Question… I’ve got some citrus trees planted next to a parcel of undeveloped land that’s filled with oak trees. These oaks are sending runners underground that are sprouting in the drip zone of my citrus trees. I pull them on sight but they keep coming and I’m afraid that they are getting the lion’s share of the water and fertilizer that I’m putting down for my citrus. Any suggestions as to how I can deal with this invasion?

Thanks and best,

Skinn30a

cut down the oak.

Wish I could cut them down Adriano but I don't own the parcel next to me. These thngs are invasive as heck! I'll pull one shoot and then then they'll be two more the next time it rains.

And if they are live oaks they are protected. Not a lot you can do besides continue to cut the roots back.

They are not live oaks but some kind of scrub oaks....

Are they on a vacant lot ?

Yes, it is vacant and will stay that way.

Drill a hole in one of the main roots & pour some stump killer in it.

10-4. From what I can tell, there's not really a main root. I might try and brush some on the shoots as they come up. I just dont want any to get on my citrus tree roots.

Are you sure they are shoots from roots?
In the UK oaks do not send up suckers - though they are almost certainly a different species of oak from yours. But they do produce plenty of seedlings from acorns - often buried by squirrels. The best control is to collect and remove fallen acorns in autumn (=fall).

Live Oaks will put up suckers.

I like Darkman's ideas. In the past, I have rented a trench digger a run it around my garden to cut off intruding roots.

Thanks for all the replies. I ended up trenching my property line and installing a barrier of pressure treated 2 x 6's to keep new roots at bay. so far, so good. I'm not sure what kind of oak tree they are but those things are aggressive! I wish my the roots from my citrus trees grew that quickly!

Post a pic if you can!

Thanks for updating. It is appreciated.

Update... my little barrier worker for a little while but the the runners started to come in underneath it... That said, I've defaulted to plan B which it time consuming but works well.

I purchased some herbicide by the name of Brushmaster - bad medicine for stuff with woody stems or broad leaf grasses. Folks mix it with hort oil or diesel and spray to keep their fence rows clean. This stuff also hangs around in the soil for a time and effectively keeps new growth at bay for a couple of months post application. They also use this stuff to kill trees - instructions for that are to make two notches in the tree bark, one below the other and apply a mix to the top notch. The 2nd notch catches the overflow.

Whenever I have an oak sprout come up, I clip it off 1/3rd of the way down from the top and dab some brushmaster/hortoil mix on the wound with a q-tip. This stuff goes to work fast - within 48hrs the little oak sprout is black and whithered. I let it remain there for a week or so with the hope that the poison will continue to work it's way back to the main runner and kill it. I then clip the shriveled remnants close to the ground and remove them to the trash before they tip over and possibly contaminate anything else.

So far, so good. they come up other places but not where a previous one has met it's demise.