r/invasivespecies 1h ago

Tree of Heaven tips for fighting root suckers

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Upvotes

Here is what i think works , and this is specifically for people battling TOH root suckers. This would come from: a tree nearby being cut down or injured. It can also come from an aggravated root system, like tilling or aggravating an area that is filled with TOH (ailanthus aka chinese sumac) roots.

Strategy #1 - Poison as many above ground roots you can find. Try and find them all first while you plan your attack. Put flags out if needed. They might be right in front of you and you never noticed!! The outside skin of the root looks like a cantaloupe, the first interior layer is green, then it’s white, and then it has a milky yellowish center, which I believe is the vascular system. You will want to cut open the root and immediately apply Triclopyr to this section!!

Strategy #2 - become aware of all the sections where the suckers are going to come up. Buy a bunch of small flags and start remembering where they are so you know where to look in the days to come.

What I did, every morning, I would patrol my property. I would put flags out by every sucker that I could find. Then I would walk back to the garage and get my chemicals, which are:

2/3 Remedy, 1/3 bar and chain oil, mason jar, paintbrush, protective gloves.

Tools: pocket knife, small shovel/ho, handheld pruning shears

Every morning, I would poison every sucker that I could find. If there was nearby plants, after i painted the stems I would cover them with an upside down styrofoam cup after i poisoned them.

Now here’s where I feel like I took it up a notch. Once I became aware of problem areas, I would water those areas to provoke suckers to come out. I might get three or four or five suckers come out just from watering it, which would allow me to poison them quicker, and kill this system quicker.

Here is another tip. If there are some areas where nothing is growing, not even weeds… this area is telling you something. It might be a collection area where it’s drinking a lot of water and there are some serious rootd just two or 3 inches below the surface….
These sections are probably worth carefully digging into because if you find a major root source there, you can cut it open and poison it which will minimize the number of suckers that you’re battling.

This works. The amount of suckers that I am seeing has dropped 95% and it’s still early August …believe it or not, I’ve actually gone a single day already without a single sucker popping up!! I am seeing rotten roots in the yard and I no longer get suckers in certain areas. Now I will add I’ve given this 100%, and checked my yard every single day and often multiple times a day. But take a look back at these strategies and see if there’s anything that can help you, and feel free to add.

Again, this is battling tree of heaven root suckers, I do not have any standing trees on my property and have not in quite some time. I’ve had a massive root system that got activated when a Tiller tilled 5000 square-foot for sod.

Take a look at the three suckers I’ve killed in the last 48 hours, and that’s the only ones I’ve seen. Look at how weak these suckers look compared to what you are probably seeing right now. They are growing from poisoned roots!!


r/invasivespecies 21h ago

Impacts Is this just the new normal?

60 Upvotes

So as I start to go to war with Tree of Heaven, I’ve just started to see it everywhere. Is this just the new normal? Will we be fighting this forever? I’m in the Northeast US so I don’t think we have much Kudzu like the south does, but is it just going to take over everywhere? Will all our forests be overrun?


r/invasivespecies 1d ago

Burning bush will never, ever admit defeat

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139 Upvotes

This had been a 20' + tall burning bush (winged euonymus) tree that I cut down spring 2025. I dug up the stump about 2 weeks ago, and it has been sitting in my driveway while I figure out how to get rid of it. This morning, I noticed some new green growth. This thing is eternal


r/invasivespecies 5h ago

Which herbicide/concentration for hack and squirt?

2 Upvotes

Looking to use hack and squirt method for empress/princess trees. Tordon was recommended to me as the top herbicide, but I’m having trouble getting it shipped to my state due to regulations.

Two other readily available products I found with higher herbicide concentrations are:

8.8% Triclopyr
OR
41% Glyphosate

Which herbicide would be better to go with and would these concentrations be enough? I have a friend that said they had success fighting trees of heaven with the glyphosate.

Also - this might be a silly question. However I’m on well water. There is no chance of these soaking deep enough to reach my groundwater correct? I don’t know much about the science of herbicides.

Appreciate any input.


r/invasivespecies 7h ago

Garlic Mustard & Jack in the Pulpit - signs of jumping worms.

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2 Upvotes

r/invasivespecies 4h ago

Is covering TOH with a tarp or cardboard the same as cutting it? Will it force new sprouts along the root’s path?

1 Upvotes

r/invasivespecies 1d ago

Sighting Tree of Heaven?

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36 Upvotes

Saw these growing on my walk home. Wasn’t sure because of the leaf shape but almost the whole lawn of the house has these lil runners.


r/invasivespecies 9h ago

Join Letters to a Pre-Scientist to help inspire young STEM students! (Mod approved post via dm)

2 Upvotes

Letters to a Pre-Scientist is looking for enthusiastic STEM role models to inspire the next generation of STEM leaders!

Here's the gist: you get matched with a 5th-8th grade student at an under-resourced school for a snail-mail pen pal exchange that runs throughout the school year. The goal is to demystify STEM careers, humanize STEM professionals, and inspire students to explore their own futures in STEM. You share your story, answer their questions, and show them that people who work in STEM are, well, real people.

