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Texas Gardening

Round up near crepe myrtle?

16 years ago

I have a small bed around a crepe myrtle that is filled with those little pink buttercup looking weeds. I have pulled them up til I am blue in the face and they keep coming back. Would it hurt the tree if I sprayed the bed with roundup? If it is ok to do that how long do you have to wait to dig it out and plant new flowers there?

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Comments (8)

scuba-gal
16 years ago
I usually use a large sheet of cardboard or something simular around thing I don't want to get sprayed...or over-spray on. It always does just fone or me - I'd say go ahead just block the Crepe with something to be safe. Usually I wait a few days before I plant anything else (2 or 3) the Round-up isn't active in the dirt...just on th foliage from my exsperience.
Best of Luck!
Angie
sylviatexas1
16 years ago
I wouldn't spray anything near a crepe myrtle, tree, shrub, or anything else that I wanted to protect.

I know it's supposed to be safe, but if its safety is truly a slam-dunk, why the uproar?

Better safe than sorry:

I'd use the lasagna gardening method of weed management (suffocation):

put down several layers of cardboard, using lots of overlap, & cover with mulch, being careful not to pile it up against the trunk or to cover the flare at the bottom of the crepe myrtle.

Best luck!
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you gotta do.. what you gotta do.. when you can do it ... find large pots [many nurseries have recycle piles].. dig them up ... pot them .. and put them in FULL SHADE.. until the proper planting season ... bloom will probably immediately fail.. but that is not important.. water deeply.. and let near dry in between ... and as noted.. get permission.. do not presume ... the potting media might be important.. if you have a budget for such .... soil in pots can be tricky. but if this is short term.. it will probably work ... i would then plant them.. when day heat falls.. and night temps are cool.. but will defer to anyone in TX as to timing ... ken
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fool4flowers
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for the help. If I do use it I will cover the tree. I weeded it again today and will try the cardboard first.
gnabonnand
16 years ago
You do have to be VERY careful when using RoundUp around desirable plants (although I do not consider crepe myrtles to be desirable plants). But if you are careful to not get the RoundUp on the leaves of the crepe myrtle, you will be fine. Trust me ... you can't kill a crepe myrtle, and I have tried, and tried, and tried. I cut a large crepe myrtle to the ground, and have sprayed RoundUp and brush killer on it when it comes back from the base and from its roots. Absolutely nothing will kill that plant, and it has been years since I cut it down. It keeps coming back non-stop all over that area of my garden.

Randy
fool4flowers
Original Author
16 years ago
Yeah, I believe that. I have another one that is even closer to the house than this one. About 2 ft. I have had to hack it up so bad to keep it out from under the gutter and it only has 2 little blooms. I wish I could get rid of it but its been there about 20 years so I would probably need a small backhoe to get it out. Why on earth do people plant trees under an overhang?
little_dani
16 years ago
You can paint the primroses with roundup in a can or jar. Just use a regular paintbrush, maybe 1 1/2" or 2" wide.

Also, for larger areas, use a paint roller and pan. Pour the roundup into the pan and saturate the paint roller. If you have a long handle for the roller, you have it made.

You can actually pour roundup on the plants and soil under the crepe myrtle. Pouring it on the roots will not affect the plant. It has to be absorbed into the leaves to kill the plant. Weird.

Janie
prettyphysicslady
16 years ago
I use Round up in the bed with my crapes all the time. It won't hurt them any.
fool4flowers
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks. I will give it a week and see if the cardboard killed them. If not I am going to just makes sure all the suckers are trimmed good on the tree and paint it on all the weeds I want gone.

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