Tree defoliation on the QT

[Mungler]

Now if I was to put a post up about a tree which not on my property that was a problem and that I wanted it gone on the QT (usual stuff about copper nails I have heard) but was say looking for something that couldn't be traced and was localised (not like a spray for example) then that would be silly because that would just be plain old criminal damage and very naughty.

 

So lets say I have a tree on my own property which the missus wants to keep and which I want gone. Now to recap, I own this tree because it's on my property, but I want it killed off on the QT so as not to upset the wife. Thus I can't just chop it down. Also the tree is in the middle of a lovely flowerbed and so using any form of herbicide is not going to work unless there is a way of administering it to the tree and the tree alone. There is no rush and so sorting the tree out over the course of a year etc would not be a problem.

 

So, what’s the best way?

 

The tree in question is a sycamore tree.

 

Ta very and ta very to NJC for the memory jog off another post.

[ME]

Now if I was to put a post up about a tree which not on my property that was a problem and that I wanted it gone on the QT (usual stuff about copper nails I have heard) but was say looking for something that couldn't be traced and was localised (not like a spray for example) then that would be silly because that would just be plain old criminal damage and very naughty.

 

So lets say I have a tree on my own property which the missus wants to keep and which I want gone. Now to recap, I own this tree because it's on my property, but I want it killed off on the QT so as not to upset the wife. Thus I can't just chop it down. Also the tree is in the middle of a lovely flowerbed and so using any form of herbicide is not going to work unless there is a way of administering it to the tree and the tree alone. There is no rush and so sorting the tree out over the course of a year etc would not be a problem.

 

So, what’s the best way?

 

The tree in question is a sycamore tree.

 

Ta very and ta very to NJC for the memory jog off another post.

 

Couldnt you send Evil Elvis round to talk to it about fishing ? :unsure:

[logstove]

small drill

small syringe

neat 'round up'

squirt.

 

or a big chainsaw...........

[henry d]

Cut through the bark with a saw completely round the circumference or feign rabbit ring barking with a suitable tool.

[felly100]

A barrow load of honey fungus dug in round the roots.

[pyr8]

the copper nails will work,use panal pins,no visable heads,a centre punch will hide them completly.they don,t have to go in far just into the sap stream.

can you make a hole in the ground to get down to the roots,a crow bar will do,then poor a good systemic weedkiller/brushkiller down,it should be down deep enough not to effect the flowers and the trees roots will pick the poison up.alledgedly.

[Paddy Galore!]

small drill

small syringe

neat 'round up'

squirt.

 

or a big chainsaw...........

deep hole into the heartwood of the trunk,

or strip some of the bark round the base of the trunk.

[Mungler]

Cheers lads keep them coming. Problem with the copper nail is that it's leaving evidence and the soil can be chemically tested after the event.

 

Many years ago I remember my grandad having some copper .22 airgun pellets. Anyone heard or seen of them?

Edited December 9, 2009 by Mungler

[njc110381]

How big is the tree?

[Dunkield]

Someone who should know told me that dumping huge amounts of salt very close to any offending tree will do the job :unsure:

[Mattw]

Beans, beans and more beans,

 

Then let the wind blow it down.....

[felly100]

You could always hug it.

[redfish77]

Tordon 22k /Picloram - good dose of it round the base will make it look a bit sad next year and really dead the year after!!! Be carefull it does stay in the ground for a while

[V8landy]

Take up kite flying, then partake in this new hobby in a storm, but you need to take a leak, so you tie the kite to the tree and it gets struck by lightning :unsure:

[Mungler]

Tree is 40 to 50 feet high.

 

Keep 'em coming. Sad this year gone the next and with nothing left in the soil (?) sounds good

[njc110381]

Someone who should know told me that dumping huge amounts of salt very close to any offending tree will do the job :unsure:

 

 

Yep, that works. It prevents plants from drawing moisture through their roots and it will kill it. You need to carefully consider that option though as it doesn't only kill trees, nothing else will grow there for some time. Look at it this way, how often do you see weeds on a beach (apart from never!)?

