Tree of Heaven

Do you have a plant like this growing in your yard? 

Look carefully at the close-up of the leaf structure, as the plant itself—“tree-of heaven”— can take on various forms, ranging from a low, bushy shrub to  treelike, depending upon whether or not the plant has been pruned and  allowed to grow to its mature height of 10-15 feet. 

Tree-of-heaven (TOH), sometimes referred to as “tree-from-hell,” is a rapidly  growing invasive plant species, not native to New Mexico and immensely  destructive to our beautiful indigenous vegetation. If it is pruned and kept from  running rampant through your yard, it can actually look attractive. However,  TOH is a prolific seed producer that can—and has—spread like wildfire  throughout the City of Albuquerque and into our beloved Bosque. Left to  itself—as, for example, it was on the northeast corner of Tramway and Indian  School—it creates dense thickets that crowd out all other native vegetation  and are impossible to walk through, as it is doing in the Bosque. So the TOH  plant that may look good in your backyard is a serious threat to every square  inch of vacant soil in the City. 

If you have such a plant in your yard, please try to remove it as discussed  below. If your neighbor has TOH in his/her yard, please let her/him know that  TOH is a threat to every other plant in his/her yard, as TOH spreads rapidly and  puts out a toxin that kills other plants that try to germinate nearby. And, of  course, it may spread to your yard as well, something that you REALLY don’t  want. 

TOH can be killed, though it may prove difficult. First, it is NOT recommended  that you simply try to dig it out, especially if it is well-established with multiple  shoots. Any remaining roots left after digging will simply send up new

growth. Cut the plant(s) back to a leaf-free stump of a few inches or so, and  literally “paint on” RoundUp™ (or a generic equivalent) concentrate — a  commercially available, systemic herbicide which nominally has no “ground  action”– all over the stump. It may actually take several such treatments over  a period of a growing season or two to have the desired effect. Once you  are SURE that the plant is dead and no longer sending out new shoots from  viable roots, then you may dig out the stump and such roots as you can track  down. 

Small, just started plants can be yanked out or sprayed with properly diluted  RoundUp™ or generic. It may take a couple of applications. 

Thank you for your vigilance! 

Contact me with any questions 

Dave Zeuch 

dhzeuch@comcast.net