I have some shrubs I need to kill that are along a lake shore. I
cannot use any chemicals--natural or otherwise. I also won't be able
to pull the shrubs out. Their roots are too strong and the terrain
would make it impractical. If I cut them back, they just sprout right
back up.

Are there any ways I can encourage these shrubs to die? Perhaps by
cutting them back a different way? Scraping some bark off? Covering
them up? I'd be interested in hearing any techniques you think may
work.

On 6 Jul 2005 13:43:33 -0700, wrote:

I have some shrubs I need to kill that are along a lake shore. I
cannot use any chemicals--natural or otherwise. I also won't be able
to pull the shrubs out. Their roots are too strong and the terrain
would make it impractical. If I cut them back, they just sprout right
back up.

Are there any ways I can encourage these shrubs to die? Perhaps by
cutting them back a different way? Scraping some bark off? Covering
them up? I'd be interested in hearing any techniques you think may
work.

Cut them to the ground, or as close as possible. Cover them with a
foot of mulch. Every time a shoot comes up, IMMEDIATELY cut it off.
If you do this over and over the plant will eventually die from
starvation. It needs photosynthesis to live, and if you remove all
foliage it cannot actuate that process.

Victoria

How about a tractor, and a chain. You could yank them out.
That's what we do.

Kate


wrote in message
oups.com...
:I have some shrubs I need to kill that are along a lake shore. I
: cannot use any chemicals--natural or otherwise. I also won't be able
: to pull the shrubs out. Their roots are too strong and the terrain
: would make it impractical. If I cut them back, they just sprout right
: back up.
:
: Are there any ways I can encourage these shrubs to die? Perhaps by
: cutting them back a different way? Scraping some bark off? Covering
: them up? I'd be interested in hearing any techniques you think may
: work.
:

Bourne Identity wrote:

Cut them to the ground, or as close as possible. Cover them with a
foot of mulch. Every time a shoot comes up, IMMEDIATELY cut it off.
If you do this over and over the plant will eventually die from
starvation. It needs photosynthesis to live, and if you remove all
foliage it cannot actuate that process.


Thanks for the advice. It might be hard for me to get that much mulch
out there. What do you think about wrapping the stump area in a burlap
bag. Would that work like the mulch?

On 6 Jul 2005 18:52:37 -0700, wrote:

Bourne Identity wrote:

Cut them to the ground, or as close as possible. Cover them with a
foot of mulch. Every time a shoot comes up, IMMEDIATELY cut it off.
If you do this over and over the plant will eventually die from
starvation. It needs photosynthesis to live, and if you remove all
foliage it cannot actuate that process.


Thanks for the advice. It might be hard for me to get that much mulch
out there. What do you think about wrapping the stump area in a burlap
bag. Would that work like the mulch?

I don't think the burlap bag would do it.

I agree the shrubs should be cut as close to the ground as possible
and cutting off shoots immediately.

If the stump is fairly large diameter, and since you don't want to use
chemicals, how about drilling holes in the stumps and setting fires
smouldering in the holes. Anybody tried that?




--

Aspasia

Well, I still think a good 3/4 ton 4x4 pickup or a tractor and a long chain
is the best answer.
Pull them out, rake it flat and it's over with.

No stumps, no smoke, no poison.

Kate

On 6 Jul 2005 13:43:33 -0700, wrote:
I have some shrubs I need to kill that are along a lake shore. I
cannot use any chemicals--natural or otherwise. I also won't be able
to pull the shrubs out. Their roots are too strong and the terrain
would make it impractical. If I cut them back, they just sprout right
back up.

I'd ring the main stems -- slip off the bark in a ring around each and every
stem, as far down toward the soil as possible. Make sure you destroy the
green layer, the cambium, immediately under the bark. Then wait. Should
be dead in a couple of years, maximum, and then you can just prune and
haul the tops away.

But... what's going to hold the shoreline when you've removed the
shrubs? Do you need a permit in your area to alter shoreline vegetation?
This is one instance when it's not always easier to ask forgiveness
than permission... and potentially a whole lot more expensive.

wrote in news:1120682613.025505.142330
@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

I have some shrubs I need to kill that are along a lake shore. I
cannot use any chemicals--natural or otherwise. I also won't be able
to pull the shrubs out. Their roots are too strong and the terrain
would make it impractical. If I cut them back, they just sprout right
back up.

Are there any ways I can encourage these shrubs to die? Perhaps by
cutting them back a different way? Scraping some bark off? Covering
them up? I'd be interested in hearing any techniques you think may
work.


My first question to this is: Why are you trying to kill the shrubs? Have
you thought about the possible consequences? Erosion, possible legal
problems with Erosion control ppl, Neighbors complaining, wildlife, etc?

