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G from Perry, Fl writes

What product and method do you suggest for killing (old growth) Palmetto?

I live in central Florida and have several large areas of Palmetto I want to eliminate. I've sprayed them numerous times with roundup and all it does is spot the leaves. I have one large clump that I cut back and burned but now have the "stumps" 3 to 4 feet long and 8 to 10 inches in diameter growing horizontally along the ground. I drilled holes in the stumps and poured roundup full strength into them. There is no new growth from the stumps but small sprouts are coming up around them. How can I get rid of these tenacious Devils? I'm 70 years old and unable to dig the stumps so I hope that once they are dead they will rot away enough to burn them. Any help or suggestions will be welcome.

Answer:

Typically something that is more of a tree rather than a grass/weed requires a more specific chemical than Roundup. You need to use something like Fertilome Brush & Stump Killer or Crossbow and apply it undiluted to the freshly cut stumps/roots and then use it at either full strength or the highest dilution on any shoots that are coming up around the main stump. This will penetrate further into the root system to kill it out. You may have to cut back new shoots from time to time in the beginning as the Crossbow and Stump Killer products will only kill what has already emerged from the ground, not prevent the new seedlings still below the surface from sprouting up. Over time the stump and root system should die out and eventually break down in the soil.

Answer last updated on: 12/01/2015

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