Question
I have had 2 Cotton Wood trees removed- they ground down the stumps. Now I had new grass put in the yard and now I seedling (saplings) are coming up all over the new yard.  Help what to do?

Answer
Annie:

Yes, cottonwoods sprout aggressively and often.  They are members of the poplar family and the Eastern Cottonwood does that well.

Unfortunately, the grass may be a sacrifice to solving the problem.  I would hire an arborist to sort this one out.  Try for a member of ASCA, the American Society of Consulting Arborists.

The solution may be a 2-4D variant, but, given the nature of the problem, I doubt that any ag agent has the experience to advise on this issue.  There are some combinations of 2-4D and additives which work well on woody perennails like trees, but cottonwood is very aggressive and persistent.  Dosage to treat the sprouts and remaining roots will probably hurt the grass.

Sorry, I have no easy answer for this one.  You can try the herbicides.  Call an ag agent for a woody perennial spray and be ready to repeat applications many times, if you decide to do it yourself.  I would stand by the advice of an ASCA member.

Best wishes.