Crape Myrtle Roots

I transplanted 4 Crape Myrtles from a flower bed into the yard. The remaining root system is still living and has numerous sprouts about 4 feet tall. I doubt digging these up again will be successful and doubtful they will make adequate plants. How can I rid them from this area? Thank you.

There are products on the market for getting rid of tree sprouts, but if you crape myrtle was more a shrub type, you can use "Round Up" or some generic brand of it on them. Kills roots and all, but must be sprayed on the green shoots, then absorbed. Organcially, you could try straight vinegar, smothering them with heavy black plastic, or killing the root system by keeping a small fire going for an hour or so on top of the plant.

Thank you so much for my *only* reply. These sprouts (more like an individual limb) have no green leaves -- just the brown, 3 foot, tree-like branch popping out of the ground. I thought perhaps I could purchase a liquid, drill a hole immediately next to the branch, pour in, and it might drain down directly onto the roots. It's a real problem due to the fact that I hate killing any little good critters, and there are so many other plants in the same bed. I will give the vinegar a try first; I am a true believe in using organics if at all possible. Thanks again.

I'm not too familiar with crape myrtles, but the root mass will probably send up some sprouts, which will give you more choices to exterminate. IF the one trunk is still green (alive) when you cut it, you could "paint" it with undiluted brush-killer immediately after cutting it, which will absorb into the roots and kill the whole thing. You want to be very careful with any liquid herbicide as some will soak into the soil and "travel" to other plants, killing them too. (Round Up won't do that.) I know there is a product that you use by drilling a hole IN the trunk itself and pouring the granules in the hole, which then do their job. I would imagine that in your area, crape myrtles should be starting to grow by now, although I seem to remember they are slow to leaf out (?).

I purchased Ferti-lome Brush Killer/Stump Killer and will shorten the sprout (limb), paint at the cut site as well as brush the complete remaining limbs. We have had very little rain since December so are in a drought period now. March winds have started early here, so definitely cannot and would not spray. One crape is putting on leaves; the others just look like a 3 ft. tall weed. I have read that the sprouts will never develop into good plants again. Hopefully, it will dry quickly and act as a systemic and not harm the other plants. I gave the vinegar some thought but doubt that will handle it. When I poison fire ants, I put down carpet pads over the poisoned mounds so that wildlife is not harmed. They are my only problem as far as using insecticides, and then they just move the mound. I tried vinegar on them last week; they thought it was a treat. :)

I've read that you can pour a large amount of boiling water on a fire ant mound to take care of the colony.

Good luck with the Ferti-lome. They make good products.

I hope you get some rain soon.