Tree killing poison

Anonymous starts with ...
The Tree and BlackBerry Poison which contains 50g/l Trichlopyr from Bunnings did not work. I need a effective one to kill a big Amla (Emblica officinalis) tree. The trunk is now 16 inches across.

Anonymous says...
Neat roundup is staright from the bottle. 360g/Litre or even better 450g/litre.

Tree and blackberry killer from bunnings is way overated.

I killed my nieghbours 60 foot tall tree like this in 2 weeks.

John.

John says...
I put 4 holes about 500 mm up from the base, solely as it was easy to reach, they holes were about 100mm deep.

The tree died from the top down in a matter of weeks.

pearl says...
Please help - our neighbour has a 60 foot high x 25 foot wide cypress tree planted right on the fence boundary. The roots have invaded and lifted our pavers heading for water and foundations. We have pleaded with them offered to pay half, to no avail. We have just lifted pavers and dug up soil to find large roots running through our property.
My question is: We could cut the roots but that probably wont damage the tree and they will grow again. We woiuld like to use a poison, say Roudup, but wonder if this can be detected by our neightbours?
Any help or info would be greatly appreciated.

amanda says...
or..hope it gets cypress canker real soon... i notice that this causing pine tree death all over town here in the last 2 yrs!

Brendan says...
Hi Guys,
A good tree killer to use, 'Access' & diesel! Just mix 17ml of Access with 1 litre of diesel, spray the trunk of the doomed tree, say 1 metre up to the ground, and that's it. For guava trees, just double the strength (or spray it twice, or both:-)

Mind you, the last time I bought Access, it was $100 for 1 litre :-(

Only problem, you can smell the diesel for days :-(

private says...
if i were you and didnt want to cause too many problems with your neighbours, look into installing root barrier along your fenceline. it will demage the tree, but it will kill the roots on your side and ensure it from growing into your yard again, instalation cost is usually worked on about $80 a metre, it will demage the tree but it usually comes with a guarantee that it can not be penetrated for years. it can usually be installed anywhere within a about half a metre of a fenceline. if you poisoned the tree and they got an arborist in to test the tree, the arborist would confirm the tree had been poisoned, see you guys have already approached them, it owuld be easy to conclude that you guys had poisoned it.

pearl says...
Thanks for your great advice. Dont really want to poison the tree - its just not fair to have your sunlight blocked and pavers lifting to such an extent - I wish they would just do the right thing and remove it.
Thanks again

steph says...
I have been trying to poison, dig up, just anything at all - a mexican coral creeper and a plumbago. I have used blackberry poison and roundup concentrate and also in desparation, neat kerosene. The kero smells but is effective to a certain extent but the coral vine always grows back. This has been ongoing for 2 years now. Any hints please?

au0rey says...
Wow psycloud, I was thinking of planting a persimmon tree in the spot where we used to have our large oleander. We got rid of it like your cousin...not sure but i reckon the silly gardener who did the job did not remove all the roots in the soil.

So i reckon it is not safe to plant anything at that spot??

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Julie says...
Would this apply to all states, or only NSW? My neighbour's five Eucalyptus grandis tree roots have completely taken over my garden and pond.

I don't like the thought of getting involved in a court case though. All he would have to do to fix the problem would be to deep rip along the drive.

Maybe I'll try again - last time I spoke to them (tactfully and politely)the response was 'They're not causing US a problem'!

Brendan says...
Hi Julie,
How about having a 'trench digger' dig a decent trench on YOUR side the fence and place a 'tree root barrier' in the trench.
That should solve your problem :-)

Julie says...
Jimmy, yes, they shade all my fruit trees and veggie garden from midday on. But I am not on solid rock - each block varies. I have plenty of medium sized rocks, but mostly gravelly soil. The old guy who built the house seems to have removed most of the rocks and built walls with them.

Brendan, I did exactly that a few years ago - cost me heaps. The effect lasted about a year, then I guess the roots went under the barrier. Very frustrating! A deep ripper on their side wouldn't kill the trees, though it may have to be done every couple of years. Orchardists round here do it all the time when they are surounded with natural bush.

Julie says...
CJ, I was afraid that might be the case!

Julie says...
Thanks Brendan. I'm not sure cranky is strong enough for how I feel! More like completely p****d off!

HappyEarth says...
Ive killed hundreds of trees as a bush re-generator - its very easy with the right technique.

Best way to kill trees is with pure roundup, a hammer and a chisel. Chisel around the base of the tree leaving a gap (width of chisel)between the next chisel mark. I chisel 3 holes about a 2cm deep into the tree, then fill all three holes with poison, and repeat this until i have gone all around the base. Leaving a gap is important, as is not waiting too long before filling the chisel holes with poison. If you do this you are guaranteed of success.

