Suggestions for dealing with Aspen tree shooters? 19 posts by 12 users

Posted: 07/01/2009 at 04:02PM

What is an aspen tree shooter Josh?

Posted: 07/01/2009 at 08:30PM

I think that's about all you can do. Aspens provide a nursery for pine trees. After a fire, aspens pop up first, then pine grow in the environment they produce. In 20 years or so, the aspens die off, and the pines take over. The shoots aren't really separate trees. They're all part of the same tree. They're really not native to Denver, but grow only at higher altitudes. But I'll admit I have a batch in my yard. Since they're right next to the driveway, I use the "run over them with the truck" to keep the shoots in check.

Posted: 07/01/2009 at 09:42PM

It sounds like one of your Aspen trees is dying. From what I have read these shooters come up quite often from a dying tree or from one of the roots that were damaged.

Here is just one suggestion I found about "controlling" these shooters.

When I mentioned to a neighbor last fall that I seemed to have a hopeless problem trying to get rid of some thistles that kept coming up in my front lawn in spite of everything I had tried to get rid of them, she said her husband used Weed B Gone on them and other weeds in their lawn. Well, I decided to give it a try this year—and since the aspens coming up in my lawn qualify as weeds also, I tried it on them—and it seems to be working! Actually—knock on wood—the Weed B Gone seems to be getting rid of the aspens surprisingly easily. There are always more coming up since my entire front lawn is "infested" from the neighbor’s dying aspen, but I just keep a pressure sprayer around with the mixed solution in it, and every other week or so—whenever I notice some of them—I get it out and spritz them.Thank goodness! They look SO bad since they grow faster than the grass and are always sticking out all over before I cut the grass again and making the whole yard look really ratty.

Posted: 07/01/2009 at 10:02PM

NO. If you read up on weed B gone it is most effective on broad leaf things but does nothing about the roots itself.

Grass is a narrow shoot or "leaf" so it will not hurt the lawn at all.

The best way to get rid of a dying Aspen is "girdling".

Several different methods are discussed on this site
http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/chf/outreach/VMG/qaspen.html

Posted: 07/02/2009 at 04:20AM

Mike - Thanks for giving me a good laugh this morning!

Posted: 09/05/2009 at 10:24AM

They will spread out anywhere there is water. That means they aren't too much trouble here in the desert. I just don't water where i don't want them.

I just mow the ones in the lawn.

Unfortunately, one tree has discovered my fruit orchard, which gets lots of water. I cut the saplings for awhile, and now I'm spraying them with Round-up. Unfortunately, I expect it to kill the mama tree. It's a beauty and a tree I'd like to keep, but I can't have the aspens taking over my fruit orchard.