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Monday, April 10, 2017

How to Prevent Tree Stumps from Re-Sprouting

Q. You mentioned to drill holes in the trunk of the Cypress and pour a solution into the holes to encourage decay. Can you tell me again what that solution was? I can't read my own writing!

A. I would use diluted Roundup if the tree is still standing and you want to kill it. Use the most concentrated form allowed on label. Either buy it in the diluted form or dilute a concentrated form but do not use it full strength unless it is already diluted.

            Drill the holes as close to the ground as you can and at a downward angle. Use something like a syringe or other disposable item to force dilute Roundup down the holes that are freshly drilled. Fill the holes every hour three times to get plenty of chemical in the tree if you want to kill it.Make sure you wear unlined gloves during the application to protect your hands.

            There is a product that you can buy which you can apply to the stump after the tree has been cut down. Once the tree has been cut down, drill holes in the stump vertically and fill the holes with this product.The product comes under several names such as Stump Remover, Stump out, etc. Follow the directions on the label. Hope this helps.

4 comments:

  1. If you mix the copper sulfate tomatoe powder with the round-up and paint the fresh cut sap ring it will kill the tree--preferably done in the fall when sap is returning to the root system...

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  2. From my experience in coastal California, an Italian Cypress stump left for twenty years was discolored about one inch into the end grain, but not really decomposing. Another stump treated with stump remover was only marginally further gone. Cypress wood is very weather and rot resistant, so don't be surprised if you need to dig or grind the stump out.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for posting that information. I have never tried to get rid of cypress trunks. Do they burn? Is it possible to burn them out carefully?

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    2. Since the stumps were near a gas meter and sprinkler lines I did not try burning, but dug out enough to cover the rest with soil. The wood is technically a softwood, but it is at the hard and dense end of that range from what I can recall. It did not seem very resinous. Some of it was used as firewood and burned well, slower than pine and faster than oak. I would think that once it is dead and has dried some that you could burn them out. Not being twenty any more I'd give that a try over digging and hatchet work.

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