newsb wrote:

In article , Janet Baraclough
writes

The message
from newsb contains these words:

You won't do any harm to your own garden or wildlife, pets etc by
applying a systemic root-killer to the sumach stumps. Cover the streated
stump with a tied-on plastic bag if you want. It will save yourself (and
possibly, your neighbours) a great deal of hassle. Some people have an
allergic skin reaction to sumach shoots, so it's not a plant whose
suckers you want to inflict on neighbour's garden.

Despite the fact that the new neighbours have inflicted their young bird
catching cat on us, a good point - although the existing suckers are
restricted to our garden atm. I don't have a major issue with using
appropriate chemicals in closely defined and considered areas - but I
was quite prepared to spend a lot of time up-suckering. (There are
loads at the moment - in "lawn" and beds - I guess they will increase
once the main trunks are shaved).

That said, I don't want to do it. Having chased sumac root before when
upsuckering, they go all over the polace and always end up with a root
that is either too big or damaging to pull up, or the outer skin of the
root slips off, leaving a white very slippery customer.

Whilst not particularly affected by sumac sap, it is horribly sticky.

Don't assume that will always be the case. You can still get sensitised
to it if you are unlucky. Wear gloves. Other members that plant family
Toxidendron include poison oak and ivy and are very nasty (like as in
chemical weapons level irritation) and the Japanese lacquer plant. eg

http://www.ibiblio.org/london/orgfar...n-ivy-exudates

Don't burn the green wood - the smoke is bad news.

All in all then, its good to have been persuaded to cut out all this
future work, pain and anguish

Would glyphosate work on stumps - or does it need something like SBK
Brushwood? (I haven't looked at the latter recently to see what
lingering effects it might have on the area).

I'd be more inclined to use root out which decomposes fairly harmlessly
after killing the roots. A combination of physical removal and
weedkiller is generally the optimum solution.

I'll be sad to see the sumacs go - for a few days in autumn when the
leaves are quite glorious. However, I'll grit my teeth and just have to
put up with being much happier for the rest of the year

I have never had that much trouble with sumac suckering, but was always
careful never to encourage it by disturbing the roots.

Regards,
Martin Brown