QuestionQUESTION: hi, i am going to be cutting down trees in my back yard. the last time we did this some of the tree grew back. what cheap remedy can we use to make sure they don't grow back.
ANSWER: Use a glyphosate ("Roundup") formulation that is labelled for stump treatment. It is effective provided that two simple procedures are followed.
Treat the stump as early as possible after the tree has been removed. Within 24 hours a cut stump can seal its tissues off from the outside world and its chemicals.
Try to concentrate attention on the outer edge of the stump. Glyphosate acts on all the green parts of the plant. Just below the bark on the stump is a thin green sap layer; you want to get the chemical in there. Use a small axe or similar tool to separate the bark from the rest of the stump. Chop accurately and prise away the bark. Get the material on to the stump surface that you have exposed.
There will be regrowth. It will occur below the area where the chemical has gone. The taller the stump, the more regrowth you can expect. One effective way to deal with this is to spray glyphosate on the regrowth regularly. You do not want the new growth to start feeding (photo synthesis).
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: will salt or some other non expensive remedy work?
Answer You can forego the stump treatment and spray the regrowth with any total weedkiller. You will have to repeat this treatment many times on a very tight schedule; you do not want the regrowth to start nourishing that stump. If you really want to go inexpensive, you can cut off all the regrowth manually, on a weekly schedule and in time the stump will be starved out.
