We own a house in a different town that had been occupied by a young couple who were supposed to buy it from us at the end of three years. They refused to buy it and moved out this month. They left the house in a big mess and the yard doesn't look like it was touched in the three years they were there.They also let a fast growing "trash" tree grow up in the side yard and it grew right up into the overhead electric power lines. I managed to get it cut down without getting electrocuted. What is the best thing to put on the stump to keep it from sprouting up again?
If you don't have someone who can remove it for you, try this. Once you cut it low to the ground (3"-5"), take a chainsaw and cut a crosshatch # pattern in the top of the stump. This will allow water and bugs to get into the stump itself, preventing it from regrowing and in turn hastening its decay.
I live in a forested are and have been doing this years. It's easy and foolproof. Can't get much better than that! lol
[This message has been edited by otakudude (edited 03-16-2015).]
If you don't have someone who can remove it for you, try this. Once you cut it low to the ground (3"-5"), take a chainsaw and cut a crosshatch # pattern in the top of the stump. This will allow water and bugs to get into the stump itself, preventing it from regrowing and in turn hastening its decay.
I live in a forested are and have been doing this years. It's easy and foolproof. Can't get much better than that! lol
Thanks! I was aware of stump grinding but don't want to go that route.
When it comes to killing tress, cut stumps, weeds, brush, and southern invasives--I am the master, am also a farmer and I do not use Tordon. I have killed thousands of trees and many many hundreds of cut stumps, I have a pesticide/herbicide applicators license, and am about the same latitude as you are but, your post does not include enough information. Not enough information. 1. What kind of "trash" tree was it? 2. How long ago was it cut down? 3. How high from ground level is the top of the stump? 4. Do you have access to a chain saw? 5. Diameter of stump? 6. Smooth or rough bark?
(Tordon is a restricted herbicide and you will not be able to buy it undiluted, and may not be able to buy it at all in Florida or in your part of Florida without an applicator's license. Even if you can buy Tordon 22-RTU (ready to use) it is pointless to use it this time of year--it just won't work. It has to be applied in late fall thru early winter. I see from goggle map, that you are near a lot of water--Tordon's active ingredient is Picloram and it is extremely toxic to aquatic life even in diluted mixtures. Tordon also has a lot of soil activity--it will stay viable in the soil for years)
[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 03-16-2015).]
Stump-Be-Gone (and most chemical stump removers) is Potassium Nitrate--otherwise known as potassium salt, or more commonly--saltpetre or saltpeter. A Spectracide product if I remember correctly. It is an aid to make dead stumps rot, but not a stump killer. Instructions on all the potassium nitrate chemical stump removers say:
quote
To Kill Stumps: Apply a brush killer or similar systemic herbicide. Completely follow directions on label of product. DIRECTIONS FOR USE (bah blah blah)
Why not try Round Up 2. Commonly thought of as a weed killer. If the stump is still alive, (you said kill), let it sprout sapplings, "sprouts, leafs". Spray them. I understand it works by sucking the Round Up into the leaves, into it's circulating system, and killing it's desire to grow (heart?).
A three year growth problem got into the power feed lines to the home ? I bet it's a skinny trunk. My Dad just bought some property in Lake City, Florida. Last year he went over there to ready it for move in and put in 300' of fence. I lent him a power auger post hole digger. He did it by hand it was so easy. Sandy he said. Jerk that stump out.
The type of tree will clue you to the root system. Some grow deep and strong, some just spread out. Usually the root system will not grow beyond the overhead leaf canopy.
Another thing you might be able to do. Cut both ends out of a 55 gal drum. Put it over the stump. Add some firewood and burn it out.
The species of tree will dictate what to use on it, but it is very rare that glycosphate (Roundup) will kill the root system of a tree or stump, and it is only labeled for a few trees and woody brush. Sprayed on leaves (folilar application) it WILL appear to kill the sapling or resprouts, but all it is doing is turning the leaves black, initiating a temporary dormancy, making them fall off and a month later, they'll be back and in many if not most instances, encourage sprouts from roots (suckers) a few feet away from the original tree trunk. Roundup works on weeds and grasses because they have a small root system, and most are annuals, but it doesn't work well on brush or trees with lots of energy stored in a big root system, but it will slow growth down somewhat. This is known as 'controlling' an invasive--not killing it. It's just not possible to get the leaves to absorb enough of the active chemical and send it to the root system of a tree--the leaves will fall off first.