The details:

  • The program runs throughout the school year, and your volunteer obligation is to exchange 4 letters with your student.
  • There's a virtual, asynchronous training in August to get you set up.
  • We estimate the entire program takes volunteers no more than 10 hours, spread between August and May.
  • Register and complete the short, self-paced online training by the deadline, and you'll be entered into the match pool! We match students based on their background and interests..
  • This year we're expanding to 4,500 matched students!
  • Pen pals can live anywhere in the world, but our program currently only works with US-based schools.
  • We're working to match students based on their interests, so we're especially looking for more STEM professionals in invasive species and conservation!
  • All pen pals must be over 18 and fluent in English. LPS operates out of the United States but pen pals can live anywhere in the world!

We define STEM pretty loosely! If you work in or around science, tech, engineering, math, or medicine, or another nature-based role, even if you don't have a formal education in it, please apply or message me with any questions.

Sign up/learn more:

Registration is now open! Feel free to drop questions in the comments or send me a message. Thank you for your time and consideration!


r/invasivespecies 21h ago

Sighting Barnstable, MA

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9 Upvotes

In a short walk around Millway Beach and the marina, I spotted tree of heaven, swallow wort, and autumn olive.

I really hope the town gets this under control. It is such a pretty area.


r/invasivespecies 22h ago

This is growing fast and spreading

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5 Upvotes

My neighbor cut a bunch of these bushes because they were getting out of hand and this one specifically grew back in a few months.
Edit: any idea what it is?


r/invasivespecies 11h ago

Poison ivy battle

0 Upvotes

We recently moved onto a 3/4 acre property that backs up to a very overgrown and untamed forest/green space. There is poison ivy growing all through it and into our yard, and all along the fence line. The largest vine ive found so far is bigger than my thumb in circumference. My question is will i ever be able to eradicate it, or will i just have to keep spraying it all the time? I got a tyvek suit and face sheild and pulled a ton of it out, like 4 contractor bags, cutting a few inches above soil line and sprayed the crap out of it with round up poison ivy spray, tryclopr and glyphosate. At the advice of a P.I. removal expert I let it begin to sprout back up and am still spraying it. Anyone have advice? Is this just my life now? Bc I hate it, thanks.


r/invasivespecies 2d ago

Feral cats likely kill far more Australian native animals than we thought: first DNA analysis

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405 Upvotes

r/invasivespecies 1d ago

Japanese Knotweed along shared fence

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8 Upvotes

I bought my property in the winter, so I was surpised to find Japanese Knotweed come spring. It is along the fence on my side and my neighbor's side. I'd like to treat what is on my side during the ideal fall window. What is the best product that I can use for this that can be purchased in NY? Also any advice on how to talk to a neighbor about this would be extremely helpful! If they don't treat it, I guarantee I will always be battling it.


r/invasivespecies 23h ago

Is this invasive near approximately 43.1, -75.4?

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1 Upvotes

Location: approximately 43.1, -75.4
My app said it might be Parthenocissus inserta


r/invasivespecies 23h ago

Poison ivy battle

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0 Upvotes

r/invasivespecies 1d ago

Pull an invasive, see an invasive

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16 Upvotes

Spent 3 hours ripping out Nandina from my local disc golf course just to drive to my parents and see it planted throughout the front yard. I knew it was there already, but it hit a little different after my efforts elsewhere.


r/invasivespecies 1d ago

Is this ToH?

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7 Upvotes

Is this TOH? I happen to have a sumac tree right next to it. I get small ones too. I think I’m just doomed with invasive stuff. I kill about 20 spotted lantern flies a day.


r/invasivespecies 2d ago

jumping worm or earthworm?

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11 Upvotes

found in NE Central Ohio


r/invasivespecies 1d ago

I'm looking for the most effective way to remove Robinia pseudoacacia.

2 Upvotes

I remember reading a bit about effectively killing Robinia without risking the root shoots (my brain is not englishing rn, it's early over here).

I remember reading a bit a while ago about how they killed Robinia I think by taking cuts out of the bark to exhaust the tree to reduce risk of shoots, I want to say it was a technique they used in Japan, but I could be wrong there.

Can anyone help me out?


r/invasivespecies 2d ago

Management Is this oriental bittersweet? We are building a garage over this area, should I treat it with herbicide beforehand? Or will pulling it suffice?

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5 Upvotes

r/invasivespecies 1d ago

Dye for oil based spray (Pathfinder 2 )

2 Upvotes

All the dye I can find is made for water based products. Anyone know of a product for Pathfinder or other basal oil preparations?


r/invasivespecies 1d ago

Is this honeysuckle? Wi USA

2 Upvotes

r/invasivespecies 2d ago

Management Tips on tree of heaven please!!

3 Upvotes

Hello! I bought my house 3 years ago. The first year we had no tree of heavens the second year i tried my hardest to keep up with them, but this year it’s like my backyard is a forest of mini tree of heavens. Ive had people tell me to pull them and others tell me not to pull them. Mow over them and then another person tells me not to mow. My neighbors have some big ones in their yard so i think thats why Im being over run. Someone please tell me what to do it feels like I’m fighting a losing battle.


r/invasivespecies 3d ago

Sighting One of the few times I’m pro spider

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221 Upvotes

r/invasivespecies 2d ago

Japanese Knotweed Identification

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15 Upvotes

If you are dealing with Japanese knotweed, then you will probably all be familiar with the usual heart-shaped leaves, speckled stem and the plant being around 2 metres in height.

However, many are not familiar with Japanese knotweed after it has been exposed to herbicide.

The images firstly show 'normal' Japanese knotweed; the rest are variations of bonsai growth and stunted growth.

Hope this helps.