Girdle and Spraying Trees

[markT]

I've got a bunch of trees I need to kill. Sweetgums and Holly mostly.
Ran across this. I'm thinking spring time would be the best time. Anyone got any experience?

 

[DGP4]

Why not just cut the tree down?

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

I have hinge cut for forage and steer deer around a stand. Willows we would cut down and drive a piece of copper in the stump to kill it.

 

[DShortt]

Why not just cut the tree down?

Roots are still alive. All sorts of stuff will grow out from the old stump/roots depending on tree type unless you spray the stump with a herbicide, which doesn't always work.

 

[Walt Krafft]

Ask your county extension agent or forestry office. They will tell you the best way to do it. You might need a restricted use herbicde to do it best.

 

[okie]

I use arsenal in pine plantation-- better read the label. There are others that wont kill surrounding trees/grass etc. Sweet gum kills are best here early summer during fast growth...you can kick them over the next fall if they are pretty small....holly is probably on that label. Garlon 4 works too...
Do what Walt says...lots of fact sheets from state forestry and univ. for good info.

 

[markT]

Is Craig Harper’s FSI Cocktail Safe for Non-Target Trees?

More evidence suggests no risk of damaging non-target trees when you use a “Craig Harper Cocktail" for Forest Stand Improvement (FSI) and deer habitat.

deerassociation.com

 

[markT]

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Hire a beaver

 

[skeeljc]

I had access to some property where someone removed 12" of bark from black locust trees. Don't know how many years it took but they were completely dry and still standing. Great firewood.

 

[DGP4]

I had access to some property where someone removed 12" of bark from black locust trees. Don't know how many years it took but they were completely dry and still standing. Great firewood.

That's the way I remember being told to do it. I don't see the need to spray herbicides that might do more damage than necessary.

 

[D Coots]

Roots are still alive. All sorts of stuff will grow out from the old stump/roots depending on tree type unless you spray the stump with a herbicide, which doesn't always work.

Tordon

 

[ncageneral]

Hack & squirt. I use straight imazapyr. It is active in the soil so be careful around trees you want to keep alive. They have to be actively growing to be effective.

 

[Doug Bogg]

Interesting timing on this for me. There are multiple ins-and-outs.

I love trees. Love oaks, maples, hickory, many more, however some trees are garbage on the land.

It's extra dangerous to cut big trees down in confined spaces because you can't effectively get away if they go sideways. Also, they can twist and flip and back-shoot and bring other dangers down.

You can griddle. You can get as aggressive as you like as you can see above. This girdling was done mid July 2022 and won't make any difference until this coming summer. No change whatsoever as of mid-january. I've tried drilling holes and adding salt, and salt to the roots. No impact.

A new day is dawning on this for me, I'm stepping up my game, just received a gallon of 41% glyhosphapte, gloves, face shield, and squirt bottle and a package of 1/2 drill bits and going to drill three holes per trash tree and add a tea poon of glyosphaspate to each hole.

We'll see - good luck

 

[Doug Bogg]

They have to be actively growing to be effective.

I heard winter was best for herbicide? Trees definitely girdle best in hottest weather.

 

[Doug Bogg]

If you decide to girdle, this -

 

[swimster]

Drill a few 1/2 inch holes 4 or 5 inches deep in the base angling down,. Fill them with round up in the fall works best. Next spring the won't come back.

 

[ncageneral]

I heard winter was best for herbicide? Trees definitely girdle best in hottest weather.

Imazapyr works when the tree is growing actively, to hack and squirt get a hatchet , tomahawk, machete, make 3 or 4 good hacks down to the cambium layer and take a squirt bottle and give it a couple of shots in the hacked bark, that'll take care of most any hardwood tree. Pines dont like glyphosate any time of the year. I mostly battle sweet gums and privet hedge down here.

 

[DShortt]

Tordon

Not always 100% effective when dealing with Honey Locust. The stuff with the poisionous thorns several inches long. Even when used during winter as recommended on the label. Found that out the hard way. Not a problem you want to have because the sprouts grow back with more thorns than leaves.

 

[Doug Bogg]

Imazapyr works when the tree is growing actively, to hack and squirt get a hatchet , tomahawk, machete, make 3 or 4 good hacks down to the cambium layer and take a squirt bottle and give it a couple of shots in the hacked bark, that'll take care of most any hardwood tree. Pines dont like glyphosate any time of the year. I mostly battle sweet gums and privet hedge down here.

This is great timing for me, I'm planning to begin addressing dozens of pine on Saturday... 100 ft tall loblolly trash in the far back. I've received face shield, rubber gloves, squirt bottles, two new hatchets, new axe, battery powered chainsaw. I've already prepared three openings per tree around the trunks at waist height. I'll drill at those openings and then offset from that do three severe hatchet strikes and into all of that a squirt of 41% glyosphate. I have a long standing history of battling trash trees but now I'm going full chemical. I'm extra cautious, but want to get them out of the sky. And incidentally, having girdle loblolly in the past, can report they distengrate faster in the air than on the ground. I went around seven years ago and took maybe fifty trash pine out of the sky with a chainsaw and the evil things are still solid on the ground. In the air, they rot faster, for some reason.