Lombardy Poplars

[Keener]

Just took out a row of good sized Lombardy that where squeezed between a building and neighbours fence.
The customers did not want any herbicide used so we pulled the stumps with a mini excavator so here is the question.
I know as do they that some shoots are going to show up next spring if not sooner so is there a non herbicide way to kill them off more effective than pulling or boiling water.
The neighbours know that they will have some as well but are ok with round up.
I'm open to suggestions, any thoughts?

 

[Stumper]

Depends on how you define herbicide. Salt on fresh stumps works (but it is hard to get enough absorbed into a shoot). Deisel fuel works nicely and DOES break down in the environment. ( I am only imparting imformation not recommendation Mr. EPA lurker.) I may be hard- hearted but I figure they made their choice so they can live wth the consequences.-Pull shoots for a couple of years or PAY to have them pulled.
I look forward to hearing about a miracle cure though.

 

[murphy4trees]

Last I talked to an organic fert salesman, he said they were using something like highly concentrated lemon juice... really low Ph.. that was working better than round-up.
PM me if you'd like the details.
God Bless,
Daniel

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Cut them off as after they've started to harden a little. You will eventualy exhaust thier reserves.

 

[Nickrosis]

Lawnmower.

 

[Keener]

Thanks all. Sounds like they will have to just keep at it till the roots give up.
By chance I looked at another row of Lombardy to remove today again only bigger (up to 36") looks like 2 days work.
Again thanks for the input.

 

[Nickrosis]

Why did these columnar hybrids ever get planted in the first place? ...Stuff like this keeps me up at night.... They do get tall very quickly, and I saw a veritable plethora of them in Europe, especially Poland, along roadsides, in Auschwitz, and other places.

Nickrosis

 

[FBerkel]

People want "instant" trees. The other one around here is the "Amazing Oss (sp?) tree, a willow that shoots up and dies like a Lombardy.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

There is supposed to be a different european poplar cv that is more resistant to canker and has a fastigiate form. Not sure if it is Bouleana

 

[Nickrosis]

Most of the ones that I saw were a cross between their Populus nigra and either the American cottonwood or an Italian species that I'm not familiar with. Plus, many of these trees ended up being topped.

Nickrosis

 

[Keener]

One of the reasons we have them here is prairie folk who move to our more tropical west coast and bring their taste in trees with them. Lots of Lombardy windbreaks on the plains where the winters slow the growth somewhat.
On the coast they and Leylands and other fast growers become"turbo- charged".
I have personally removed Leyland Cypress with growth rings over 1 inch, a 12 year old tree I removed was 18" at the stump.
Unlike the Lombardy they are easier to kill.

 

[Acer]

There's a ton of them here as well - Populus nigra 'Italica'. They were often planted as windbreaks, and you see lines of them say along driveways and entrances to farms and other properties. Not the best tree for that, given how brittle they are. They are often topped quite brutally, which simply stores up problems for later on. Not as popular now, as leylandii have taken over as Britain's favourite "instant" tree.

 

[Keener]

It would be very interesting to find out what the "instant trees" have cost over the years in legal bills when a battle erupts over that line of trees on or close to the property lines.
My guess is that in North America where we have as many lawyers as we have trees that it is in the 100's of millions every year.
I would not be surprised if one years legal bills over Leyland Cypress would exceed the original purchase cost of every Leyland sold,EVER, as in since they where first marketed.
As I said it would be very interesting to know the figures.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I recomend regular coppice thinning of the stands. Just let them sucker up. Do every third one every 3 years...

 

[Nickrosis]

What would you call that? Stand rejuvenation?

 

[Stumper]

I could stand rejuvenation but please don't coppice me.

 

[rbtree]

LOL

Awesome, stumper

 

[rbtree]

keener,

you got dat right!!

After cottonwood and sequoia, leylands just may be the fastest growing trees in the PNW. I've seen growth rings over an inch at stump level, and cut some down pushing four feet at the ground, and maybe 30 yrs old.

I have another customer, for whom we have thinned and shaped his three times, and carefully topped/shaped them once. And they are still only 10-18 inches dbh. It probably cost him $150 the first time, this last, just last week, was around $550!!

 

[rbtree]

stumper,

if you are real patient, I heard cryogenics might work..by 2075 or so...


I heard of a good cloning fella, but he's in a third world country.......or Capitol Hill

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Rotational coppice. I prefer coppice when working with trees because it can be found in the dictionary, and has been practiced for aeons.