Special Gift Offer
URL:
http://www.gardengatemagazine.com/newsletter/2010/02/23/boxelder-bug-3/
Share:

Box elder

By: Garden Gate staff
Don’t be confused — box elder leaves look similar to poison ivy. Both have three leaflets, but box elder leaves are not as pointed.

Click for a foliage detail.

problem solver

Box elder Acer negundo

IDENTIFICATION — Box elder leaves have three lobed leaflets that are somewhat pointed. The stems are smooth green to dark red with a white waxy coating that you can rub off with your fingers. Click to see a foliage detail.

A single or multi-stemmed tree that grows up to 75-ft.-tall, box elder is not good to have in your garden. Winged seeds can sprout almost anywhere and new trees can also sprout from the shallow roots, which make it hard to grow anything nearby. In addition, its weak wood breaks easily in storms.

FAVORITE CONDITIONS — Box elder is not picky. Any place in full sun to part shade with moist, even wet soil is fine. It readily adapts to almost any conditions except deep shade or very dry soil.

CONTROL — Pull seedlings if you spot them when they’re young enough. This is the best method in areas where you can’t dig or spray, such as in ground cover beds.

Spray young sprouts in open, mulched areas with nonselective herbicides, such as Roundup® Poison Ivy & Tough Brush Killer Plus. Always follow the label directions, but you usually apply these products to actively growing weeds in spring or summer.

Digging is the preferred method in beds where spraying a herbicide would be risky for the other plants. Plus, unlike spraying actively growing weeds, digging lets you get rid of box elder any time you can push the shovel into the soil.

Once box elder gets too big to dig, you’ll need to use a saw to remove it. Then dribble or brush on a systemic stump killer around the edges where the sap is flowing. It’s absorbed into the wood and kills the roots.

Published: Feb. 23, 2010
Share:
Tags:
  • None
GDT Notes Ad_Garden Idea SIB_zone5

Product Recommendations

Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work in the garden. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.

GDT Ad_Garden Organic_zone6

Also in This Newsletter


GDT Free Issues zone7and11 Mobile_Spring
Last Week’s Newsletter

February 16, 2010

Kitchen basket

Florists, supermarket floral departments and even home improvement stores stock live plants year-round these days. But their color really packs a punch when the view outdoors is dreary.

Crown vetch

Crown vetch grows up to 2 ft. tall. It has a dense, sprawling habit with stems that can be 5 to 6 ft. long.

GDT Free Issue zone15 Spring