how do you kill a tree?

Author
Discussion

dp400

Original Poster:

313 posts

249 months

Wednesday 16th November 2005
quotequote all
I have a mature tree right outside my house which is preventing me from using my front garden as a drive. Ive applied to the council to have the tree removed and a dropped kerb put in, but the council have refused as it it against thier policy to remove a mature tree unless it is dead or damaged. If "someone" wanted to, how would you go about killing a tree? Any suggestiond greatfully recieved.

Carrera2

8,352 posts

231 months

Wednesday 16th November 2005
quotequote all
Cut a 1/2 inch groove all around the tree about an inch in depth. That'll kill it pretty quick.

chassis 33

6,194 posts

281 months

Wednesday 16th November 2005
quotequote all
Copper nail.

Splodge S4

1,519 posts

236 months

Wednesday 16th November 2005
quotequote all
Carrera2 said:
Cut a 1/2 inch groove all around the tree about an inch in depth. That'll kill it pretty quick.


Then watch as the bugger falls on your house

Liszt

4,329 posts

269 months

Wednesday 16th November 2005
quotequote all
Lift bark, Smack in copper nails, glue bark back on.

up-the-dubs

4,282 posts

228 months

Wednesday 16th November 2005
quotequote all
What do copper nails do? Aside from the obvious - killing the tree - whats the reaction?

dieseljohn

2,114 posts

255 months

Wednesday 16th November 2005
quotequote all
Am I the only one that feels sorry for the tree?

I think there is something seriously wrong with me.

plasticpig

12,932 posts

224 months

Wednesday 16th November 2005
quotequote all
A large dose of paraquat should kill it off if it can be obtaind. Reading a safety data sheet first is vital. A more obvious but safer method is to damage the bark in a ring round the tree and damage the soft wood underneath. This is called girdling if IIRC.

nubbin

6,809 posts

277 months

Wednesday 16th November 2005
quotequote all
Yes - copper nails it is. I have two trees which overshadow my house from next door's garden. One is a nice tree, but a bit big (30' and growing rapidly!) and the the is a bloody Leylandii, about 6' from my son's bedroom window! 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 natuural death.

DJFish

5,917 posts

262 months

Wednesday 16th November 2005
quotequote all
How do you kill a tree?

If the lentalists are to be believed, just drive your car around it a few times, but be careful there aren't any children about, you'll probably end up killing them as well!

And so on.....

planetdave

9,921 posts

252 months

Wednesday 16th November 2005
quotequote all
My Shoalin instructor hung pads from one in his garden and practiced on it every day. Took 18 months tho.



It might fall over in a winter storm that you haven't had yet

Autonotiv

2,673 posts

223 months

Wednesday 16th November 2005
quotequote all
what sort of tree is it then??

planetdave

9,921 posts

252 months

Wednesday 16th November 2005
quotequote all
A big doomed one apparently

cotty

39,389 posts

283 months

Wednesday 16th November 2005
quotequote all
nubbin said:
bloody Leylandii, .


Kill that now before it blocks out he sun for all of us

gtr-gaz

5,090 posts

245 months

Wednesday 16th November 2005
quotequote all
Not sure you would want to risk it falling on your house though!

We had an ash tree in our back garden which was about 100 years old. it was huge.
Last year part of it fell on the house. Scared my wife and I to death as we were in the house at the time.



It turned out to be dying, but we had no idea. It seemed pefectly healthy to us.

Cost the insurance company a fortune btw. We also have about 10 years worth of logs!

edited to add: We also had a 60ft poplar which we got permission to take down this year!! (once bitten...)

>> Edited by gtr-gaz on Wednesday 16th November 18:20

up-the-dubs

4,282 posts

228 months

Wednesday 16th November 2005
quotequote all
gtr-gaz said:
Something similar to what I'm about to say!


We took ours down before it fell though. Kinda looked like it might go. We got the guys to cuts the main trunk into discs which are now set into the ground surrounded by gravel. Brilliant bbq area is the result. Mind you the trunk was about 3 foot thick.

towman

14,938 posts

238 months

Wednesday 16th November 2005
quotequote all
gtr-gaz said:
Not sure you would want to risk it falling on your house though!


Following on from what gaz says, if you have large trees in your garden, it is worth the expense of getting a decent tree surgeon round to give them a health check and lop off any dead/dangerous bits. We purchased some woodland last year and did exactly that - amazing how many had been struck by lightning and were dying from the inside.

To kill a tree: Drill small hole deep into tree, push small pipe into hole and put the other end in a bucket of diesel. Capillary action will draw the diesel into the tree and kill it pretty quickly. Totally untraceable. Don`t ask me how I know!

anonymous-user

53 months

Wednesday 16th November 2005
quotequote all
dieseljohn said:
Am I the only one that feels sorry for the tree?

I think there is something seriously wrong with me.


Personally anyone killing a perfectly good tree is a tosspot!!!

cotty

39,389 posts

283 months

Wednesday 16th November 2005
quotequote all
garyhun said:
dieseljohn said:
Am I the only one that feels sorry for the tree?

I think there is something seriously wrong with me.


Personally anyone killing a perfectly good tree is a tosspot!!!


What is you plant a couple to replace it, is that ok

anonymous-user

53 months

Wednesday 16th November 2005
quotequote all
Emmm!!!! Maybe!!!