Trees and brush that roundup will control: WOODY BRUSH AND TREES Alder Birch Broad-leaved meadowsweet Cedar Cherry Douglas Fir Hemlock Maple Mountain-fly honeysuckle Lonicera villosa Pine Poplar Raspberry/Salmonberry Rhododendron (Canadian) heep laurel Snowberry (Western) Sweet fern Willow
This will work, depending on how big the root system is, but, this time of year, unless it is an evergreen, the tree is not actively growing-and the fire won't touch the roots.
Originally posted by maryjane: The species of tree ...
Thanks Don. I have a question or two for you, but don't have the time (early wake up) nor know the "race" of tree I have prejidices against. I will be back in a week but may be able to get online before then.
I and most of the folks I grew up around use the fire method but, we always do it in the fall. Greenies may not want to read further.
My (our) method was to drill holes in the stump and fill will motor oil frequently over the summer only applying enough to fill the drilled holes, allow the stump to soak up as much oil as possible. Come back in a few days and refill the holes with more oil. This normally killed the tree, though it will take several applications of that used motor oil. Come fall, we'd soak it thoroughly with more used motor oil and then apply some charcoal lighter fluid or gas and lite the fire. This may not work or be allowed in your area but, I've never seen it fail. If done correctly, I've seen the ground collapse surrounding the stump as it burnt out the roots. Use some good top soil to fill in the hole where the stump was.
As I said previously, this might upset some of your more environmental Green neighbors but, it's always worked for me.
------------------ Ron
Isn't it strange that after a bombing, everyone blames the bomber, his upbringing, his environment, his culture, his mental state but … after a shooting, the problem is the gun?
My Uncle Frank was a staunch Conservative and voted straight Republican until the day he died in Chicago. Since then he has voted Democrat. Shrug
I used blackrams method on a 36" silver maple a few years ago. I used waste oil, kerosine, gasoline, diesel, whatever flammable liquid I had on hand over several months. When I finally got that thing lit, it burned for several days- roots and all. You can't even tell there was a tree there now.
drill holes, and put kosher salt in the drilled holes.. do that 2-3 in a year and it will be turning to dust and rotting, and not harm anything around it
I had a tree stump grinded a few years ago. The owner and I were talking about ways to kill a stump and he mentioned pouring gasoline on it. I never did test his theory. Has anyone tried this? Kit
It might work--gasoline--or diesel, if it's done at the right time and that holds true for any chemical used on stumps or living growing trees. During the growing season, liquids are pulled from the ground, carrying nutrients up thru the inner bark and cambium layer to the limbs and leaves. This happens from very early spring all thru the growing season, but slows almost to a stop when autumn approaches, and reverses flow at mid-late autumn. The leaves no longer recieve enough nutrients and they change colors and die--fall off, because the tree is storing starches to be later converted to sugars. Right now, in most of the south and lower mid-west, tree roots are drawing on the converted starches to make energy (sugars) in the roots and are preparing to bud out--put on leaves. There is also energy stored in the limbs and trunk during the growing season to provide for lateral and vertical cell growth--make the trunk larger in diameter and taller so more limbs and foliage can be put on. In fall, the energy goes to the roots in the form of sap. In late winter, the sap starts back up the trunk, carrying energy and that energy is present in large quantities in the trunk and upper roots--already converted from stored starches to sugar. (This is why maple trees are tapped in Jan-March--when you have day temps above freezing and night temps below freezing--the warmth of the daytime creates pressure inside the tree and in the roots to make the sap flow thru the tap)
When a tree is cut down, that root system keeps doing what it was before the chainsaw teeth hit it. If the tree was taking nutrients up, the roots keep sending liquid up. You may not see it, but sap forms on top of the stump and in most cases, oozes out. This causes 2 problems. It seals of the cambium and inner bark pathway, preventing herbicide from entering the root system and, it pushes off most of the herbicide that was sprayed or painted onto the top of the stump.That pathway IS a 2way street tho. IF, you cut a tree down, even in the growing season, you can still have good odds of killing the root system provided you spray the stump top and sides of it within 5-15 minutes after being cut. If you do it in late summer thru autumn tho, the odds of killing the roots ystem are far better because the greater flow is downward TO the root system, not UP to leaves and limbs. If the tree in question has been cut down for any length of time, the fix is to recut the top 1"-1& 1/2" off the top of the stump and immediately apply the herbicide of choice to the top and sides of the stump. If the stump is tall enough, you can also girdle cut the stump about 6' above ground--meaning cutting a line into the cambium layer all the way around the stump circumference and applying herbicide into the cut just to the point of runoff.
