By Daphne21
United Kingdom 
My husband cut down a 10 year old populus alba last October, unfortunately he found it difficult to remove all the root and filled in the hole with soil. We now have a problem with root suckers coming through our lawn. If we go back to the main root and remove it completely, will this solve the problem? Would appreciate any advice on this problem. Thanks
Zephyrin (Telscombe Cliffs)
24 Jul, 2011
Answers
Suckers may continue to come up, though. I would keep pruning shears, a small artist's paintbrush, and a bottle of SBK handy. Whenever suckers show, cut them of just above ground level, and immediately paint the cut surface with the SBK, trying not to dribble it on the ground. That will kill the underground portion of the sucker, and part of the root to which it is attached. After a year or two of that treatment, the remaining roots will die of starvation.
24 Jul, 2011
It might resolve it and it might not - sometimes the suckers, if they're large, develop a root system of their own, but certainly the main roots should be removed.
24 Jul, 2011