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.


Dave

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...

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.
--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
Visit my Rhododendron and Azalea web pages at:
http://rhodyman.net/rahome.html
Also visit the Rhododendron and Azalea Bookstore at:
http://rhodyman.net/rabooks.html
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA Zone 6

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.

On Nov 3, 3:42 am, 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...

Well, I cut them off and they come back. Is cutting only the bark more
effective? The honeysuckle bushes I'm sure would just sprout new
branches.

On Sat, 03 Nov 2007 14:08:05 -0700, Davej wrote:

On Nov 3, 3:42 am, 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...

Well, I cut them off and they come back. Is cutting only the bark more
effective? The honeysuckle bushes I'm sure would just sprout new
branches.

Keep cutting them 3-4 times a year. Well-established plants will
take longer. I had to do this with poison ivy, honeysuckle, bugle
vine, raspberry, blackberry, thistle, and (pulling out) cattails in
the water garden.

Davej wrote:

Well, I cut them off and they come back. Is cutting only the bark more
effective? The honeysuckle bushes I'm sure would just sprout new
branches.

The reason I girdle my walnut trees is to deplete the roots so they
can't force new sprouts. As you mention, most trees that are cut down
will put out new shoots. Girdled trees don't. But they take several
years to die.
--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
Visit my Rhododendron and Azalea web pages at:
http://rhodyman.net/rahome.html
Also visit the Rhododendron and Azalea Bookstore at:
http://rhodyman.net/rabooks.html
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA Zone 6

Phisherman wrote:

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.

If you look at the research about chemicals to make stumps rot, the
apparent thing that works is the drilling of holes. The chemicals put
into the holes seem to have little effect. Drilling holes that allow
air and water into the stump accelerate decomposition. Putting nitrogen
fertilizer into those holes will help a little more the first year. In
subsequent years, the addition of sugar is better.

Many chemical stump removers include directions to burn the stump. If
you do this, it is best to keep lots of fire wood to keep the fire
going. Once the fire gets underground, it retains heat and burns rather
well but very slowly and produces lots of carbon monoxide.
--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
Visit my Rhododendron and Azalea web pages at:
http://rhodyman.net/rahome.html
Also visit the Rhododendron and Azalea Bookstore at:
http://rhodyman.net/rabooks.html
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA Zone 6

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.

"Davej" wrote in message
oups.com...
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.


Dave

You might want to read this:
http://www.state.tn.us/agriculture/forestry/lit/18.pdf

I use "Tordon RTU". There is no mixing and no spraying. It is dyed blue
for easy application and applied on the cut with a squeeze bottle. I've had
no problems, but as with all chemicals, read and use according to
directions.

On Sat, 03 Nov 2007 14:08:05 -0700, Davej wrote:

Just girdle them and have done with it...

Well, I cut them off and they come back. Is cutting only the bark more
effective? The honeysuckle bushes I'm sure would just sprout new
branches.

Many species will stump or root sprout when you just cut off the tops, and
then you've got eleventyseven more stems to treat. If, however, you
ring the cambium (the greenish layer under the bark), the plant can no
longer translocate materials from the top to the roots. Roots are not
photosynthetic and will starve, thus killing the top
of the plant, too.

If you simply remove bark but don't remove the cambium, you haven't girdled
the tree and there's some chance it may survive such a wounding.

Occasionally, you'll see a girdled tree put out some sprouts below the
girlding. Just pull those off as soon as you notice.

Kay

On Nov 2, 7:01 pm, 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.

Dave

For the smaller trees, cut them down with a pair of loppers. Use an
eyedropper to apply full strength, out-of-the-bottle, weed/brush
killer to the cut stub, taking care not to get any on your shrubs.
Works for me and I've never lost a shrub.