Plant Identification … please [ Horticultural ]

Here is a ‘just before’ shot … taken when I had lifted some of the slabs and lumps of old concrete:

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The drive is contemporary with the house [built 1963] but the ‘stepped’ concrete extends under the panel fence and is older [and several inches higher than the drive] … it was all a mess, so I had them trim it off parallel to the fence.

MichaelG.

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Edit; __ This crop from that photo shows the levels better:

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Edited By Michael Gilligan on 13/09/2022 08:15:53

It looks like the source of your suckering roots is in the neighbours garden. I would dig a trench along the fence to a depth of 18 inches and put in a root barrier, builders dpc works well for that. You can then treat the roots on your side without the glyphosate affecting the neighbour's tree.

If you are going for grass in your grasscrete I'd be tempted to take off the topsoil, put down a layer of terram, then backfill and lay the grasscrete. The good news is this is a great time of year for establishing grass from seed

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The neighbour’s tree is gone … he has just had the ‘forecourt’ of his converted chapel block-paved.

That’s why there were some good guys with the right machinery readily available when I needed them.

I bow to your wisdom, but I suspect that the original source may have been a tree that was removed when my plot was developed … the roots that extend under the remaining concrete get thinner as they head toward his property.

Busy with the car today, but I should get another look at the roots tomorrow.

Thanks for your continuing interest and advice 

MichaelG.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 13/09/2022 11:27:32

Hi Tris, I understand the mention of Glyphosate but WHy add diesel ? Noel.

You might want to call in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Makes a solution that can be painted on without too much runoff, and penetrates bark better. You can buy a forestry adjuvant that will do the same thing at huge cost

Adjuvant!!! My new word of the week.

Dave

Following on from the mention of tree stump killer - if you use a dilute solution of this in a plastic bottle and immerse the end leaves/shoots of ground elder, bind weed and brambles etc they merrily drink the solution and very quickly die back to the root. The immersion is more effective than just painting weed killer on.

Providing you don't want anything else to grow (e.g. pebble driveways) then a solution of salt and white vinegar is very effective.

Things took an exciting turn today …

Digging out some tree roots in the same general ares … I suddenly found this:

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[ follow the trowel ]
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I have asked the Water company for confirmation that this is my incoming Water supply pipe.

… it lines-up with the meter cover on the pavement, but it’s black and only buried a few inches deep

MichaelG.

How that survived the concrete removal is astounding! I've managed to go through one with a spade chopping roots out before so well spotted. Good job you weren't at it with a mattock

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Thanks

Good job I didn’t ask the guys to remove some soil and roots with that digger !

… Something told me that the extraction might need to be ‘surgical’

MichaelG.

[ Progress Report ]

It’s not over yet :

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MichaelG.