Most "stump killer" products are not stump killers at all--they are "stump rotters" and do very little if anything as far as killing the roots of a living stump. Kill the stump first, with an approved Herbicide, then in a couple months, apply the potassium nitrate if you want, but my experience has been that mother nature will do just about as fast a job on the stump without adding the "stump rotter" to the stump.
I do not like Tordon. It's best left for foresters to use combating invasives in a managed forest, where they can accept the loss of a few desirable trees in order to get rid of or control the invasive species. Many states prohibit the use of Tordon in a residential area because the picloram translocates so easily to any plant or tree nearby. All a picloram infected root has to do is cross the root of another plant of tree and that's trouble. I personally wouldn't use it anywhere near water or a septic system. Since it is so toxic to aquatic life, I would be afraid it would also kill the biomass that surrounds your leach lines. That biomass is what really makes a septic system outflow system work and not stink to high heaven.
My herbicide of choice is triclopyr. It's an unrestricted broadleaf specific herbicide--anyone can buy it under various trade names--Remedy Ultra, and unlike Tordon's picloram, has no soil activity and very very little translocation. I have killed untold #s of trees and stumps with it. Mix up 1 pt triclopyr to 3 parts diesel in a squirt/spray bottle and apply it either into a girdle cut of a living tree or on the surface and sides of a freshly cut stump. Grazon Next will work as well, but you will probably need an applicator's lic to buy it because it's active ingredients are aminopyralid and 2,4-D. You can buy 2.4-D from tractor supply in a qt bottle without an applicator's lic. 2,4-D will work for most cut stump treatments if you mix it with diesel--the diesel works as a penetrate.
One last thing-do not believe every claim of success you read on any herbicide label. Many are based on very closely staged product trials. Learn the difference between "for control of..." and "for the eradication of"....there's a huge difference.
[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 03-17-2015).]
Don, Thanks for posting that information. Always good to learn from someone that actually knows what they are talking about.
------------------ Ron
Isn't it strange that after a bombing, everyone blames the bomber, his upbringing, his environment, his culture, his mental state but … after a shooting, the problem is the gun?
My Uncle Frank was a staunch Conservative and voted straight Republican until the day he died in Chicago. Since then he has voted Democrat. Shrug
drill holes, and put kosher salt in the drilled holes.. do that 2-3 in a year and it will be turning to dust and rotting, and not harm anything around it
DUDE!!! What are you doing??? Your rating is WAAAAY over to the left today. Did you post something today to piss like 4-5 people off all at once?
I've given you a positive to keep you on here, but I only get one vote!
Here are pictures of the tree stump and a section of the trunk I cut off. I haven't put anything on the stump yet. I appreciate all of the advice and the helpful information that Don posted. The tree has an extremely high moisture content.
Here are pictures of the tree stump and a section of the trunk I cut off. I haven't put anything on the stump yet. I appreciate all of the advice and the helpful information that Don posted. The tree has an extremely high moisture content.
