Help identify invasive plant in backyard

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May 7th, 2020 3:40 pm

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May 6th, 2020 5:28 pm

Elfwood [OP]: Deal Fanatic; Oct 22, 2014; 5208 posts; 3568 upvotes; Richmond Hill

May 6th, 2020 5:28 pm

Help identify invasive plant in backyard

There is small batch of thorny plant that has been growing at the corner of my yard for a few years. I would trim it yearly but never killed it - letting it be since it's not spreading.

Today I noticed similar plants sprouting up (3 or 4) nearby in other parts of my yard. I dug a little to uproot it and.... to my dismay I discovered a network of roots from the plant in the corner.

The roots are about 1-2 foot buried, sized about coaxial cable in diameter, and has a bright yellow coat. They run quite far (I dug out 10 meters on one).

Here are some pictures:

https://ibb.co/z5NtXn5
https://ibb.co/9rN7hCY
https://ibb.co/VqjdZvT

Does anyone know what this thorny plant is? And how can I remove it, root and all?

Is digging out all the roots an option? I think a network of these roots permeate my entire backyard.

8 replies

May 6th, 2020 8:35 pm

kellymisty: Member; Mar 13, 2012; 350 posts; 118 upvotes; Sarnia

May 6th, 2020 8:35 pm

Hard to tell without the leaves, but looks like bramble or wild blackberry. New growth can sprout from lateral roots buried as deep as 45 cm. according to this site. Digging out the root ball completely seems to be the best non-chemical control.

+2

May 6th, 2020 8:47 pm

vkizzle: Deal Expert; Aug 22, 2011; 40496 posts; 28162 upvotes; Center of Universe

May 6th, 2020 8:47 pm

Your backyard is a disaster.lol

+5

May 6th, 2020 9:01 pm

Katedontbreak: Deal Addict; Aug 29, 2019; 1006 posts; 457 upvotes

May 6th, 2020 9:01 pm

Those are native shrubs and important food for songbirds like robins and cardinals. I always leave mine. They commonly grow along fences where the lawnmower misses them. The canes die every two years and new ones sprout from the root. Those 3-4 new shoots that you are talking about are replacements for the old stems dying out and they're not actually spreading. You're supposed to cut the old yellowed straw colored canes and leave the new darker growth every couple years and they wont be messy.

+2

May 7th, 2020 7:24 am

OttawaGardener: Deal Addict; Aug 30, 2011; 3537 posts; 1279 upvotes; Ottawa

May 7th, 2020 7:24 am

Not raspberry. The thorns are different https://www.friendsofthewildflowergarde ... tem300.jpg Could be blackberry.

It is possibly suckers from a neighbour's tree - locust trees have thorns and are notorious for suckering some distance away.

May 7th, 2020 8:25 am

rcmpvet: Deal Addict; Oct 13, 2014; 2837 posts; 2171 upvotes; Just Moved To Somewh…

May 7th, 2020 8:25 am

As said before it is hard to tell without foliage. They look the same as the shoots from my Gogi Berry bush.

#1 - “Don’t irritate old people. The older they get, the less “Life in prison” is a deterrent."
#2 - Are you a Sexual Intellect? /S - What you post in this thread may determine that.

May 7th, 2020 1:56 pm

Katedontbreak: Deal Addict; Aug 29, 2019; 1006 posts; 457 upvotes

May 7th, 2020 1:56 pm

OttawaGardener wrote: ↑ Not raspberry. The thorns are different https://www.friendsofthewildflowergarde ... tem300.jpg Could be blackberry.

It is possibly suckers from a neighbour's tree - locust trees have thorns and are notorious for suckering some distance away.

If it is a black locust, may I have a sucker @Elfwood ?

Been trying to find a seedling on my nature walks but have had no luck. Lucky you.

May 7th, 2020 2:51 pm

OttawaGardener: Deal Addict; Aug 30, 2011; 3537 posts; 1279 upvotes; Ottawa

May 7th, 2020 2:51 pm

Katedontbreak wrote: ↑ If it is a black locust, may I have a sucker @Elfwood ?
Been trying to find a seedling on my nature walks but have had no luck. Lucky you.

If you're in suburbia and plant one, all your neighbours will hate you. They have nasty thorns, and spread far from the mother tree.

+3

May 7th, 2020 3:40 pm

Katedontbreak: Deal Addict; Aug 29, 2019; 1006 posts; 457 upvotes

May 7th, 2020 3:40 pm

OttawaGardener wrote: ↑ If you're in suburbia and plant one, all your neighbours will hate you. They have nasty thorns, and spread far from the mother tree.

All my neighbours have Silver Maples, Norway Maples, Box Elder, Poplar, half dead douglas fir, spider mite infested bare needle spruce, 90% needleless Scotch pines, completely dead Ash trees and all matter of free trees that germinated out of bird poo butted up against my fence. I doubt they would know or care. Black locust is a beautiful tree. I would much rather those than the trees they have which are all dead, half dead or mite and disease infested.

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