Plant growing thru/under front wall


  #1  
Old 01-12-20, 11:20 AM
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Plant growing thru/under front wall

Hi all,

We have just bought our first house and have a low front wall with a plant growing out from under it. The plant is so deeply embedded and strong that it is pushing up the entire wall! Any suggestions as to how to tackle it?

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Last edited by PJmax; 01-12-20 at 04:10 PM. Reason: resized pictures

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01-12-20, 04:02 PM
Pilot Dane
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I would do the opposite of Marq1's recommendation. Spray the plant with grass/weed or brush killer now. Check back on it a week later and if any still appears to be living spray it again. Once you're sure it's dead then cut off any exposed plant. This way the plant is there and able to carry herbicide to the roots and kill them. After it's dead then cut off the exposed parts of the plant.

If you cut down the plant first you leave live roots under the wall to grow back. You can spray the new growth but it's small and possibly not large enough to carry a killing dose of poison into the roots. The plant could re-grow many times. Each time you spray you give enough dose to kill the top growth but not enough to get the root mass down in the ground.
 
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Old 01-12-20, 01:40 PM
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Plants/trees/whatever have very strong root systems and can be destructive to hardscape items like walk, driveways, walls.

Cut it back and start spraying cuttings with roundup to kill it!
 
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Old 01-12-20, 01:46 PM
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To add to Marq's comment. I would not try to remove the stem or root. At this point it is supporting the wall. Removal will let it collapse. As time goes on as it begins to rot, you can build or insert concrete and re-level it.
 
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Old 01-12-20, 04:02 PM
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I would do the opposite of Marq1's recommendation. Spray the plant with grass/weed or brush killer now. Check back on it a week later and if any still appears to be living spray it again. Once you're sure it's dead then cut off any exposed plant. This way the plant is there and able to carry herbicide to the roots and kill them. After it's dead then cut off the exposed parts of the plant.

If you cut down the plant first you leave live roots under the wall to grow back. You can spray the new growth but it's small and possibly not large enough to carry a killing dose of poison into the roots. The plant could re-grow many times. Each time you spray you give enough dose to kill the top growth but not enough to get the root mass down in the ground.
 
joecaption, XSleeper voted this post useful.
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Old 01-13-20, 09:58 AM
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Thanks, I will update with progress!
 
 

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