Hard to tell with the tinted photo, but that looks like a Mimosa stump and trunk. Recut each of the 2 forks, about 2" below their current height, and immediately cover the outer 2" of the diameter of each fork top surface with a herbicide mixed 50:50 or a little less ..herbicide to diesel. The diesel works as a penetrate and helps keep any rain from just washing the herbicide off. An old ketchup or mayo squeeze bottle will work fine for this as an applicator, but when you are done, put any unused mixture in a better container--those type bottles won't stand up to the chemicals. over the sides of the xposed trunk bark as well--just to the point of run off.
Good herbicide is expensive, and even unrestricted stuff like triclopyr (Remedy Ultra) is only sold in 1 gal or larger containers--about $80/gal. For just one stump, I'd go down to a feed store or Tractor Supply--maybe even garden section of Lowes or Home Depot and buy 1 qt of 2,4D amine, mix it 2 parts 2,4D to 1 part diesel, 1 part glycosphate. It won't mix really well because the 2 herbicides mentioned are water soluble, not oil soluble, but it will go into a semi-solution and work for what you are doing.
In addition, since it is a vee shaped or forked trunk that close to ground level, make some cuts with a hatchet or ax right down in the vee--they don't have to be deep (1/2-3/4" deep will do) but you need to do this because the herbicide mix you put on top of the stump faces will have great difficulty transitioning thru the crossed cambium in that Vee.
If it were mine, I would just take my chainsaw, cut the whole thing again as close to ground as possible, ridding myself of the Y shaped stump and treat it as I said above. Vee or Y shaped stumps are always much much more difficult to deal with than just a round flat stump.
I've got a weed tree that grew in a line of trees we'd like to keep. The ones we'd like to keep are hybrid willows. The other one I dont know what it is but it had the "helicopter seeds". I cut it off a year ago and its sprouting new shoots all over off the stump. I assume the roots may even be touching the hybrid willows roots becuase it is less than 3 feet from them. Anything safe I can treat the weed tree with or just keep hacking it off...?
I've got a weed tree that grew in a line of trees we'd like to keep. The ones we'd like to keep are hybrid willows. The other one I dont know what it is but it had the "helicopter seeds". I cut it off a year ago and its sprouting new shoots all over off the stump. I assume the roots may even be touching the hybrid willows roots becuase it is less than 3 feet from them. Anything safe I can treat the weed tree with or just keep hacking it off...?
Drill deep holes down into the stump like mentioned before but instead of using dynamite pour stump killer down into the holes. This should help it from effecting the surrounding trees. Of course the dynamite idea could be fun.
Drill deep holes down into the stump like mentioned before but instead of using dynamite pour stump killer down into the holes. This should help it from effecting the surrounding trees. Of course the dynamite idea could be fun.
Dynamite sure could be, especially in town
I was worried about the killer ending up touching the good trees roots.
I've got a weed tree that grew in a line of trees we'd like to keep. The ones we'd like to keep are hybrid willows. The other one I dont know what it is but it had the "helicopter seeds". I cut it off a year ago and its sprouting new shoots all over off the stump. I assume the roots may even be touching the hybrid willows roots becuase it is less than 3 feet from them. Anything safe I can treat the weed tree with or just keep hacking it off...?
I used to believe, that if you cut down a tree and continue to cut the shoots as they appear, you will eventually kill it--thinking "nothing can continue to live without many leaves--right?" How wrong I was. We cut our lawns every week, prune shrubs, hedges, and even roses many times in the middle of the growing season. Cattle eat forage and palatable weeds and brush down to the ground, and it always comes back. All that cutting does, is encourage growth.
There's quite a few 'helicopter seed' plants--we call them key seeds here--there's a proper name, which I've forgotten now--starts with an 's'. The only ones I am familiar with are a maple, and they usually have single wing seeds. If your stump has shoots growing off the stump now (not suckers from the roots) best thing is to basal apply a herbicide. Basal means on the trunk, as opposed to foliage application on the leaves. Very carefully, with a small sprayer pumped up just enough to make the liquid flow, wet the entire shoot down. You want BIG droplets or a slow stream--not a mist.
But, it's hard to say without knowing what the species is. We all feed, water and fertilize our plants according to what they are and what their specific needs are--approach killing them the same way. What kills a Chinese Tallow Black Flag dead won't even phase a salt cedar, tropical soda ash, or palmetta.
