Question
Hi Pete, I am in the UK and have eight leylandii conifers planted at the foot of our garden..they have been there about ten years & are about 18 foot high( after recent cutting).I would like to get rid of them totally and was wondering what is the easiest method?
Can i cut the trees down to about 2/3 foot and is there something i can pour on what remains-so it soaks through the stump and kills off the roots?or do i have to completely dig them up? Hope to hear from you soon...many thanks Phil

Answer
Leylandii cypress in our area doesn't resprout from the stumps, and I wouldn't anticipate yours doing it either. Therefore, once you've cut down the tree, the roots will die in short order. I would think the issue for you is whether you want to get rid of the stump.

There are a couple of approaches.
- Dig out the stump. Dig a trench about a foot out from the tree, cut the roots as you find them, start digging underneath when your trench is about a foot deep. There will be one root that hangs on until the end, but once it's gone, the stump will come out easy.

- Stump grinder. Hire an arborist or rent a stump grinding machine.

- Cut the stump as low as possible. Drill several 1" hole in the top, down several inches. At the garden centre you can buy some stuff that accelerates the rotting process. Pour it on, cover the stump in dirt, keep it moist and the stump will rot out in about 3-4 months.

Trees like birch, holly and willow would resprout from the stump, so you would have to kill the roots. You can spray Roundup (glyphosate) on the stump for that job.

Good Luck