A squirrel planted tree……

[Bigtree]

Hi folks, a squirrel (I presume) has planted a horse chestnut tree in the middle of our beech hedge within about 2 meters of our house.

Where it is positioned, it would be nearly impossible to dig it out. How can I kill it off without harming the beech hedges themselves?

 

[HERTS P&D]

How thick is the trunk?

Andy

 

[Bigtree]

Hmmm……good question I shall have a look tomorrow when I can see out there and let you know.

 

[HERTS P&D]

Ok, how tall is it at the moment?

Andy

 

[blup]

Difficult to say without more information, but beech hedges are very robust and would grow back vigorously if you decided to dig it out by the roots.

Blup

 

[Mike13]

paint glyphosate directly onto the leaves with a small paintbrush, taking care not to spill or spray onto the beech

 

[Bigtree]

Ok, how tall is it at the moment?

Andy

Aha, I can answer that one I’d say approx 6 foot. It’s just poking out of the top of the hedge

 

[Bigtree]

paint glyphosate directly onto the leaves with a small paintbrush, taking care not to spill or spray onto the beech

how many leaves would I have to do?

 

[JohnD]

how many leaves would I have to do?

I find you get good results from lopping or sawing through the main stem and any remaining branches, and painting on glyphosate concentrate immediately, while the wound is fresh and the sap is flowing. It will be drawn in and transported down the tree to the roots, which will be killed.

If you get regrowth or suckers, cut them off and paint more on to the stump.

cut them off level and horizontal so the concentrate will not run off.

 

[Stivino]

I find you get good results from lopping or sawing through the main stem and any remaining branches, and painting on glyphosate concentrate immediately, while the wound is fresh and the sap is flowing. It will be drawn in and transported down the tree to the roots, which will be killed.

If you get regrowth or suckers, cut them off and paint more on to the stump.

cut them off level and horizontal so the concentrate will not run off.

I doubt that method will work. Someone I know, ahem, has a sycamore tree growing just outside his boundary in his neighbour’s garden. This person I know doesn’t has just had two big sycamores removed from his garden and doesn’t want this one to take their place. So, every time he has his chainsaw running, he sticks the nose of the blade into the tree and fills the wound up with glyphosate. He’s been doing that for about six years and it still hasn’t stopped it from growing.

 

[JohnD]

I doubt that method will work.

I'll photograph a dead stump for you tomorrow if I remember.

 

[Stivino]

I'll photograph a dead stump for you tomorrow if I remember.

I’ll photograph a live trunk for you with chainsaw cuts right into the heart of it.
I’ll have to ask my mate to take a photo of it.

 

[lostinthelight]

Best time to kill a tree by applying killer to drilled holes or cut stems is in October,November when the sap is NOT flowing upwards.

 

[jacko555]

Ive read / been told copper nails kill a tree.

I have a fairly established elder in the middle of a hedge that the previous owners fought with for years, judging by the number of times its trunk was cut, and a new trunk grew out of a shoot.

Twice a year I do the same.

Last year I filled it with copper nails and hammered a copper pipe into the trunk.

I'll let you know next year if it dies.

Too scared to use glyphosate as the hedge is 10ft tall and 6ft wide and won't want to kill it

 

[StephenOak]

You can get 'capsules' of concentrated glyphosate, where you drill a hole, put the sealed capsule in and then tap it home to release the glyphosate. Thus it goes just into that tree.
https://www.green-tech.co.uk/weed-k...al-weed-control/ecoplug-max-tree-stump-killer

AFAIUI, the maker only sells large (commercial) packs of these but I have seen them on Ebay in much smaller packs.

Best time to kill a tree by applying killer to drilled holes or cut stems is in October,November when the sap is NOT flowing upwards.

Totally agree with that.

My garden was a bit of a jungle and I have been cutting back trees over the years. A couple of time I cut one a bit late (e.g. March) when the sap has already started to flow, and it has covered the stump and sun down the side for a long time - not hours but days. I am sure that this would wash off anything on the surface.