"Tumbleweed" wrote in message
...

"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
...

snip

OK, but what is the diesel oil actually _for_? What does it _do_?
I'm
not surprised you say it takes years for a stump to rot: I'd have
thought heavy oil would, for a while at any rate, be a reasonably
effective preservative.

Mike.


Got to agree there, what is creosote other than a form of oil? I'm
sure it
will kill the stump, but chances are it will then preserve it! In
fact come
to think of it many years ago my dad treated wooden posts by
standing one
end in a bucket of old engine oil for a few days before planting it
(or
whatever the appropriate verb for a post is)
--
Tumbleweed

Mike, Tumbleweed,
Agreed. The oil in the core kills off the plant. And as you suggest,
any oil will probably have some preservative effect. But we are
talking in thimblefuls concentrated in a very small area. The overall
effect on a stump will obviously be proportional to the diameter of
stump - pauses to check back on the OP ...... and, ...... er, I see
that the trees in question were only of arm thickness. In which case,
if I'm allowed to change my tune, I would favour digging them out.
!?!?! :-(
......mutter, mutter, mutter.

--
ned

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last update 30.12.2004