Getting rid of a weed tree

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Gothichome
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Getting rid of a weed tree

Post by Gothichome »

Manalto, or others, since it’s the dead of winter for us and your talking gardens and the such. Wahen would be a good time to cut down that ugly mulberry tree you identified for me over the summer.
My main concern is the preventing of the dam thing suckering from the roots all over the place. I thought of possibly ringing the tree after it has fully leafed out and then cutting it down next year.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.

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Manalto
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Re: Getting rid of a weed tree

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When I cut down a plant I don't want to resprout, I spray the freshly cut stump with a strong concentration of glyphosate. Roundup is glyphosate but Walmart has a product called Eliminator that is identical to Roundup for a much better price. Since the tree is dormant right now you might want to wait until spring and the tree is actively growing to ensure that the glyphosate is taken up. Also note that you want to apply it immediately after cutting. I can't emphasize strongly enough that the cut must be fresh. Get in there fast because the cambium cells on a tree close up quickly. If you use the glyphosate concentrate, mix it 50/50 with water in a spray bottle and drench the freshly cut stump.

Cutting a ring into the bark (girdling) is a slow way to kill a tree, and may accomplish precisely what you're trying to avoid, that is, stimulating sucker growth. It's a good method when you have a tree that you want to kill and leave in place as a food and habitat source for wildlife. For example, I girdled a big Norway maple at the back corner of my property and the woodpeckers are still hammering away at it 10 years later.

I'm not an advocate of using Roundup or other glyphosate products, but this is a spot treatment and minimizes its presence in the environment.

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Re: Getting rid of a weed tree

Post by phil »

I had a tree in front of my house. it was an ugly mess.. now for the past 10 years it's been sending up shoots. I think it was a crabapple tree..

I thought maybe If I cut the shoots I can shoot some weed killer or something down there, maybe roundup concentrate with a syringe since the shoots aren't big in diameter.

with larger trees what I've done is taken a big drill bit and drilled holes after cutting it as close to the ground as I could. It seemed to work ok with a maple and an oak. I think the holes then fill with water and it causes it to rot. The crabapple is very determined though.

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Re: Getting rid of a weed tree

Post by Gothichome »

Phill, same problem with a locust tree, for four years it has been suckering all over. I keep spraying the shoots with round up but it still shoots up. Although, I must admit I did’t get as many shoots as I did the year before, may be it’s finally starting to rot in the ground.
Manalto, thanks for the tip on Eliminator and the suggestion on timing, I was thinking mid to late summer would have been the time to cut or girdle. My thought are that the tree would be sending nutrients into the roots at that time girdling then would starve the roots for next years growth.

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Re: Getting rid of a weed tree

Post by Manalto »

If you're going to girdle the tree, there is no reason to wait. In the spring, the tree will take up water and nutrients for growth; girdling will interrupt that process. Be sure you clear away enough of the bark and cambium (growth layer) to disrupt the circulatory system of the tree. Note that the process is not immediate; my Norway maple took three years to die. Note also that an evolutionary strategy of trees under stress is to produce a bountiful crop of flowers/fruit/seed. (I was pulling up maple seedlings by the dozens for a few years.) And then there's that issue with suckering. I'm not familiar with mulberry's habits, but there's a chance that killing the main plant will cause suckering from the roots. If you keep cutting them off you'll eventually starve the roots and the entire plant will bite the dust. Be careful with RoundUp/glyphosate; it's not as safe as previously thought (reported).

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