The best methods on how to permanently get rid of lilac growth on your property

Lilac is a shrub that is prone to growing when unfavorable factors appear. The root system of the plant is capable of spreading over considerable distances, producing young shoots. Not all varieties of shrubs produce shoots, and an already invaded area can be cleaned without much difficulty. There are different ways to quickly and effectively get rid of lilac growth; each gardener can choose the most convenient one.

Why does lilac grow shoots?

It is easier to deal with growth if you know why it appeared. Lilac profusely produces new shoots when exposed to unfavorable factors.

Poor planting site

Lilac actively produces shoots if the place of growth is uncomfortable for it and threatens with disease. This is how the plant tries to preserve itself if the mother bush dies.

Insufficient deepening of the root system

In shrubs that are not deep enough when planting, the surface roots suffer from a lack of moisture in the upper soil layer and begin to actively produce shoots. The solution to the problem is to deepen the roots. You just need to add soil to the area around the plant.

Different types of bush damage

A slight injury to the trunk is enough for the bush to begin to actively produce shoots. When bark and wood are damaged, the circulation of nutrients in tissues is disrupted. The root system, trying to save the above-ground part, starts the process of rejuvenation of the plant by releasing numerous shoots.

What harm can it cause?

Uncontrollably growing lilacs can take over the entire area in a few years. Each year, lateral roots produce several offspring, which can appear at a distance of several tens of centimeters from the trunk.

A 50-year-old bush covers an area with a diameter of more than 10 m.

Gradually, the shoots begin to produce offspring, and the captured territory expands even further. It is impossible to use the captured area for either beds or garden plantings.

How to get rid of lilac growth on the site?

Some gardeners strive to completely remove lilacs from their plot, others want to leave a beautifully flowering bush, they are not satisfied with just the growth.There are many ways to clean the area: they use chemicals and folk remedies, or remove them manually.

Use of chemistry

To quickly get rid of lilac shoots, strong herbicides are used. Tornado and Roundup will do. However, if the growth is severe, standard spraying with these chemicals is useless.

To be sure to get rid of thickets, treatment at the beginning of the growing season is carried out according to a special scheme:

1. The shoots are not sprayed, but coated with a brush so that the active substance penetrates the plant tissue faster and in greater concentration.
2. If the mother bush is large and its growth is abundant, then you will have to treat the shoots 2-3 times.
3. When the growth of young plants stops, it is advisable to cover the area around the bush with dark material and leave it until the next season.

If you want to get rid of thickets faster, you can use arboricides - chemicals that act on tree and shrub vegetation.

Arboricides are potent substances. It is necessary to strictly observe dosages and use chemical protective equipment.

Manual removal

Many gardeners use a simple and old method of eliminating overgrowth - uprooting the bush. This method is usually used if etching with chemicals is undesirable.

Algorithm of actions:

1. The trunks of the mother plant are sawed off.
2. Each shoot is cut off at the root.
3. Remove the topsoil to expose the roots.
4. Use a shovel to uproot large sections of the root system.
5. They take hold of the lateral root layers and pull them all out of the ground.

Folk remedies and recipes

If you don’t want to bother with a shovel, you can use effective folk remedies:

1. Cover the overgrown area with salt (1 kg per 1 m²). Pour boiling water over it. Cover with roofing felt or other dark material. Leave for a year or two.
2. Cover the ground in the area with fresh manure. The procedure is carried out at the end of the growing season, the soil surface is covered with dark material for a year. Due to the saturation of the soil with organic matter, the plant will begin to actively grow instead of preparing for winter dormancy. The offspring will lose a lot of strength and die.
3. Sodium nitrate works similarly. It is also added to the soil in high concentration at the end of the growing season.

Set of preventive measures

Experienced gardeners share tips on how to avoid lilac growth on your property:

1. When preparing the planting hole, determine the diameter and depth taking into account the installed enclosing screen.
2. The emerging shoots are cut off without leaving stumps.
3. To weaken the shoots and make them easier to remove later, the ground around the plant is covered with a thick layer of sawdust or other mulch.
4. Faded lilac brushes are cut off before they produce seeds.

Are there varieties of lilacs that do not produce shoots?

The vast majority of lilac varieties produce shoots. But there are varieties that are not able to grow:

• Dream;
• Belicent;
• Hungarian;
• Hiawatha;
• Moscow beauty;
• Columbus.

The Monge variety produces insignificant growth. But if planting technology is followed and proper care is taken, growth is excluded.