In article ,
Kay Lancaster wrote:

On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 10:49:27 -0500, Celeste Evans wrote:
How safe is this stuff to use around established trees. The scenario...
jasmine ground cover and holly removed for a new bed, the area is
surrounded by large old oaks. The landscape people want to use the
fertilome brush and stump to kill the roots of the jasmine. Seems
suspect to me, but I do not understand chem speak well enough to figure
out what they were telling me when I googled this stuff. Any help
pointers appreciated. For what it's worth the site is in Austin TX zone
8.

Appears to be triclopyr, which I would not allow to be sprayed around
plants I want to keep -- it's a general broadleaf herbicide (your oaks are
broadleaf plants, fwiw -- triclopyr doesn't (in general) touch
grasses or conifers. I might consider it for your use
applied directly to a cut stump, depending on the species and area
involved, but not as a spray, even thickened. It has a 30-90 day half
life in the soil, so you're not going to be replanting any time soon.
It's also potentially mobile in the soil. Some formulations of triclopyr
are Restricted Use Pesticides, which means you have to have a license to
apply them. That, to me, means I'd just as soon not have those around.

As herbicides go, it's probably not one of the worst... just not one I've
had any real experience with. I probably just would have girdled the
plants you wanted to remove, and then chopped them a couple of years later.
If I really wanted to use it at the stage you seem to be at (the brush has
been cut and hauled?), I'd probably do it personally, using something like
a stamp licker to apply it, and dye included with the herbicide so I could
keep track of what I'm treating.

General information on triclopyr:
http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/triclopy.htm

Thanks Kay, I was of the same opinion just wanted some back up I
suppose.

Cea