Most efficient way to kill a tree?

Stg-Flame

Diamond Member
Mar 10, 2007
3,602
542
126
I have some trees growing right next to my foundation and I'd rather not spend a whole day digging them up. Everyone I've spoken to has their own insights and advice and the one person who I know who went to college for agricultural science is out of town for two months.

I've been told to cut them as low as possible then burn them with acid to kill the root.
I've been told to dig them out 100% and don't leave even a spec of the root system.
I've been told to dig 1' into the ground, pour tobasco sauce around the base, then rebury (no idea what this is supposed to accomplish)
I've also been told to introduce bark beetles to the new trees but I have other trees I'd rather not kill, so there's that.

Any ideas?
 

Stg-Flame

Diamond Member
Mar 10, 2007
3,602
542
126
Chainsaw.
These aren't fully-grown trees. I could cut them down with a machete in a few swings but I don't want them to continue to grow after I chop it down as they are growing right next to my house.

Sawzall and copper nails for the left overs.
Will this kill the tree indefinitely? My only concern are the roots and them trying to sprout elsewhere after a while.
 

MagnusTheBrewer

IN MEMORIAM
Jun 19, 2004
24,122
1,594
126
You'll have to keep cutting them. After the initial hack and slash, any shoots should be weed wackable. The roots will eventually die. If they're currently that small, there should be no issue with your foundation.
 

mindless1

Diamond Member
Aug 11, 2001
8,541
1,652
126
Cut it as low to the ground as possible, digging a trench to get it lower than level with the ground if you like, then you can cover the top with soil in a few days.

Drill a big hole down into the middle of the stump and pour Roundup concentrate into the hole. If it's going to rain soon, cover the stump with saran wrap to keep rain out.
 

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
69,292
13,034
126
www.anyf.ca
For small tree, boiling water. Cut it, then just pour boiling water where the roots are. I would not use stuff like salt or roundup since it's just going to contaminate the soil and nothing will ever grow there again, ex: grass. boiling water will immediately kill but not contaminate the soil. You may need to repeat the process.
 

mindless1

Diamond Member
Aug 11, 2001
8,541
1,652
126
^ It's not like we're talking salt, Roundup decays, will not kill anything within a few days to weeks (if ever if you keep rain out as I instructed so it goes no further than the tree trunk).

Boiling water, you'd need a shitton of it to get roots more than a couple inches below the soil line. It is effective for weeds but tree roots go a lot deeper.
 

paperfist

Diamond Member
Nov 30, 2000
6,539
286
126
www.the-teh.com
These aren't fully-grown trees. I could cut them down with a machete in a few swings but I don't want them to continue to grow after I chop it down as they are growing right next to my house.


Will this kill the tree indefinitely? My only concern are the roots and them trying to sprout elsewhere after a while.

It will kill that tree you put a real copper nail in if we're talking seedling. It's not an instant death as the nail basically poisons it.

If it's a maple forget it, those things multiply like rabbits.

Best way to kill it is yank it roots and all. If it's a landscaped area by your foundation then time to lay down fabric and 4" of mulch or stone. No light no plants
 

Stg-Flame

Diamond Member
Mar 10, 2007
3,602
542
126
For small tree, boiling water. Cut it, then just pour boiling water where the roots are. I would not use stuff like salt or roundup since it's just going to contaminate the soil and nothing will ever grow there again, ex: grass. boiling water will immediately kill but not contaminate the soil. You may need to repeat the process.
Well this is on my drainage line and right next to my foundation, so I kinda don't want anything to grow there ever again. I'll avoid salt just to prevent any kind of contamination, but roundup might be a solution.

It will kill that tree you put a real copper nail in if we're talking seedling. It's not an instant death as the nail basically poisons it.

If it's a maple forget it, those things multiply like rabbits.

Best way to kill it is yank it roots and all. If it's a landscaped area by your foundation then time to lay down fabric and 4" of mulch or stone. No light no plants
It is landscaped and there was fabric with big river rock but this house was landscaped long before I bought it in 2013. There's plenty of weeds growing through the fabric in the front and back yard, so it might be time to redo it again.

Thanks for all the replies. I really appreciate it.
 

Paperdoc

Platinum Member
Aug 17, 2006
2,412
326
126
I agree with a few items above. Cut off as close to ground as possible, maybe a bit below. Expect to keep hacking off new shoots for a while (year or more?) and eventually the root system will die for lack of support from new leaves. But add this. Go to a garden store and ask for a box of a powdered tree fungus or rotting agent. Not simply the stuff used for promoting composting in bins. The stuff you want is a biological agent that attacks the cellulose of the wood cells and breaks them down. BEFORE burying the remaining stems you drill few shallow holes (if they are big enough) and sprinkle a bunch of this stuff on. Check the instructions carefully. You MAY need to add a small mount of water. You MAY need to NOT cover it so that air is available. This stuff will multiply and rot the wood over time, spreading through the wood and killing the root system. It does not spread to other trees in your yard - it is just a tree rotting material that tends to work only where it is.
 

MrColin

Platinum Member
May 21, 2003
2,403
3
81
Cut it as low to the ground as possible, digging a trench to get it lower than level with the ground if you like, then you can cover the top with soil in a few days.

Drill a big hole down into the middle of the stump and pour Roundup concentrate into the hole. If it's going to rain soon, cover the stump with saran wrap to keep rain out.
I've used this method before on some very aggressive mulberry seedlings that were growing out of a patch of tiger lillys. It worked very quickly and didn't harm the lilies. I didn't drill very big holes and I used a syringe to put the glyphosate (roundup) into the holes. lol dead.