Rich

Jason says...
I don't know who owns yates but roundup is a monsanto product distributed by yates for monsanto :), they don't make the stuff, only sell it.

I used roundup once around my trees to see if they would grow faster with no grass.... It certainly killed the grass but the trees didn't seem to like it either and didn't grow well that year, worst of all I didn't see a Victorian tree frog for about 3 years when before that they were in every tree.

Everythings come back to normal and the frogs are back (not as many as before) 5 or so years later but it's certainly not a good thing to go and I only used it the once :S most of these subtropical trees have roots basically at the surface and I really think the roundup hit them as well as the grass

Jason says...
It didn't kill any trees but I think it made them a little unhappy, it never gave me the result I thought it would anyway + the loss of the frogs, so I didn't try it again

Julie says...
Rev, did you notice that the post from anonymous re the amla is really old? She/he hasn't been back here since.

I'll be in touch.

Lorna says...
Hey John Mc, I see you want Yacon on your wish list. Been growing it for years and find it great. It is NOT however, as sweet as apples as you believe in your Edibles page. Very crispy indeed, and contain a sugar called inulin. Best used as a water chestnut type texture in stir fries, or refrigerated and eaten cold (very juicy and crisp). Have to peel, as the peel is tart like it contains tannins.
Sounds like you want to lay out a red carpet because someone is famous.....

Lorna says...
Hey John Mc,
I use the vigerous tops for a high protein green feed for my meat goats in Summer when the grass is brown and they need the vitamin E. There is a bit of a side effect of the inulin that the tubers contain. The body apparently does not make an enzyme to digest it, so it goes through the body undigested. Apparently this is good for diabetics since it does not give a glucose spike. The drawback is that it gives everyone I know one hell of a case of the wind! I use the tubers mostly as a refreshing crispy, juicy snack in the garden. They grow under such tension, that upon lifting, they split, which makes them spoil if you try to store them. I just leave them in the ground until needed, and then "bandicoot" the tubers out as I need them.

Steven says...
Does anyone know the best...discreet, way to kill a tree. Ive heard copper nails can be used to kill trees, does anyone know anything about that.

Thanks

Lorna says...
Access is the diesel formulation of triclopyre and picloram and is particularly good for getting rid of trees, especially since you only have to paint the bottom foot or so of the tree trunk. Grazon Extra is the same actives in a water formulation that can be sprayed onto foliage with the same result. Have never known these chemicals to fail at killing trees.

redback says...
drill holes in the roots put in roundup or blackberry tree killer

Nicole says...
I was listening to Sabrina Hahn recently on the ABC gardening show on Saturday morning and she mentioned weed killer with pelagonic acid for killing off plumbago. I am in the process of trying to find some to kill the 'trifid' outside my bedroom.

annette says...
user id 0 forgot to add email

Bob says...
We had a 10m gum in our front yard which had to go . I raised a turf flap & then dug down about 300mm to a horizontal root which was some 10cm thick . Then chiselled out a boat shaped cavity in this root and poured in 30% diluted roundup , placed a plastic bag over the root cavity ( to keep it clean) then soil and the turf flap . Went back a to topup each 3 weeks until the tree began to dry out and die .Tordon is better but not available in NSW.

fruitist says...
Have tried both undiluted Roundup and 25% dilution in the past. I must say the diluted works better. The trick is to apply it AS SOON AS the wound/cut is made.

Does anyone know if HCL (Hydrochloric acic) goes off after a time. I have a bootle bought 5 years ago. In the past up to 2 years ago, when I used it the acid on the tree, I can see vapour and smell the burning. But today I used it, no smell, no vapour.

fruitist says...
The only effective way to kill a tree is to hire a tow truck to pull it out. I pulled out a large Amla, Cauplin Cherry and a Mandarin. Longan, Kwai Muk, Persimmon, Canistel, Chermioya (fina de jeta), Guava are hardest to kill. Suckers keeps growing up at the base of Longan trunk even using Roundup and HCL for 12 years. Persimmon and Guava have suckers from roots at a fair distance from the trunk. 25% dilution is effective with one application on Mata Kuching (a type of Longan) and Acerola Cherry, all large trees with 9 inch diameter trunk.

Mike says...
I have used the blackberry and tree killer for evil regrettably.It doesn't take half a bottle to kill a big tree.I put a stray large root 'on the drip' and the large weedy tree died suddenly 2 months later.Drill 4 to 5 holes around the trunk and squirt in imeediately as you go.Some species are knocked back quickly,some get sick and grow through it but never come good and some need repeated doses to take them out.Root 'flashing' to other trees apparently is rare.The level of collateral threat from the volumes used is minor and even glyphosate and all commercial surfactants are not benign.

