Best way to kill a tree

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Copper Nails

Next door they have an elm tree that keeps throwing up starts in my yard, Ive tried everything to stop it but heard that copper is deadly to a tree, so copper nail in the root in my yard = dead tree.
 
Next door they have an elm tree that keeps throwing up starts in my yard, Ive tried everything to stop it but heard that copper is deadly to a tree, so copper nail in the root in my yard = dead tree.

If you got something better spill your beans
 
Wow that sounds interesting. There was a member on a while ago that wanted to do away with a treelawn tree that the city owned. I know lots of chemicals were mentioned but no nails.:msp_smile:
 
Let me see if I got this right, you killed your neighbors tree with a copper nail and posted this on the internet for all to see including lawyers and prosecutors. Good job! If the neighbor wanted the tree dead then fine but if not did you look into root pruning at your property line?
 
Let me see if I got this right, you killed your neighbors tree with a copper nail and posted this on the internet for all to see including lawyers and prosecutors. Good job! If the neighbor wanted the tree dead then fine but if not did you look into root pruning at your property line?

I was wondering when the weasley nature of this thread would be brought up. Reminds me of years ago when a former neighbor of mine told me she'd been talking to other neighbors about having a spruce tree that is fully on my property cut down. It was a strange conversation. It was like trying to explain what private property is to a child with learning disabilities. You start deviously messing with somebody's private property, you deserve what's coming to you. You ought to be ashamed of yourself.
 
I heard about the copper nail trick about thirty years ago from an old timer I knew. I decided to try it in order to tell if the old codger was just yanking my chain.

I pounded a half dozen copper nails all around the trunk of a small red pine. It was on my property and I didn't care if it lived or died.

Last I saw, the tree was about 12" DBH and looked as healthy as all the other hundreds of trees on that property.

Sure didn't work for me! Haha!

Edit to add,,,,,,The root preventer that you flush down the toiler to prevent roots from entering your sewer pipes is made with copper sulfate though, and it seems to work. Also, the plumbers around here wrap the end of the plastic PVC sewer pipes where they enter the clay sewer mains with copper wire. They say it keeps the roots away. Must be something to it,,,,,,,,,,

Bob
 
Last edited:
I heard about the copper nail trick about thirty years ago from an old timer I knew. I decided to try it in order to tell if the old codger was just yanking my chain.

I pounded a half dozen copper nails all around the trunk of a small red pine. It was on my property and I didn't care if it lived or died.

Last I saw, the tree was about 12" DBH and looked as healthy as all the other hundreds of trees on that property.

Sure didn't work for me! Haha!

Edit to add,,,,,,The root preventer that you flush down the toiler to prevent roots from entering your sewer pipes is made with copper sulfate though, and it seems to work. Also, the plumbers around here wrap the end of the plastic PVC sewer pipes where they enter the clay sewer mains with copper wire. They say it keeps the roots away. Must be something to it,,,,,,,,,,

Bob

Without giving to much away the composition if the nail is important, copper clad wont do it. And buy the way,this wasn't the first go round for this tree 10 years ago it was cut and the stump ground. He paid over $800 bucks.
 
Ethics aside. I found drilling a few holes in a root and adding round up does a good job of killing a tree. But then again, why not just remove it and grind the stump. Beats the hell out of a law suit or worse. Beastmaster
 
Ethics aside. I found drilling a few holes in a root and adding round up does a good job of killing a tree. But then again, why not just remove it and grind the stump. Beats the hell out of a law suit or worse. Beastmaster

This tree was cut and ground 10 years ago it was like a weed , and not the good kind.
 

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