"Aspasia" wrote in message
...
On 6 Jul 2005 18:52:37 -0700, wrote:

Bourne Identity wrote:

Cut them to the ground, or as close as possible. Cover them with a
foot of mulch. Every time a shoot comes up, IMMEDIATELY cut it off.
If you do this over and over the plant will eventually die from
starvation. It needs photosynthesis to live, and if you remove all
foliage it cannot actuate that process.


Thanks for the advice. It might be hard for me to get that much mulch
out there. What do you think about wrapping the stump area in a burlap
bag. Would that work like the mulch?

I don't think the burlap bag would do it.

Burlap allows light through, which is why is such a great thing for covering
grass seed.

If you cut the shrub off close to the ground, wrap it in a black plastic
garbage bag. A couple of layers of the black plastic should restrict
light enough to help. However, the shrub will probably put out shoots.
You will have to cut them off, probably once every week or two.
Otherwise they may poke holes in the plastic. You might have to replace
the plastic bag occasionally, but they're cheap.

Depending on the shrub, you may have to keep this up for two or three
years (probably not in the winter, depending on where you are) to
completely discourage it from growing.

If you can dig around the roots a bit, cutting the roots below ground
will speed up the process of killing the shrub. The deeper the better.
However, that makes it more difficult to apply and maintain the plastic bag.

Long winded idea:
I was at a garden center last week, inquiring about landscape fabric for a
small area under the eaves of my house where rain rarely reaches, and
nothing grows but weeds that like desert conditions. I don't have time to
research & plant something nicer until September. The store owner said "If
you're gonna put mulch on top of the fabric, use this kind. If stones, you
want this stuff - it's practically impossible to damage".

So...the OP might want to consider some high quality landscape fabric, too,
even if he uses it to make some sort of wrap over the stumps, as opposed to
laying it flat. It would be far more durable than plastic.

On 6 Jul 2005 18:52:37 -0700, wrote:

Bourne Identity wrote:

Cut them to the ground, or as close as possible. Cover them with a
foot of mulch. Every time a shoot comes up, IMMEDIATELY cut it off.
If you do this over and over the plant will eventually die from
starvation. It needs photosynthesis to live, and if you remove all
foliage it cannot actuate that process.


Thanks for the advice. It might be hard for me to get that much mulch
out there. What do you think about wrapping the stump area in a burlap
bag. Would that work like the mulch?

The mulch is only to stunt the resprouting, but you don't need it.
Just keep cutting off the new growth over and over and eventually the
plant will die. The trick is to get that sprout removed the day or
week it emerges. No photosynthesis at all.

On Thu, 07 Jul 2005 07:16:29 GMT, "SVTKate"
wrote:

Well, I still think a good 3/4 ton 4x4 pickup or a tractor and a long chain
is the best answer.
Pull them out, rake it flat and it's over with.

No stumps, no smoke, no poison.

Kate


The OP said in the original post the terrain was not conducive to this
method, though it is how I recently removed a Mexican sambuca.

Agreed. Now, where's the beer?

"dps" wrote in message
...
Landscape fabric is a good light blocker, so it would work in place of the
plastic bags I suggested in an earlier post. However, it's much more
expensive than a garbage bag, although it's also much stronger. Also,
neither method will prevent the shrub from sprouting, so regularly cutting
sprouts would be essential for the non-chemical/non-big-hole method to
work. A determined shrub will grow through either plastic bags or
landscape fabric, given some time. Plants are remarkably strong --
tree roots can crack concrete sidewalks. Getting through a plastic
covering is a piece of cake, but it does take time.

The light blocker gives you time to respond to sprouting. Uncovered, the
sprout will photosynthesize food (in proportion to its surface area) as
soon as it emerges. Covered, it will not, so a week delay in cutting new
sprouts will not make the shrub last longer. You just have to be sure to
get the sprouts before the covering tears.




Doug Kanter wrote:
Long winded idea:
I was at a garden center last week, inquiring about landscape fabric for
a small area under the eaves of my house where rain rarely reaches, and
nothing grows but weeds that like desert conditions. I don't have time to
research & plant something nicer until September. The store owner said
"If you're gonna put mulch on top of the fabric, use this kind. If
stones, you want this stuff - it's practically impossible to damage".

So...the OP might want to consider some high quality landscape fabric,
too, even if he uses it to make some sort of wrap over the stumps, as
opposed to laying it flat. It would be far more durable than plastic.

On 6 Jul 2005 13:43:33 -0700, wrote:

I have some shrubs I need to kill that are along a lake shore. I
cannot use any chemicals--natural or otherwise. I also won't be able
to pull the shrubs out. Their roots are too strong and the terrain
would make it impractical. If I cut them back, they just sprout right
back up.

Are there any ways I can encourage these shrubs to die? Perhaps by
cutting them back a different way? Scraping some bark off? Covering
them up? I'd be interested in hearing any techniques you think may
work.

Agriculture vinegar and lemon. It's oganic