Knowledgebase
Control of lilac roots and suckering #762845
Asked July 20, 2021, 3:36 PM EDT
Lilac roots have moved into an area where I do not want them. I did lay weed barrier which curbed sprouting for several years but they have broken through and there are now multiple volunteers occurring in the area. What is the best way to keep this from happening? Can some kind of barrier be installed? Should I cut the roots back when removing the volunteers? Thank you.
Albany County Wyoming
Expert Response
I have to say I am familiar with this situation. Lilacs are known to send up root suckers, or stems that emerge from the ground, usually around the base of the plant but they can emerge further from the parent plant. The best options to deal with those include cutting the stems to the ground, repeating as needed, or digging to remove roots attached to unwanted stems. Digging will provide more of a long term solution but may be challenging depending on how much work is required. Do not spray unwanted stems with herbicide because they are attached to the patent plant and doing so can injure or kill the whole plant.
At least lilacs grow well here. Unfortunately they can become unruly.
Chris
On Jul 20, 2021, at 2:13 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
I think a barrier like that may work to some extent, but over time those roots could grow under and back up on the other side of the barrier. I do think edging the bed will help contain most of the roots. Digging to remove the root and the unwanted volunteers will help keep them from coming back for a longer period of time vs just cutting the stems to the ground which will just grow back. So, edging material and digging is likely the best combined strategy.
Chris
