On Sat, 03 Nov 2007 08:49:56 -0400, Stephen Henning
wrote:

Kay Lancaster wrote:

On Fri, 02 Nov 2007 18:01:08 -0700, Davej wrote:
This is a little off topic but I have a problem with volunteer trees
and honeysuckle bushes growing in my hedges. In this situation I was
wondering if anyone has had any luck poisoning them with copper wire?
Seems like this would be a safe method if it works.

Just girdle them and have done with it...

I have a rhododendron garden near a woods. Volunteer walnut trees grow
in the woods which is problem since their roots kill my rhododendrons. I
girdle the larger walnut trees to kill them. It takes about 3 or 4
years to kill a tree when you girdle it. The sap still flows up through
the sap wood and the tree keeps looking normal until the roots are
completely depleted of nutrients. Then the tree dies, but then it is
still standing there dead another 20 years while it rots in place and
the smaller branches drop off and it eventually falls over. So "have
done with it" is a very slow process.


I girdled a 50-foot elm tree early winter 2006. It leafed out in
spring. Suddenly in June (9 months later), it dropped all of its
leaves. I guess the draught helped it along. I drilled several deep
1" holes in the stump and keep these filled with 34-0-0 fertilizer.
The stump is beginning to rot as it consumes the nitrogen. I guess it
will take at least until next spring to completely remove the stump.
Looking back, it is better just to cut the tree down, than to girdle
it. I think the OP will benefit from a nice pair of double-hinged
loppers.