how do you kill a tree?
Discussion
Some of this threads been quite funny, it's also been interesting to.
It hadn't occured to me that the dead root system could be a source of further damage,an insurance company might ask a few choice questions if there were damage done to the house. As for the nails and such stuff that's just an unpleasant way to get round the law so maybe the root system would get it's revenge. I quite like that. Far better to park elsewhere.
It hadn't occured to me that the dead root system could be a source of further damage,an insurance company might ask a few choice questions if there were damage done to the house. As for the nails and such stuff that's just an unpleasant way to get round the law so maybe the root system would get it's revenge. I quite like that. Far better to park elsewhere.
Seems a pity to chop down a nice old ash tree, it might be an off the wall idea but could you install guide ropes to ensure that when the tree falls it does so in a more desirable direction?
Alternatively some tentative pruning by an expert? (If it’s on council land they should do this any way).
God luck, I hope you find a better solution than killing it and chopping it down.
Alternatively some tentative pruning by an expert? (If it’s on council land they should do this any way).
God luck, I hope you find a better solution than killing it and chopping it down.
tigertiger said:
Boosted, I'm with you on this. To remove a tree without good reason should be a crime.
it is a crime if it has a TPO or in a conservation area with a possible fine of upto £20k.
there was a case in my area earlier in the year when a homeowner had some gypsies remove a London Plane from his garden.unfortunatley for him it had a TPO on it,as the gypsies couldn't be traced he was prosecuted by the council,found guilty and fined £3800 plus cost's.
moral of the story is always use a legitimate tree surgeon.
like me
swilly said:
Oh and before i forget............ if you get rid of the tree, and as you say it is mature, fully expect your house to start cracking, your driveway to bulge and rise and all sorts of shit to happen.
Tree's drink a lot of water. A big old bugger will drink a lot o'lot of water. Cut it down and all that water will seep in to the ground and cause all sorts of changes to the ground under your house. including in a frosty winter, ground heave as the water freezes and expands causing parts of your house to rise hence the cracking.
Enjoy
An interesting point... though I haven't much heard of it happening. Now, I've heard many cases of growing trees pushing up driveways and sidewalks and parts of houses due to expanding root systems. Is the problem really all that common? Or does it just occur when a tree is extraordinarily close to the house?
tigertiger said:
Boosted, I'm with you on this. To remove a tree without good reason should be a crime.
I can't tell if that's sarcasm or not... If not, I can't see what's wrong with what someone does with their own property. I'd think that as long as the tree is on your property, you have every right to do whatever you want to it, including cutting it down if you so desire. How about an "aye" from every person reading this who wants the government to tell you what you can do with your own property?
In answer to your first point, I survey houses undergoing insurance claims for subsidence damage all over London. 95% of these claims would fall into the category "Root induced clay shrinkage". We measure about 20 properties every week.
As for the second, the tree is stated as being outside the property. It's the council's responsibility therefore.
As for the second, the tree is stated as being outside the property. It's the council's responsibility therefore.
nubbin said:
Yes - copper nails it is ... The Leylandii will deffo be going to the great forest in the sky, the other needs a bit more thought.
I understand copper takes about a year or two to poison the tree, but it makes it look like a natural death.
I understand copper takes about a year or two to poison the tree, but it makes it look like a natural death.
Hi all,
This is my first post on the PH forums (you have Google to "thank" for my arrival here); I need your help re: Leylandii culling.
I'm going to be taking out two of these menaces (both 30' high, trunk diameter approx 14" at the base) by stealth, so I've decided to use copper nails. Nubbin suggested that this method may take a couple of years... my question is very simple: If I use a LOT of copper, like a couple of hundred copper nails embedded in the trunk & major roots, would this kill them more quickly?
Thanks in advance for any advice/experience passed on,
slowfallerUK
If the objective is to get rid just call in a tree surgeon and pay them to do it. If you want the council to shift it to save you the fee or if you don't have the permission to fell the tree and want to force them to do it by poisoning it I'd say you're on very dodgy ground and taking a pretty big risk. Sure the tree will die but it won't fall at a predictable time or in a predictable way and there's no way to predict whether it will be spotted as diseased before it falls over. If you simply keep calling them telling them it looks diseased then it'll look suspicious and your neighbours will be pretty pissed off if it falls on their stuff.
I'd either pay someone to take it away if you must or park somewhere else.
I'd either pay someone to take it away if you must or park somewhere else.
slowfallerUK said:
nubbin said:
Yes - copper nails it is ... The Leylandii will deffo be going to the great forest in the sky, the other needs a bit more thought.
I understand copper takes about a year or two to poison the tree, but it makes it look like a natural death.
I understand copper takes about a year or two to poison the tree, but it makes it look like a natural death.
Hi all,
This is my first post on the PH forums (you have Google to "thank" for my arrival here); I need your help re: Leylandii culling.
I'm going to be taking out two of these menaces (both 30' high, trunk diameter approx 14" at the base) by stealth, so I've decided to use copper nails. Nubbin suggested that this method may take a couple of years... my question is very simple: If I use a LOT of copper, like a couple of hundred copper nails embedded in the trunk & major roots, would this kill them more quickly?
Thanks in advance for any advice/experience passed on,
slowfallerUK
Wouldn't it be a tad obvious if there are hundreds of nails sticking out of the poor tree?!
Besides some lashing of copper sulphate around the base might be easier. dieseljohn said:
Am I the only one that feels sorry for the tree?
I think there is something seriously wrong with me.
I think there is something seriously wrong with me.
no, i agree...
That tree is probably 100's of years old, started life as a tiny seed, and grew, survived the victorian building craze, survived the industrial revolution, the housing booms of the last century... and now some guy wants to kill it so he can park his car outside his house...
Me, i say you should have bought a house with a driveway instead of a tree in the first place...
copper nails will work but will take ages - now is the right time of year to do it whilst the sap is rising
if you want the tree down by the summer a bucket of hot water mixed with 1kg of salt twice a week for about a month will kill it - becareful though as you will end up with a tree that will fall over when it dies as the root swill have rotted
if you want the tree down by the summer a bucket of hot water mixed with 1kg of salt twice a week for about a month will kill it - becareful though as you will end up with a tree that will fall over when it dies as the root swill have rotted
timmy33 said:
It's only a great big plant. It's not sentient, just a tree. So I wouldn't get too sentimentasl about it, anymore than you would a lump of coal.
but its been there for 100's of years, and if he leaves it alone, its likely to outlive him...
it'll certainly outlive any driveway, car or anything if left alone...
big plant my arse!
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