Question
hi from ireland jim
have a huge thirty foot high conifer
i need to kill it there are wires going thorugh it
and when its dead we can access taking it down better
i have drilled an inch wide hole into the side of the tree about 7 inches deep at an angle
and have filled it with salt
will this do the trick and how long before i should see results
regards john

Answer
In stead of drilling holes just girdle the bark all the way around the trunk take off at least an inch or two wide strip of bark down to the wood. This will cut off the flow of water and nutrients to the foliage and the tree will die. There are herbicides that can be sprayed on the cuts but not sure they are available in Ireland. The girdling will kill the tree.