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It's a weed that grew to a fully fledged tree and our garden is so small, it just cannot stay.

We were rather naughty and just left it growing and growing because at first it looked nice and also the birds loved it :-[  Before we realised, it became humungus and out of hand!! As high as the upstairs windows and spreading over into next door's garden (our buddleia already does that too but I think they like the flowers!) Anyway, we've got it all down and shredded but are now left with a very thick trunk, about 2ft out of the ground and I can only imagine how big the roots are! How are we going to stop it from going on and on and on?  My dad gave us the lowdown on how to tackle it, but said it's going to be nigh on impossible to get out of the ground which leads me to ask, is there something we can buy to kill off the roots which is not going to damage anything else?  I know I must sound like such a novice but trees are not my forte!  I am hoping they're someone else's though! :)

Thanks :) 

Sam, there is something that can be bought here that burns it. It sort of just smoulders away till the root is completely gone, I don't know if available there but this is good because it kills the big tree roots after people have felled a tree.Myabe you can find out.

XX Jeannine

Drill holes & fill them with wee. Top up as often as possible and it will rot. Don't let the neighbours catch you though!

Don't laugh. Could you turn it into a seat ;). I said don't ;D ;D ;D.

Or hollow it out and plant geraniums in it XX Jeannine

Thres various ways you can do it.

The basic plan is to drill a one inch hole down the trunk a fill it with something nasty that will kill the heartwood, you can try neat glyphosate weedkiller,  sodium hydroxide, neat antifreeze, a teaspoon of sodium chlorate (if you can find any). Even Copper Sulphate or battery acid might do it, depending on what it is.

Any good ?

  http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A4643462     :P

theoretically...........

if you spent about a week keeping the hole topped up with glycerine, let it dry then spent another week dripping molar nitric acid in, there would be a slow reaction and cellulose trinitrate would form, replacing the timber fibres. All you have to do then is let it dry out, and hitting the stump with a large sledgehammer should create a large enough explosion to blow it to pieces...............

Wow, would you like me to send you the slow burn one XX Jeannine


oops sorry it has been banned it was called Stump Remover if you want to look it up there

??something nitrate XX Jeannine

There are several Glyphosate preparations which will kill the stump. For getting rid of the stump I always used either Sodium or Potassium chlorate.  Although these are now banned for horticultural use both are still manufactured in  this country for other purposes and a search of the web will give details of suppliers.

An alternative is Potassium Nitrate (still available as a fertilizer), used as a strong solution poured into holes drilled in the stump and allowed to dry for several months - then light a fire on top of it and it will burn away.

Drill good size holes in the stump and fill with Deep Root.I've done it to a few in my garden.

Quote from: Amazingrotavator(Derby) on August 04, 2010, 16:33:59
Drill good size holes in the stump and fill with Deep Root.I've done it to a few in my garden.

agree  :)

What kind of tree SL?  Some trees are buggers for re-growing whereas you can kill others but cotting the main trunk.

But at the end of the day if you want rid of the trunk you'll have to get someone in with a stump-grinder, or else it's a lot of graft with a pick axe.

Deeproot will certainly kill the stump - it`s Glyphosate - but it won `t rot it or make it disappear.

I would also cut out all the branches keep on top of any leaves that appear as these help the plant recover, dig out and cut as many roots as you can reach and leave it exposed with no soil to let it drink.

it may be long job but eventually youll get there.
good luck
x sunloving

ps leave enough of a thick branch on it to use to rock it when you remove it something you can easily grasp at around 3ft height.

If it's not too big you can tie black plastic over it to kill the shoots. If it's massive you can make a garden feature out of it.

Thanks for all of the helpful info, everyone.  I will show my OH when he gets back from his trip (what, you didn't think I was going to do it, did you? :P ;D) My parents also suggested making it into some kind of garden feature rather than spend the time trying to remove it and it's a possibility for sure seeing as the entire back garden is being re-done.  Anyway, thanks again and I'll let you know how we get on (and by we, I mean my husband ...)  :)

Quote from: lincsyokel2 on August 03, 2010, 23:15:07
theoretically...........

if you spent about a week keeping the hole topped up with glycerine, let it dry then spent another week dripping molar nitric acid in, there would be a slow reaction and cellulose trinitrate would form, replacing the timber fibres. All you have to do then is let it dry out, and hitting the stump with a large sledgehammer should create a large enough explosion to blow it to pieces...............

I love it.... are you an explosions monster in the making lincsyokel?

Quote from: rog_pete on August 08, 2010, 10:44:40

Quote from: lincsyokel2 on August 03, 2010, 23:15:07
theoretically...........

if you spent about a week keeping the hole topped up with glycerine, let it dry then spent another week dripping molar nitric acid in, there would be a slow reaction and cellulose trinitrate would form, replacing the timber fibres. All you have to do then is let it dry out, and hitting the stump with a large sledgehammer should create a large enough explosion to blow it to pieces...............

I love it.... are you an explosions monster in the making lincsyokel?

I was when i was a lad   :P

I spent several summers around the age of 13 years old experimenting  with making various explosives and fireworks, with absolutely no regard to personal safety   :o

Not to mention the 18 million volt Tesla Coil we built, and the Van de Graff generator from an old TV line output stage............


My survival to school leaving age was purely down to luck and an A level in chemistry and physics .

8)