Mike says...
Roundup doesn't work well on some species and when drilled/injected.Drill 4 or more deep holes around the trunk and top up a couple of times.

Brendan says...
Fruitist, you'll have to stop smoking that crap!

snottiegobble says...
Try cannabis muffins fruitist, they will be a lot easier on your lungs!
Oh BTW I jumped from 12 to 14 years old because my parents were superstitious!

Brendan says...
Hi Crash, try Elders, Landmark or a farmers co-op.

santosh says...
regarding the tree which had grown behind my house, Now it was coming inside my house, because of that my house wall getting cracked, if you don’t take any action regarding this, then might be after some days that tree will fall down with my wall, & can harm also, I had taken some photo also of that tree and attached with this letter

Raewyn says...
I am in housing unit there is a huge leopard tree behind the fence of the private units behind me. i get all the crap and nuts and am sick of it ...this tree should not be in units...
appreciate what to do ...poisoning it maybe an option.

amanda says...
Yup, agree Rowan. Present a good case to the owners of the units Raewyn (do your homework on the tree...) but if u get busted or suspected of poisoning it - you could be sued etc... :(

Jimmy says...
Of course it kills anything green.

barb says...
we have chopped trees down which i think are ficus how do i kill off the roots and trunk they are very very big.

Thao says...
Is it illegal to poison and kill a tree? We have 3 big gum trees in our garden. We want to cut them down as it's very dangerous for our two young kids when the really big branches fall down. It happened 3 times already and it was lucky that all of us were inside the house. We think about asking permission from council to cut down the tress. Maybe they will say NO :(.

pillips says...
hi, 8mhts ago i had a 80ft caphaloral tree down. drilled 20 hole in the stump and filled with poison. it did the trick, but now i have shoots coming up how do i kill it completely, the stump is still there?

Mike says...
Bunnings tree and blackberry killer is pretty effective and easily available but it is expensive.Stray roots from overhanging neighbours trees have allowed me control and given extra leaf mulch.Glochidion,jacaranda,laurels and bleeding heart as well as stumps of underperforming trees in my yard have been controlled with the stuff.

daylesford says...
did you get any seeds for the alma tree...I too would like some

LoveTrees says...
I cannot believe that you would poison a neighbours tree on the sneak. They probably think that it is beautiful. You don't. Stop trying to play God.

Payo says...
for those with tree problems, mix roundup at about double strength or more, dig up a root , cur it and put the clean cut into a container of the mix. The root doesn't need to be big but the tree will suck the roundup right through its system. It even works on umbrella trees.

GovOfficial says...
Your IP has been recorded by the Environmental Protection Agency. It is illegal to be killing these healthy trees without a Council arborist assessment. There are heavy fines & gaol sentences for repeat offenders. Let's hope you don't have any children you miss seeing once we procedure you. Council keeps a record of every single tree & bush on our Map system (think Google maps, only much more detailed & updated by Gov subscription).

Jason says...
Funny one, on the other hand I do know people that got busted for cutting gum trees via council aerial maps

jeremiah says...
It's often pretty hard to grow a healthy tree. Wouldn't overfeeding with some selected mineral be enough to knock many trees? Something after that style? Just keeping a root in wet mud for weeks.... ?

ponty says...
i want to selectively cut tree roots that are likely to become a problem . i intend to poison those roots and to apply the poison to one side of the cut in essence leaving the main trunk unaffected leaving a gap between the cut of about 3inches.
i want to keep the tree as is as much as its possible. Is there any opossibility that in doing so the poison will impact both on the roots i have cut and some how on the tree its self. i intend to maintain the tree.

Julie says...
ponty, rather than using a poison that will kill the tree, use copper sulphate on the roots when they are exposed.

I did this with a large Paulownia that had roots blocking the drain. Seems OK so far, and I have poured copper down the drain so the pipes are coated - that should discourage any roots in future.

denise1 says...
Even if you cut a root without using poison, the rot could travel into the rest of the tree. You probably need to cut the tree out and plant something that wont be a problem

sternus1 says...
No. You need to chisel off a section of the trunk (ringbark it) and paint on glyphosate.

sternus1 says...
yep--you've got about 10 seconds to get the glypho on, otherwise it won't work, hence the hack and splash method.