 

If the tree is big enough for you to get a ladder against it then climb up it and drill into the top of one of the main branch forks. If it's really big you need to do that over several of them. Drill a hole about an inch round with with a flat bit, preferably six inches or so deep. Fill them with Roundup or another Glyphosate product and then poke something in the top of the hole to hide it and stop the rain from getting in (mud works). There are better chemicals but they smell, Roundup doesn't really smell at all.

 

The pellets you're talking about are H&N coppa points. They're still available. I fired several thousand into my grnadads plum tree an it looked very sick, but it never completely died. That was probably fifteen years ago and the tree is still there.

[Mungler]

Alright, plan forming. Ta for the detail on that last one Neil

[malkiserow]

1, heavy dose of copper sulphate on ground around the roots.

 

2, Pay a tree surgeon to formally tell you that it has a rotten core and is dangerous so must be felled before a high wind takes it, obviously he will want the work of cutting!

[Fatcatsplat]

Take the wife and kids away for a few days, leaving ME in charge of pets and stuff while you're away. Once you're gone he can administer all sorts of deadly poisons to said tree and when you come back to find it dying he can say he forgot to water it - Simples.

[poontang]

Agent Orange :unsure:

[njc110381]

I find the problem with trying to attack the roots is that on a big tree they may span 40 feet or more and the tree doesn't really draw a lot from the immediate area of the trunk. The fine roots are the bits you need to hit but they are spread over a huge area with a tree this size.

 

Copper works, but in oxide form. A nice bright looking nail from the DIY shop really isn't going to do a lot. You can get copper oxide powder on the net but I'm not sure what paperwork (if any) you would need to buy it? Glyphosate is a pretty tough chemical for plants. It breaks down an enzyme that they need to feed and survive so in time it's deady. That's why plants take some time to die after they've been treated, they have to starve before they look any different. That's also why it's pretty much inert to wildlife and humans. Because we don't have that enzyme it's harmless to us. You can pretty much drink it I think (although I wouldn't recommend it).

[Yorkshire Pudding]

I find the problem with trying to attack the roots is that on a big tree they may span 40 feet or more and the tree doesn't really draw a lot from the immediate area of the trunk. The fine roots are the bits you need to hit but they are spread over a huge area with a tree this size.

 

Copper works, but in oxide form. A nice bright looking nail from the DIY shop really isn't going to do a lot. You can get copper oxide powder on the net but I'm not sure what paperwork (if any) you would need to buy it? Glyphosate is a pretty tough chemical for plants. It breaks down an enzyme that they need to feed and survive so in time it's deady. That's why plants take some time to die after they've been treated, they have to starve before they look any different. That's also why it's pretty much inert to wildlife and humans. Because we don't have that enzyme it's harmless to us. You can pretty much drink it I think (although I wouldn't recommend it).

 

 

Njc

 

You are correct about Glyphosate (the active ingredent of round up ) It is safe to drink , undiluted . Although i myself would not recomend it , nor try it . I'd sooner have a pint of lager .

Glyphosate , is not harmfull to humans or animals , i can remember spraying some water ways to kill "pond weed" for a local spray contracter , who used to subby for the council and local water authoritys .

 

all the best yis yp :unsure:

[badshot]

Honey fungus is working it's way round my farm killing all the willows slowly. Normally takes a year or two after seeing the first signs of infection. Not sure if sycamore is susceptible to it though, some trees seem to be immune to it.

 

Try to imitate the way a squirrel chews the bark round a tree they wreck no end of trees in the woods. Once it is dead then it would be deemed dangerous at that height. I am sure you could find the appropriate moment to "notice" the attack and maybe even shoot/trap a squirrel to prove it.

[paulf]

I used copper panel pins on a horse chestnut March this year and by september it was looking sick, it ought to be a gonner by next year and I only used about 10 !

 

If you can dig a spade depth of soil away from the base of the trunk then drill a 1" hole or two at a downward angle and fill with roundup or sodium clorate, put the turf and soil back and no one will know.

[paulf]

Squirrel damadge is common on sycamore as mentioned!!!

 

a small hand axe will creeate the look nicely

Edited December 9, 2009 by paulf