My Husband Poisoned the Oak, Can I still save it??

[virdy]

In one of his lapses of common sense my husband drilled 5 1/4" holes 3" into the trunk of a 30' healthy oak tree then poured in CONCENTRATED roundup. I am so mad!! He was trying to make room for a addition to his shed but I he didn't bother to tell me first. I love that Oak and I really want to save it. First will 4 or so ounces of roundup poured into holes by the base of a healthy oak kill it? If so is there anything I can do (aside from castrating my husband! )?? This happened last Saturday.Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much!

 

[fwf]

Proceed with castration just to be safe. The oak may survive and I'm generally a fan of castration, but in this case, go ahead.

 

[treeseer]

MB what do the mods have to do with this one?

virdy, what part of the trunk did he do this on--can you post a picture? How about using a garden hose to wash out the holes, then using it in your husband's ear to wash out his brain.

 

[virdy]

Thank you for the feedback! I've washed it out with water. Sorry I don't have a picture but the holes are drilled about six inches to a foot above dirt level.
I'm hoping that the resilience of the healthy oak can withstand a one time poisoning.

Mods??? I'm sorry I don't understand that.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

All you can do now is watch it and pray.

The way the chemical works is it moves down into the roots and kill them off. This tree may not have taken enough up, but one of the ways vegitation managers kill larger trees is to "Frill paint" the basal area, this is taking a machete and wounding the tree along the circumferance , or a saw and girdling it. Then spray, or paint the tree with an herbicide.

Though I imagine that full castration of your hubby would be problematic long term. Maybe more public purse holding and apron wearing around the house would suffice.

 

[vharrison2]

Don't worry about MasterBlaster. He's one of our resident trouble makers and he thought you had made up your story.

You got to admit: He is funny !!!!!!!!!

 

[Ekka]

My moneys on death, please keep us posted on the process.

You'll see leaves starting to curl and dry out (crinkle up).

Then they'll start to go brown.

Then they'll fall off.

Then the trees dead.

IMO the cycle can take up to 2 months.

 

[fwf]

The good news is that since he didn't know how to properly kill a tree to begin with, he probably botched the job entirely. In fact, the scenario begs the question, "why kill it before cutting it down?"

 

[vharrison2]

Ekka, I think it will last longer.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Mods??? I'm sorry I don't understand that.

Sorry 'bout that post, I thought for sure you were trolling. I apologize, Virdy.

 

[fwf]

...I thought for sure you were trolling...

You're not alone. Just goes to show that the truth really is stranger than fiction.

 

[vharrison2]

Good news, Round up only works on green foliage.......that chemical works on green foliage. Like to kill weeds. Unless your husband has some type of spray licence he probably did not get anything strong enough to kill the tree. That is our opinon from this camp. Please let us know what happens.

 

[fwf]

Good news, Round up only works on green foliage.......

I don't believe this is true. RoundUp can be used as a "cut stump" or "hack and quirt" herbicide treatment, which is effectively what the guy did when he drilled the holes.

 

[JamesTX]

The product label says it can be applied using an injection or frill method. The dosage is 1 ml per 2-3 inch of diameter at DBH.

So, he would have had to use 10-15 ml to achieve the recommended dosage. It would have been close given the holes he drilled. He may not have been able to fill the holes if he just poured; if he injected, then he may have.

 

[Lumberjack]

How long before you washed it out? If you got it soon enough it could be fine, if not, we will tell in a few weeks.

 

[Ax-man]

Another variable to weather the Oak tree did or did not uptake the chemicals would be local conditions at the time of injection. Was soil moisture abundant or were local conditions dry. Another factor would be your local weather at the time, sunny , overcast, humidity levels, wind speeds.

If you were able to wash out the Roundup in time and local conditions were not favorable for uptake of chemicals in the main stem, you might have lucked out, the Oak may survive.

Larry

 

[Molecule]

I don't know how fast sap flows in oak trees (what is the velocity of an oak sap?) --- but when I did the drill and inject method to some vines (with Lesco's Prosecutor, not Roundup) and it took a couple of days for the thick liquid to be absorbed.

Just wondering if it would hurt to take a 1" drill, or a chisel and a hammer, and remove any additional poison-saturaged flesh which might still be lingering around the original wound. Basically, just clean up the wound. If your husband drilled at a downward angle, then open the bottom of the wound so that it drains naturally. Maybe then coat it with a soluable-? sealant and pack it with a wooden dowel.