommend we removed these trees? What is best method for removing these trees and preventing new seedlings/saplings from growing?
Calvert County Maryland
Expert Response
As an invasive species, ideally they should be removed so they don't spread from seed further, though there is some value in the mature wood capturing carbon and providing some cooling and air quality benefits (as would be applicable to any tree). Regarding removal, there are several options for Mimosa: cut the trunks down and either physically cut back any sucker sprouts (new stems regrowing from the remaining roots) or treat the suckers with a systemic herbicide; cut them down and immediately treat the stump with systemic herbicide; or girdling the tree (severing the sapwood while the tree is still standing, then cutting it down once it dies back).
Systemic herbicide kills roots after it is absorbed, though visible indications of it working might take a week or two to manifest. Early autumn applications (before leaves are changing color and shedding) are probably going to be more effective than at other times of year, but it should eventually work regardless, even if it takes several repeat treatments to get a mature plant to fully succumb. Follow all herbicide product label directions, as ingredients and their use can differ. Do not get the spray residues on desirable plants, or damage or dieback will result.
If you prefer to avoid herbicides, then just be vigilant for any regrowth after trunk removal, and promptly cut that down as well. This will eventually starve the remaining roots until they die and decay, though this process takes longer than using herbicide, so you might be having to watch for Mimosa suckers for a year or more before they stop appearing.
Seedlings could always appear from either seed already present in the soil on the site, or seeds that wind or wildlife deposit at any point in the future, given that these trees occur throughout the state. You don't need to target them specifically when trying to prevent weed seeds from germinating, as the same techniques used to minimize weed issues in general will work for Mimosa seeds: keep bare soil covered, either by mulch or living groundcovers, to deny seeds light for germination and to give them competition for root resources. Additionally, avoid tilling the soil once the landscape receives its final grading, as soil disturbance brings dormant seeds up to the depth where they can germinate. Seeds might persist in deeper soil layers, but those that stay buried will not germinate and will eventually die out as they run out of stored energy reserves to lie dormant.
Miri
Systemic herbicide kills roots after it is absorbed, though visible indications of it working might take a week or two to manifest. Early autumn applications (before leaves are changing color and shedding) are probably going to be more effective than at other times of year, but it should eventually work regardless, even if it takes several repeat treatments to get a mature plant to fully succumb. Follow all herbicide product label directions, as ingredients and their use can differ. Do not get the spray residues on desirable plants, or damage or dieback will result.
If you prefer to avoid herbicides, then just be vigilant for any regrowth after trunk removal, and promptly cut that down as well. This will eventually starve the remaining roots until they die and decay, though this process takes longer than using herbicide, so you might be having to watch for Mimosa suckers for a year or more before they stop appearing.
Seedlings could always appear from either seed already present in the soil on the site, or seeds that wind or wildlife deposit at any point in the future, given that these trees occur throughout the state. You don't need to target them specifically when trying to prevent weed seeds from germinating, as the same techniques used to minimize weed issues in general will work for Mimosa seeds: keep bare soil covered, either by mulch or living groundcovers, to deny seeds light for germination and to give them competition for root resources. Additionally, avoid tilling the soil once the landscape receives its final grading, as soil disturbance brings dormant seeds up to the depth where they can germinate. Seeds might persist in deeper soil layers, but those that stay buried will not germinate and will eventually die out as they run out of stored energy reserves to lie dormant.
Miri
