Although vinegar trees provide beautiful shade and create magnificent autumn accents, the trees should be planted with caution. Their intense need to spread makes them uncontrollable ornamental trees that displace native plants. Eradicating the bushes is time-consuming and energy-consuming.
How to successfully remove a vinegar tree?
To effectively remove a vinegar tree, root shoots and rashes should be torn out, the tree and rootstock removed, the root network in the area destroyed and large populations restricted. These measures must be carried out consistently in order to combat the plant permanently.
How to fight the vinegar tree:
- Pulling out root shoots and rashes
- Remove trees and rhizomes
- Destroy root network in the area
- Restrict large stocks
Pulling out root shoots and rashes
Destroy all young plants regularly. Carefully pull root shoots out of the ground so that as much of the root as possible is pulled out. You can pull the root runners out of the ground with a joint knife (€14.00 on Amazon). These measures must be carried out consistently over two to four years so that the mother plant is weakened and no longer produces new shoots.
Remove trees and rhizomes
Fell down the tree and dig up the stump and rootstock. The root system of the main root can reach up to two meters deep into the soil. If you are unable to dig out, saw off the stump near the surface. Cut deep grooves in the wood and fill them with compost. This measure accelerates the rotting processes. You should avoid eradication using Roundup products, as this chemical control is not promising and pollutes the environment.
Destroy root network in the area
The shallow lateral roots creep through the upper layers of soil. Remove the soil within a ten meter radius of the vinegar tree in layers to a depth of at least 30 centimeters and remove all root parts from the substrate. Before you reapply the removed soil, you should sieve the substrate thoroughly. New vinegar trees can grow from small pieces of roots. If necessary, you must repeat this measure after two to four years.
Restrict large stocks
To combat an extensive population, you have to cut down the trees from the outside in. The roots are promoted by felling the trees, so that they sprout more. Pull out the root shoots with the root system as far as possible. This way the core zone will get smaller every year until you can finally kill the mother plant.
