Plant Identification … please [ Horticultural ]

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Can anyone name this wretched weed, Please

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It has roots a metre or more long, and up to about 40mm diameter

… some spread horizontally, but it then appears to send down a tap-root every-so-often and start a new bush [####]
I worked for about six hours yesterday, and cleared maybe a tenth of it

… and I have clear ‘archaeological evidence’ that it was intentionally planted !!

MichaelG.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 12/09/2022 16:39:57

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

[DiogenesIIParticipant @diogenesii]

The old stems look a bit woody – the leaves are a bit immature, but hmm, could it be a Hydrangea? ..some of them will 'run'..

..what's the leaf arrangement, are they in opposed pairs?

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Thanks, but certainly not an Hydrangea

If it stops “persisting it down” with rain, I will cut and photograph some leaves.

MichaelG.

[Bill PhinnParticipant @billphinn90025]

It's difficult to tell from what I can see. Is it possibly a kind of vine or hop?

[Nick HughesParticipant @nickhughes97026]

Cough—–

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

These might help:

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MichaelG.

[Jim Young 2Participant @jimyoung2]

Email the pictures to RHS Wisley……they may be willing to assist.

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

Ground Elder?

regards Martin

[Dave HalfordParticipant @davehalford22513]

Posted by Martin Kyte on 12/09/2022 18:45:19:

Ground Elder?

regards Martin

No Martin, the stems are all underground with that one.

[Dave HalfordParticipant @davehalford22513]

According to Plant net there's an 18% chance it's a plum.

That being true, spot the nearest Plum / Damson tree and dig a trench about a foot deep (a mattock is a wonderful tool for this) as near as you can get to it. The closer you can get the shorter the trench need to be.

The damn things can sucker 40foot away from the parent tree and will keep it up for more years than we have left to us.

Edited By Dave Halford on 12/09/2022 19:08:59

[Pete RimmerParticipant @peterimmer30576]

I use Plant Net on my phone it has a high accuracy rate from what I can tell.

[TrisParticipant @tris]

It's a plum rootstock sucker, probably quince A. The stump may be long gone but they can run for 30 ft or more.

A mix of glyphosate and diesel or paraffin painted on the cut stumps will get rid of it eventually

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

It looks like a fruit plant by the leaves, others have been more specific. Noel

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Tris on 12/09/2022 21:22:11:

It's a plum rootstock sucker, probably quince A. The stump may be long gone but they can run for 30 ft or more.

A mix of glyphosate and diesel or paraffin painted on the cut stumps will get rid of it eventually

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Interesting, thanks

My only reservation is that, as I mentioned, I have archaeological evidence [sweet wrappers and broken tiles] that at least a couple of these were intentionally planted … it all seems very strange.

The same man planted a front garden hedge of ‘snowberry’ which is running all over the place

MichaelG.

[TrisParticipant @tris]

If the plum/gage trees are still there and you want to keep them then ignore my advice about the glyphosate.

The horizontal root growth you describe is typical of this type of rootstock, and there are epicormic buds along its length. If the scion dies, as may be the case here, then the rootstock will send up shoots along its length. If they radiate out from the wall someone probably had a trained plum which died back, leaving the rootstock to its own devices.

As for the snowberry, if you want to get rid of it I'd cut back and remove the top growth now, cover the whole area in thick black plastic, dug in at the edges, then top that with wood chippings from a tree surgeon. Leave the whole thing a year and it should be gone. On the plus side its roots are a great soil improver

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Thanks again Tris

… it’s rather complicated: I’ve just had some concrete and slabs removed, with a view to levelling the area to the same height as the drive, and using grasscrete [or one of the plastic alternatives] to provide a small area of additional parking. … The monster roots are in the layer that I need to level.

MichaelG.

[TrisParticipant @tris]

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Edited By Tris on 13/09/2022 00:51:12

[TrisParticipant @tris]

Ah, ok, were the roots under the concrete and slabs? Do you need to dig down or build up?

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Tris on 13/09/2022 00:39:10:

Obviously I'm new here and anyone can give out advice on the net, so if it helps any I've been in horticulture since training at Pershore college in the late 80s.

Only recently taken up messing about with metal though 😃

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It was already evident that you had the right background, Tris !!

MichaelG.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Tris on 13/09/2022 00:46:07:

Ah, ok, were the roots under the concrete and slabs? Do you need to dig down or build up?

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Here’s a quick snap of the guys removing the last of the concrete … I will try to find a ‘before’ picture tomorrow.

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By the time they had done this, they had more than earned what I paid them, so [unfortunately] we didn’t even discuss using the digger to remove soil and roots.

Bedtime now … Zzzz

MichaelG.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Here is a ‘just before’ shot … taken when I had lifted some of the slabs and lumps of old concrete:

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The drive is contemporary with the house [built 1963] but the ‘stepped’ concrete extends under the panel fence and is older [and several inches higher than the drive] … it was all a mess, so I had them trim it off parallel to the fence.

MichaelG.

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Edit; __ This crop from that photo shows the levels better:

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Edited By Michael Gilligan on 13/09/2022 08:15:53

[TrisParticipant @tris]

It looks like the source of your suckering roots is in the neighbours garden. I would dig a trench along the fence to a depth of 18 inches and put in a root barrier, builders dpc works well for that. You can then treat the roots on your side without the glyphosate affecting the neighbour's tree.

If you are going for grass in your grasscrete I'd be tempted to take off the topsoil, put down a layer of terram, then backfill and lay the grasscrete. The good news is this is a great time of year for establishing grass from seed

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Tris on 13/09/2022 10:51:51:

It looks like the source of your suckering roots is in the neighbours garden. I would dig a trench along the fence to a depth of 18 inches and put in a root barrier, builders dpc works well for that. You can then treat the roots on your side without the glyphosate affecting the neighbour's tree.

If you are going for grass in your grasscrete I'd be tempted to take off the topsoil, put down a layer of terram, then backfill and lay the grasscrete. The good news is this is a great time of year for establishing grass from seed

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The neighbour’s tree is gone … he has just had the ‘forecourt’ of his converted chapel block-paved.

That’s why there were some good guys with the right machinery readily available when I needed them.

I bow to your wisdom, but I suspect that the original source may have been a tree that was removed when my plot was developed … the roots that extend under the remaining concrete get thinner as they head toward his property.

Busy with the car today, but I should get another look at the roots tomorrow.

Thanks for your continuing interest and advice 

 

MichaelG.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 13/09/2022 11:27:32

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

Hi Tris, I understand the mention of Glyphosate but WHy add diesel ? Noel.

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