Not all herbicides have soil activity and translocate easily--if fact most post emergence herbicides do not. Tordon/picloram is a major exception and it is why it is so heavily regulated. Post emergence means after it is up and growing. (pre-emergent herbicides act on the seed while it is still a sprout in the ground and is hardly ever used outside of crop fields.) Most residential herbicides are safe to use and won't translocate thru the root touching thing, BUT, some very commonly used herbicides (including Roundup/glycosphate) will translocate thru the air on a calm hot day. The mixture vaporizes off the target plant leaves and settles later on things you don't want harmed--like my wife's prize Hibiscus. Always best to use herbicides in the morning after the dew has dried but well before the real heat of the day--or, late in the evening.
I don't recommend drilling holes to kill anything. The target area is the cambium layer and it is very close to the outer bark--it's just inside the inner bark. Drilling holes theu the side of the trunk generall overshoots the cambium layer and the herbicide does nothing whatsoever in the sapwwod or heartwood. On a stump, you would have to drill the holes right along the outside, with the hole sides almost touching each other.
Ever seen the explosive power of a SMALL measusre of gasoline ???...as in 1/4-ounce or so evaporated in an 8" square wooden box buried right beside that stump ?....and did ya know a bit of gunpowder wrapped in a twist of newspaper wrapped in a bit of saran-wrap can make a pretty good waterproof fuze that wont be ruined by damp soil for a realatively short time? (here is a hint, avgas is considered 6x as powerful as dynamite)...
Not that I am suggesting anything, just asking if ya have ever seen what it will do <sticks hands in pockets and walks away whisteling>
I know you are posting partly in jest MeM, but about 3 months later, he will have a dozen or more of the same tree growing up from all the root segments left in the ground. Do it once and do it right-and legal. (a point many ignore--a specimen label from a herbicide jug is a legal document--by using the chemical, you are agreeing to use it AS directed--failure to do so leaves you open to fines and lawsuits, and EPA and state water quality agencies are fanatical about pursuing misuse)
Here's a little blurb about why it is important to treat a stump at the correct time: (this is for Indiana region, so the time period will be different in other latitudes--Courtesy of Purdue Univ)
quote
Table B-3 (see Appendix B, page 19) lists the herbicides commonly used for cut stump treatment. Herbicide is applied to the outer 1 to 2 inches of the stump to include the cambium layer next to the bark (Figure 21). Apply herbicide immediately following cutting. Cut stump treatments may be applied using a squeeze bottle, squirt bottle, or backpack sprayer. However, in late winter and early spring, increased sap flow can flush herbicide from the stump surface in some species, including sugar and red maple, and grape vines. If possible, delay cutting for these species or consider using another technique such as basal bark spraying. Do not treat the stumps of desirable species with herbicide. These stump sprouts may develop into saplings that will help to regenerate the stand in the future. Figure 20. Trees may be thinned using chainsaws or clearing saws. Stumps of felled trees may be sprayed with herbicide to prevent sprouting. CAUTION! In some species, herbicide can be translocated or moved between trees through naturally occurring grafts in their root systems. The damage caused by herbicide movement between treated and untreated trees through these grafts is commonly called flashback. Tulip poplar is particularly sensitive to herbicide flashback with Tordon or Pathway herbicides, which are commonly used in cut stump, girdling, frilling, and injection treatments
Fig 21: (the blue indicates where the chemical needs to be applied--sapwood/heartwood "center" has no vascular activity)
[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 03-21-2015).]
Forgot to mention its a 3 way split. Yay huh? If i cut it right at the ground it could probably be one. Its still dormant for winter but not for long, the sprouts are from last summer. I guess i dont know how to identify it with not even a leaf around. The "helicopter seeds" were not single but i cant remember if they were 2 or 3... The greenery was kind of a light shade of green. I'm fine with drilling halos on the top outer inch of the cut surface if that would be effective. Just want a poison that wont kill the other trees, even if its just salt as someone recommended to the OP.
_7.jpg)
ctrl-v_2.jpg)
