Lilacs

[broncosguy711]

Is ther ea easier way to get rid of Lilacs? then pulling them all the way to the roots?

thanks-

Broncs

[Steve Foss]

You can use broadleaf herbicide to spray them out, but if they're tall, that makes it hard to do it well without having the spray drift onto other plants you value. It would take a very still day, and if there are flowers and other plants you like near the lilacs, they'd have to be covered in plastic to avoid drift.

Also, the common lilacs that were planted up until the last 20 years or so ago, and some of the cultivars since then, send up new lilac shoots from the roots when injured or aging, so if you managed to kill the mature lilacs you'd have to keep your eyes out for shoots and spray them as they came up.

And you still will be left with all those twisty gnarled lilac wood trunks, which will need to be cut off at the ground or removed a bit underground to make the place ready to plant grass or expand a garden into. I've had my best luck using chains and a pickup to jerk them out. Leaves some roots behind, and you'll have to spray the shoots as they come with broadleaf herbicde or use a paintbrush to apply roundup to each leaf.

They're a pain. But look on the bright side. You could be trying to get rid of caragana (peashrub). That's REALLY tough!

Good luck.

[broncosguy711]

Thanks. Already did the chore at the old house of yanking out a lilac root once root itself was about 8 x 8. and this other space is probably 8 feet long by about 4 feet deep of them so I am hoping that they are not all tied together but my guess and luck is that they are. I am thinking of moving them in the back of the yard. I can live with that. but right now they are on the side of the yard and in the way.

thanks again.

Broncs

[Hoovey]

While we are on the subject of Lilacs...What is the process for transplanting lilacs to other areas of the yard? I have one large lilac bush and would like transplant it to the back fenceline. There are a lot of small shooters growing up. Would these be the best to try to move or can the larger ones be transplanted easily enough? Thanks.

[BobT]

Also, while on the subject of lilacs, anyone have recommendations for trimming them when they get older and quite large? I was told to cut out the larger main trunks and allow the smaller young plants to grow. Is this good advice?

Bob

[Steve Foss]

Yes, that's what you do. Don't cut out all the old branches at once, unless they are dead, or your lilacs won't do as much blooming, because there are a lot of blooms on the older branches if there's still life in them.

Depending on how many bushes you have and how big and old they are, just cut out two or three of the biggest, oldest branches each year until the whole bush is younger. But I don't cut out lilac branches that are alive unless they are very old, very twisted and gnarled and dont have many leaves or flowers. Dead ones you should but out right away, which will help you get a good look at what's left.

[fishinchicks]

We have a row of lilacs that are maybe 50 years old. They are mostly old, dead branches, but still have some flowers in the spring. It was recommended by our nursery guy to cut them down to about 6 inches, and let them regrow. What time of the year is best to do the cutting?

[Steve Foss]

If you're just going to zap everthing down to six inches, I'd wait until the leaves are off in fall or before they bud in spring. That way, you'll get a full growing season after pruning.

Common lilacs are virtually impossible to kill off by mowing them down once they have old root systems, so that's not an issue. But they will look ugly for years, and won't give you great flowering displays for several years.

You'll continue to have flowers on the lilacs if you take a different approach. Next spring, cut a few selected and spaced out old trunks off at the ground or close to it. I'd take out about 1/4 of the total. Then, the spring after that, take out the next 1/4, and so on from year to year. That way you'll have some of those wonderful smelling blooms the whole four years you're pruning out the old wood. And with any luck, by the time you're done with the four-year cycle, you'll have some blooms, or will only be a year or two away, from having blooms on the stuff you cut first.

[Powerstroke]

I think stfcatfish has put some great info here about reguvination (sp?)and regeneration.

To reguvenate you want to selectively thin the plant starting with the oldest largest branches. Things to consider is not changing the overall shape of the plant or making large holes in the structure. His method of taking 1/4 at a time is perfect. Never take more than 30% at once. IOW, you can do it in 3 years if you're looking to reduce the overall size, but if you want to be gradual, quarters is perfect.

Regeneration is exactly that. You mow them to the ground up to 6" high and watch them grow back. If yours have gotten out of hand and you want to start over, they will grow back quickly, but at least they are easier to develop and prune when they are smaller.

And finally to deal with the original poster's question. If you don't want to yank out roots to finish the job, you can use a stump applied herbicide to the cut stumps. Brush-be-gone is a good product, so is anything containing Garlon. Applying this to a stump at a 4-6% mixture will take of anything including buckthorn. I make the mixture and put it in a squirt bottle like for windex or something. Then you spray the stump as soon as you cut it. Make especially sure you get the outer ring of the stump. This is where the product will be absorbed.