JohnMc1 says...
For Glypho there are many variables, it depends on how fast the sap is flowing. The weather should be dry and warm and the subject should be in several hours of sunshine to be effective. Small weeds can take up to a week to show signs of leaf yellowing in ideal conditions.
There is a new weed killer on the market based on pine oil, suppose to work a lot faster, noticeable results in 24 hours, so the adds tell us, but I have no experience with it.

Julie W says...
John, I was given a sample of the pine oil weed killer some time ago. It works best on broadleaf weeds and grasses, no good for bulbous plants like oxalis. Doubt if it would work on trees.

allybanana says...
Yes works surprisingly well with concentrated roundup. Drill half a dozen approx 5mm diameter holes {mabye bigger if tree is huge?) in all roots available during day when tree is sucking up water from roots. Fill holes with large syringe and large bore needle immediately to avoid an air lock. The tree will suck hole dry so keep holes topped up. If holes suck air it creates an airlock and decreases suction. Keep topping up for at least half an hour. There is no reason why one can not finish one root and then do another or drill a new holes the next day to make sure if tree is big.

tropicbreeze1 says...
My experience with using glyphosate on trees was very different. The trees were large so I used an axe to cut and immediately poured the herbicide in. I had to keep repeating the exercise every couple of weeks for several months before the trees showed signs they were going to die. Later for some other larger trees I again used an axe but the herbicide was garlon. The trees were dead after about a week with only one application.

Better life some where not here says...
Huge trees alongside my outside fence line. Have been told some type of wattle, not the pretty yellow flowers. They have killed my lawn,fallen leaves up to my ankles. I took photos to fire brigade as branches close to my power line, just need a big storm @ wind,or a fire @ my house is gone. Am afraid nothing will be done because of who my neighbour is. My daughter did Horticulture @ said they will kill the garden becauze they poison the surrounding area. Sorry wish I knew how to send photos

Kazmac says...
Leopard tree

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Golden Cypress says...
In my case, my Golden Cypress has been poisoned. A beautiful tree and in the center of my front garden so it's of no inconvenience to anyone at all. I've become aware who the culprit is and at this stage of ongoing investigations into other matters, I'll only be pressing charges at a later stage. In the meantime though, the tree is dying but not completely dead yet. Does anyone know what I might feed the roots to be able to counteract Roundup? Albeit, I'd always suspected a different defoliant had been used, same as had been used in Vietnam, whatever that may have been.(perhaps Roundup?) My reasoning the tree has not died, is that whatever poison has been used was only watered around the tree's base and "e;fortunately"e; no holes drilled into trunk etc. I'd really HATE to lose the tree. But she really has deteriorated substantially.

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denise1 says...
How do you know it has been poisoned?. The photos show nothing wrong with the tree. The dead leaves are only old ones, and leaves dont last forever.

John 2 says...
John, I have a 8 foot fig tree with full foliage. Can I kill it just by spraying Roundup?

jakfruit etiquette says...
Its not likely you could apply the chemical safely or effecively on an 8 ft tree. Most people would cut down the tree and paint the stump with herbicide. You may need a few attempts on any new shoots, as figs are pretty tough.
Its safer to cut it down and spray any suckers with less chemical.

Jim888 says...
WARNING WARNING WARNING
Yes I wanted to get your attention. If you are thinking about killing your tree, or your neighbors tree or any tree in Australia, then I want to encourage you to really think about the consequences of this before you proceed. I am a biologist, lets be clear, there is NO way to secretly kill a tree. Toxicology on the dead tree will show what poising was used, and when. Do you think the council won't notice? That you can hide it? Not possible. I have used the software that engages with Google Earth satellite imagery to automatically find dead trees. Every year or so Google takes new hi-res images of your suburb, and your yard. You've seen the pictures. The automatic algorithm looks back at old pictures and compares. It instantly finds every missing tree, and trees that are sick as their canopy color changes. Welcome to Big Brother. You CAN NOT secretly remove a tree. If it is protected, you WILL end up before the Magistrate. I don't want to be alarmist, I don't want to be confronting, I don't want to deny your your liberties, I just want you to take pause and think. You must have council permission to remove a tree, and if you do it without permission. Their automatic google earth algorithms are going to draw a red circle on the map in your backyard where your tree was. And then a knock on your door by a guy with a clipboard. Think murder, think all the forensic science to work out what happened, all that technology is available to deduce what happened to that dead tree in your neighbors yard.

Before you act, go look at the target tree on Google Earth. The council has the same photograph. Think, think think before acting. Take pause, consider. Act wisely

jakfruit etiquette says...
Yes I was pruning my grape vine and saw this guy..
There is no limit to what our local council and state road authorities will go to in their efforts to save trees.

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