• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Need to kill saplings

Greyd

Platinum Member
So I have some little tree sapling things growing around my house in the weirdest of places. They are become a nuisance and are a hassle as they are growing around the edges of the house. They get from 5-6 feet up to about 10 feet. The trunks are only about .5 inches to 3 inches in diameter.

How do I go about killing these things?
 
Yeah you have to pull them out and makes sure you get the roots. If they're as high as 10 feet, you should have pulled them out a long time ago.
 
Roundup® Poison Ivy Plus Tough Brush Killer Ready-To-Use kills all types of tough weeds and tough-to-control brush. No-mix, ready-to-spray formula best for targeting smaller control jobs. Controls tough brush and hard-to-control weeds such as poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, blackberries, and kudzu.

* Rainproof protection in 30 minutes
* Use on wooded lots and other areas where brush invades your yard
* Can be used to kill stumps and prevent regrowth
* Active Ingredients: 1% Glyphosate & 0.1% Triclopyr
 
half inch in diameter? Just yank it out. Or chop it off with a pair of pruning shears, but then you'll have to deal with it trying to send up offshoots for a while until it dies.
 
half inch in diameter? Just yank it out. Or chop it off with a pair of pruning shears, but then you'll have to deal with it trying to send up offshoots for a while until it dies.

Have you ever tried to pull out a sapling/tree that is only 3-4 feet tall? It's about impossible. The root goes much deeper than the tree. I've got little walnut trees everywhere from the squirrels burying the nuts and it's impossible to pull them up once they get past 2-3 feet. I have to dig them out.

Cutting them only makes them stronger and grow faster it seems. I have never seen a tree grow as fast as a walnut. And you can't kill them.
 
Have you ever tried to pull out a sapling/tree that is only 3-4 feet tall? It's about impossible. The root goes much deeper than the tree. I've got little walnut trees everywhere from the squirrels burying the nuts and it's impossible to pull them up once they get past 2-3 feet. I have to dig them out.

Cutting them only makes them stronger and grow faster it seems. I have never seen a tree grow as fast as a walnut. And you can't kill them.

Yup pulling out is not really an option. So I guess digging out is the best way to do it?
 
Yup pulling out is not really an option. So I guess digging out is the best way to do it?

Pulling out is always an option and generally preferred. 😀

I'd like to use some kill stuff but this is in my landscaping/flower beds so am a little paranoid.
 
Roundup® Poison Ivy Plus Tough Brush Killer Ready-To-Use kills all types of tough weeds and tough-to-control brush. No-mix, ready-to-spray formula best for targeting smaller control jobs. Controls tough brush and hard-to-control weeds such as poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, blackberries, and kudzu.

* Rainproof protection in 30 minutes
* Use on wooded lots and other areas where brush invades your yard
* Can be used to kill stumps and prevent regrowth
* Active Ingredients: 1% Glyphosate & 0.1% Triclopyr

IMO the Triclopyr is not necessary. Any Glyphosphate herbicide will probably do the job. Clip them a few inches from the ground and spray the stump with herbicide. Check for new growth in a couple of weeks and reapply where needed.

I cleaned up a ton of poison ivy and buckthorn this way. If you insist on using the triclopyr just spray the whole plant as that's the way it gets in. This will increase the effectiveness of the Glyphosphate as well, but you'll need to use a lot more.

/not a professional
 
Call Doc Pizza and his tractor. The pair are tree-removing mofo's!!

You can just get "brush killer" spray that will do the job as well.
 
IMO the Triclopyr is not necessary. Any Glyphosphate herbicide will probably do the job. Clip them a few inches from the ground and spray the stump with herbicide. Check for new growth in a couple of weeks and reapply where needed.

I cleaned up a ton of poison ivy and buckthorn this way. If you insist on using the triclopyr just spray the whole plant as that's the way it gets in. This will increase the effectiveness of the Glyphosphate as well, but you'll need to use a lot more.

/not a professional

Glyphosate tends to not work particularly well on woody ornamentals. Triclopyr has better activity on said ornamentals (hence being sold as Brush-B-Gon, Brush-Killer, etc). Triclopyr has been show to marginally increase the phytotoxicity of the glyphosate.

The reason the two are placed together is because the combination will not cause barren soil (as they do not have soil activity).

If you buy the pre-mixed stuff you should be fine. Make sure there is green shoots or leaves on the plant. After 2 or more applications (14-21 days apart) then cut the tree down and apply to the stump to help prevent regrowth.

/professional
 
Call Doc Pizza and his tractor. The pair are tree-removing mofo's!!

You can just get "brush killer" spray that will do the job as well.

Wrong answer! I wised up.

OP: identify what type of trees they are. Advertise them on craigslist "5 each, you dig." You'll be surprised. (I sold about 16 pine trees that way.) I only use the tractor for trees in the "too fucking big to dig up by hand" category. It's wiped out a few 30 foot maple trees. Unfortunately, a tiny little 15 foot hawthorne tree (I HATE those thorns) proved to be too tough for the tractor. I sheared off 2 hardened bolts (thick bolts) on my dump bucket.
 
Last edited:
Hawthorne's a son of a bitch. I've had to hand cut them with a machete, and they're one of the toughest trees I've ever encountered. Hard wood, and they don't snap at all. It seems like the damned branches have infinite give,
 
Back
Top