How best to kill one thing growing right next to another?

[ning]

I have a willow that refuses all requests to die, growing right next to this fig.

Willows are also growing nearby.

I'd prefer that the willows grow elsewhere, which they already do, but these won't leave.

How can I get rid of them, without harming the fig? Digging and pulling has failed, so far.

 

[David in KY]

On localized applications like this, you could use a small paint brush to apply Roundup to the undesirable plants.

 

[Jstpssng]

On localized applications like this, you could use a small paint brush to apply Roundup to the undesirable plants.

The only problem is that Roundup is systemic so if the roots of the two plants are intertwined it could also kill the fig.
Try stump treating the willow with Lux dish detergent, or a high acidity vinegar.

 

[ning]

So cut it and paint with high acid vinegar?
I've heard of people trying that with blackberries, put a cut end in a jar of vinegar

 

[9973720wb19]

pull it

 

[ning]

pull it

Thanks, I've pulled what I can many times, dug stuff out too.
Keeps coming back.

 

[RayIN]

Ferti-Lome stump killer

 

[ponytug]

If you don't have other willows close by, aggressive cutting will deplete the resources in the root system, but you will need to keep cutting it frequently. Crushing the remaining stem into fibers helps the plant abandon growth at that site.

Have you tried cutting the stems it below ground 2-3", and then covering the local area with a metal can?

If the fig isn't too special, I might try trying to pull the willow, but I think it has real risks to the fig.

All the best,

Peter

 

[ning]

I dug all around that area pulling what I could before putting the fig in. I think there's root system coming from under the slab of a shed about 8' away.

 

[jyoutz]

Cut it and paint the stump with 2-4-D mixed in diesel. It’s unlikely that trees of a different genus would have root grafts. But if the willow is a root sprout from another willow tree, you will kill them both.