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How can we kill tree roots??
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betterbargains4u wrote: »Doing some gardening and wondered if there was anything you can put onto the roots of trees to kill them off completely....or do you have to dig them up?
would like to know myself if anyone else does as have a real root problem0 -
craigchesh wrote: »would like to know myself if anyone else does as have a real root problem
Dig it up is the best way, well dig down as far as you can then saw the roots0 -
Can anyone help with any advice on how best to get rid of tree roots from an ash tree that has rooted in the rear wall of the cottage we are renovating..it doesnt have a huge thick trunk so cannot drill holes into it, but the smaller roots have worked their way into the stone work..
Ive attempted to chop off what I can access, any ideas how to kill the remainder? as its causing an interior damp problem and need it out quickly
thankyou0 -
Ok, there's a few questions on this thread.
1. Betterbargains4u, do you know what type of tree it is? This is important. Some trees will require the roots to be killed, most won't.
2. Sycamore trees will not grow back from the roots. Cut the stem below ground level. If its at knee height you should be able to dig the whole plant out relativley easily.
3. Once you cut a leylandii trunk down the plant will die anyway. Any chemicals are a complete waste of time and money, sorry alanobrien. Most conifers will not grow new shoots from bare wood.
4. Roots of dead trees will break down anyway. To increase the speed you can do two things. 1. Hack at the roots to split them, increasing surface area and allowing water penetration. 2. If they are in the soil an organic mulch will help. This will keep the soil moist, and at at a stable temperature for the microrganisms to flourish.
If they are in a wall, under tiles etc, cut off as much as you can and let them die and then shrink and become brittle as they dry out. Trying to pull them out may damage the wall.
Engine oil will almost certainly slow the rotting process, but it is an illegal but effective chemical to kill trees/most things.0 -
Gardenroute, can you tell me about birch trees, will they grow back?
I got a quote for stump grinding which is £70. (following the tree cutting which is £100). Is stump grinding necessary if you want to convert the area into a veg patch? thanks for your time.0 -
gardenroute wrote: »If they are in a wall, under tiles etc, cut off as much as you can and let them die and then shrink and become brittle as they dry out. Trying to pull them out may damage the wall.
this is problem we have...
I have read that Salt may speed up the process?0 -
A birch tree will grow back from the stem but not the roots. The problem with birch trees is that they form a dense network of roots just below the surface. This would take several years to break down in to a usable soil. £100 more than is reasonable for a fell, £70 seems a bit high for a grind but this depends on access, etc.; but you could query the contractor on this. How big is this tree?
However, £170 all in is probably worth it. If you have a veg patch next to a healthy tree the tree's roots will invade the bed very quickly.
One concern is that the stump grinder will smash the main root up, but not the root branches surrounding it. It might be worth putting a spade into the ground where you want the veg patch to see how 'rooty' it is. If its full of roots, you may need to break it up with a rotovator, or be prepared for a bit of spade/mattock work.
You could poison the stump, and leaving the main root in and spend your time/money removing/breaking up the smaller roots where your veg plot will be.
Without seeing the site its pretty hard to offer the best advice, but I would also look into dropping the tree, and then pulling out the main roots with a mini-digger which you could then use to break up the surrounding soil.
All this depends on how big and close the tree is to the veg patch, and how big your patch will be.0 -
Thank you, Gardenroute, the tree is actually about 25 feet tall and is almost in the middle of the prospective veg patch and nothing is growing underneath it. What would be the quickest and safest way of proceeding as I would love to start sowing veg this spring. Would poisoning be safe if I intended to eat the veg grown in the vicinity?0
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Arroli,
If they are very small you could remove as much as possible with a chisel and then render over, leaving the rest inside; it's already dead.
However, if you think it's causing a damp problem, this might be something that a surveyor should look at. Is the tree anchored against the wall or have the roots entered the wall in search of water? An ash is a thirsty tree, i'm not sure why roots would penetrate a sound stone wall. If there is not enough girth in the trunk to drill holes, I can't see it causing damp in a house, unless it breaks through the DPC somehow. I'm not an expert in this at all, but the damp may be a seperate problem. Hopefully someone else can help you with this.
How high up the wall are the roots and how big are they? How many are there? Are there any cracks or loose stones in the wall that might be caused by the roots? A photo always helps.
To answer your question, salt may well help, wouldn't hurt. To dry out a root faster, I would split it as many times and as deeply as I could, to allow as much air and water penetration as possible; and remove as much of the protective bark as I could. But it may take months before the roots shrink enough to be pulled out.
Ruthber,
£100 to fell a 25ft tree sounds pretty good, I trust there's no phone lines, houses, small children, etc nearby.
When you poison a stump, it is applied directly to the stump and so it won't 'drift' or seep anywhere except inside the roots. By the time the wood rots the chemical has broken down as well so there is no fear of contamination.
As I said before a grinder will only remove so much of the roots so you may need to think about how to remove the branches of the roots - some of which you may be able to see running just below the ground. Test the area around the tree with a spade first to see what the soil is like. It will also give you an idea of how much digging you will have to do to get your patch ready.
Call me a tree-hugger, but if there's room to drop the tree, is there room to move the veg plot? You could line the hole with landscape fabric if you are worried about tree roots. A mature tree is always worth planning around. A mature birch would be very difficult to plant under because of it's root system, but a few smaller trees next to one always looks good.0 -
:T:rotfl::T:rotfl::T:rotfl::T:rotfl::T
Brilliant. Answering questions asked in 2007.
:T:rotfl::T:rotfl::T:rotfl::T:rotfl::TCensorship Reigns Supreme in Troll City...0
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