Please ID bush that's taking over + advice on removal

[jgund]

I am completely new to yardwork and you'll see in the following pictures that we haven't been spectacular at yard upkeep. This bush has been trimmed down significantly before, although I'm sure it wasn't often enough. The bush is completely out of hand again and is taking over the back yard. Can someone please help ID what the bush is and how to remove it permanently from our yard? We would like to plant grass seed in the area once it's gone.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/33937061@N06/3665775086/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33937061@N06/3664973775/

Thanks!

[bewildered_nmsu]

Cut it all the way to the base, then spray it with stump killer. You'll find it at your local garden center.

[cynthia_h]

I'd be wary of "stump killer" as a generic category. Make sure that whichever technique/product you use, it doesn't poison your soil or other, desireable plants. Aerosols can drift through the air or get sprayed on plants you'd rather keep.

If you clear the space and then decide you'd like to grow veggies/flowers there, you'll probably want the assistance of the microbes and earthworms who already live in the soil.

Be sure to read all label instructions *before* you purchase any product. There may be a warning on the label which is a deal-killer in addition to being a stump-killer as far as you're concerned.

I can't ID the plant; plants are often identified by close-ups not only of their leaves, but the structures and spacing of leaves on twigs and branches. Plant ID folks ideally will also want to see close-ups of bark and flowers, too. Your geographic region will also have an influence on which plants are likely to flourish or struggle based on your climate.

It's difficult to identify a shrub without the needed photos or location: members of The Helpful Gardener live worldwide. Are you in the United Kingdom? Canada? U.S.A.?

I hope you find a safe and effective solution to your situation soon.

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[!potatoes!]

vein pattern in the leaves looks like a dogwood of some sort, Cornus genus.

[bewildered_nmsu]

Of course read and follow any instructions on the stump killer label should you decide to use one. Stump killer (used appropriately) won't affect the grass you mentioned planting where the bushes are.

[Haesuse]

stump killer gets a bad rap. it's not nearly as toxic as it is sometimes made out to be. i've been keeping planted freshwater aquariums for 10ish years now, and stump killer is one of my main additives to the water. most stump killers, (and the only one i use) are only 1 ingredient. potassium nitrate. which is fantastic for plants, and is used in tons of different fertilizer mixes.

it is harmless for fish, aquatic invertebrates, and beneficial for plants of all types and shapes and sizes.


EDIT: all info above based on my own internet research from years back, and then from 10 years of experience.

[valleytreeman]

I agree with Cynthia.... you really do need to know what you are dealing with before choosing an eradication method and product. I would be wary of something labeled as "stump Killer" without being able to see what the active ingredients are. Some products may well contain ingredients that do leave the soil sterile for a year or more... (I can relate war stories.) Do read the labels before purchasing. Some herbicides need to be sprayed on foliage, others are intended for cut stump treatment.

I cannot see the pics from this computer, but from what Potatoes says Cornus Stolenifera may be a possibility. As the species identifier indicates this shrub will spread by underground stolons.... and may require repeat treatments or removals. I will take a look tonight from home.

[Haesuse]

stump killer gets a bad rap....

http://www.amazon.com/Humco-SaltPetre-Powder-Potassium-Nitrate/dp/B000NC4Z60/

THIS is what i mean by "stump killer". Pure KNO3. AKA Salt Peter. AKA Stump Killer. AKA Fertilizer.


And this is an article by Michigan State University, talking about how it is readily used in the agricultural industry as a fertilizer for both K and N.

http://www.canr.msu.edu/vanburen/e-896.htm



and here is a website selling it for use in a planted aquarium

http://www.aquariumplants.com/POTASSIUM_NITRATE_p/fert1332.htm




and here i am, 10 years later, with aquariums so lush that i have to prune FAR more often than i'd like, filled with fish that I wish had died 8 years ago, just so i could get new ones.




all im saying is that pure KNO3 aint that bad, in the grand scheme of things.


and we can argue till the cows come home about using chems in a garden, but the quite obvious truth of the matter is that, 100% pure, absolute chemically pristine, potassium nitrate, is one of the MAIN ingredients in homemade compost. potassium nitrate IS stump killer (unless you buy the much less safe, much more nasty versions).


if you handed a chemist a single molecule of KNO3 that came from a lab, and the same chemist another molecule of KNO3 that came from your compost pile in your backyard, he could spend the rest of eternity trying to figure out which was which.... it's impossible.

[valleytreeman]

What I'm saying is that the term "Stump Killer" is very generic and can refer to any numbere of products on the market that may kill plant root systems by application to freshly cut stumps.

I appreciate the links you have provided... especially the MSU link (my brother is an alum of the horticulture program there.) HIt is a very good primer on fertilizers. However I failed to find any reference to Ptassium nitrate as a stump killer. Nor did I see anything in the Amazon ad for salt peter relating to herbicidal properties. I must admit I didn't visit the aquarium site.

I suspect that potassium nitrate is useful as an agent tp romote rapid decay of dead stumps, but I fail to have ever heard it used for outright killing of live stumps.

That said I just visited the photos and do concur that the plant is one of the shrubby type dogwoods... perhaps silky dogwood or gray dog wood. Like the red stem dogwood they are stoneniferous. I would suggest cutting them at or near the soil line then plan on treating the reprout growth when it gets to approximately 2 feet tall. Their current size is too large to effectively deal with with herbicides. Bringing them to a more manageable size would be preferrable as you will havve a great deal more control over what ever chemicals you use.

There are some products suitable for cut stump treatment, but they are quite expensive and somewhat potent. As i said above be aware of what you are using in advance of using it. Read the label

[Haesuse]

What I'm saying is that the term "Stump Killer" is very generic and can refer to any numbere of products on the market that may kill plant root systems by application to freshly cut stumps.

yep. that's why i clarified, as well. turns out i didn't mean "stump killer" so much as i meant KNO3.