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.

Ah, but then you don't have to deal with a million suckers and root sprouts.
And once it's dead, you can easily fell it -- you don't need to leave it
standing unless you're after wildlife habitat.