How to Kill Hackberry Sprouts in a Lawn

Hackberries (Celtis spp.) are deciduous trees cultivated across U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9, although individual species may have a smaller growing range. These trees are prized for their rapid growth rate and ability to tolerate strong winds, heat and dry soils. Hackberry trees produce small fruits that attract wildlife but potentially become problematic when they fall and the seeds sprout in a lawn. Unless you are absolutely certain that the hackberry sprouts are seedlings and entirely independent, rather than sprouts growing from the roots of a larger plant, you must use mechanical, not chemical, means to treat them.


Pull small seedlings by hand if possible.


Cut the sprout, severing it 2 to 3 inches below the soil surface to avoid leaving a small, hard stem above ground. If the sprout definitely grew from a seed and not the roots of a desirable hackberry plant nearby, you can treat it with a herbicide, if desired. In this case, sever the sprout with a flat, clean cut just above the soil surface.


Brush a nonselective herbicide like glyphosate onto the freshly cut surface of the sprout stump, thoroughly covering the cut surface with the chemical but not using so much that it can run off into the surrounding lawn.


Inspect the lawn area regularly for new hackberry seedlings or sprouts and pull the sprouts or cut them off below the soil surface as soon as you notice them.

Things You Will Need

  • Work gloves
  • Loppers or pruning shears
  • Nonselective herbicide (optional)
  • Brush or similar applicator, if needed


  • Regularly mowing the area of lawn while hackberry seedlings are still small can often provide adequate control of the sprouts.


  • Always use herbicide carefully and according to manufacturer recommendations.

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