Organic tree killing solutions??

[TreeSurfer]

Is there anyway to kill a tree using organic or at least non roundup approaches??

 

[JeffGu]

Yes, ring/girdle the tree and wait for it to die. You can see a video HERE that shows how to do it.

 

[Pelorus]

Cook it with a giant magnifying glass.

 

[ATH]

What kind of tree? It matters...

 

[JeffGu]

Yes... if it is a really good firewood species, the ONLY way to kill it is to cut it down, cut it up, split the wood, load it all in a trailer and drop it off at my house. Trust me, nothing else will work on locust, oak, maple, hickory, beech and assorted other species. Call me if you need directions.

 

[bikemike]

Is there anyway to kill a tree using organic or at least non roundup approaches??

Copper nails

 

[ATH]

Yes... if it is a really good firewood species, the ONLY way to kill it is to cut it down, cut it up, split the wood, load it all in a trailer and drop it off at my house. Trust me, nothing else will work on locust, oak, maple, hickory, beech and assorted other species. Call me if you need directions.

Yeah...but if it is Ailanthus, cutting it down just spawned 127 new stems suckering from the roots and you have firewood with about the same attraction as burning cow patties.

 

[ATH]

Copper nails

not so much...doesn't work (unless you simply girdle the tree with nails, but then you could do it a lot cheaper than could have been done with all that copper).

 

[bikemike]

I still like the answer of cut it down

 

[rtsims]

Let the local hack "prune" it!

 

[BC WetCoast]

Goats

 

[JRoland]

not so much...doesn't work (unless you simply girdle the tree with nails, but then you could do it a lot cheaper than could have been done with all that copper).

I've heard galvanized nails work, forming a reaction due to zinc in them. I haven't tried it though and don't know the specifics.

 

[windthrown]

Let the local hack "prune" it!

Or the Messicans.

 

[windthrown]

I've heard galvanized nails work, forming a reaction due to zinc in them. I haven't tried it though and don't know the specifics.

Sorry, that will not work. We used to bang galvanized nails into trees that were zinc deficient to improve their health (seriously).

In reply to the OP, girdling is the best way to kill a tree or bush. Cut to under the cambium layer in a ring about an inch wide and the roots will be starved of nutrients and croak. Then the top will croak. The you can cut it down. This also works to prevent maples, Tree of Heaven, and cottonwood from shooting like mad from the stumps and roots.

 

[windthrown]

Goats

They only work up to about 6 feet unless they can knock the limbs down. My trees had a 'goat hair cut' about 6 feet off the ground in Southern Oregon. They will also typically girdle them though, digging out the bark to get to the cambium, or rubbing their horns on the bark or just ramming the trees. Sheep will do the same thing.

 

[ATH]

Agree galvanized nails will not work. Every see hunting stands nailed into trees?

Girdling without herbicide is a very bad idea on Tree of Heaven (ailanthus) around here. Maybe it behaves differently in the northwest. I have also seen a number of silver maple, buckeye, box elder, cottonwood, and a few honey locust with good double girdles that grow over those. However, if you were to hit a second year if you see that happening, you would finish it off quickly.

 

[windthrown]

I have girdled cottonwood, maples/box elders and walnuts here with 100% effective kill rates. Get below the cambium and they cannot grow more phloam (inner bark) to feed the roots. I have done in a lot of trees in California that way as well. I have some birch trees here that have been girdled by some type of bugs and now they are dying. I think it is bark beetles. I have several pines here that are dead now from bark beetles that I am cutting down now. They eat the cambium layer and the trees croak in the summer heat.

When I was managing a 100+ acre tree stand in Southern Oregon we used a "hack and squirt" method to kill several types of invasive vegetation, including gorse, scotch broom, English hawthorn, and holly. You take a swipe at a tree stump at a downward angle, and then spray the wound with Garlon (triclopyr) herbicide. I also used Crossbow for that, which is a blend of triclopyr and 2,4-D. But the OP asked for a non toxic method...

 

[Creeker]

Chainsaw, use vegetable oil if it makes you feel good ....

 

[Ferguson system]

You can use vinegar to replace roundup.

 

[ATH]

Vinegar has a lower LD50 number than roundup (meaning it is more toxic to humans...). It is not labeled to kill trees. It doesn't work particularly well. But it is organic.

You could also dump lots of salt around the tree. Having many people and dogs pee on it would also kill it. Both would be "organic".

Girdling is a great way to kill most trees, depending on species...and apparently location.