Question
QUESTION: Hi Jim
I want to plant a baby persimmon tree so I had to cut down the elm tree to give the baby a place to grow without getting killed by the rooting system of the large tree.

Do I need to have the stump grinded or will chemical killing be enough?   How long do I have to wait before I can plant the baby persimmon tree?

Can the chemicals I use on the stump hurt the baby tree?

Thank you very much

ANSWER: I assume you have already cut the elm down and treated the stump to stop sprouting. The chemicals used for this will not harm any trees planted on the site. The chemical is in the old root system of the elm and will not get into the new trees roots. I would wait until the fall to plant the new tree since the weather will be cooler and the chance of survival will be greatly increased. When you plant the new tree you will need to move to the side of the stump since the wood under the ground will prevent much digging. Dig the new hole twice the size of the rootball and as deep and fill with good top soil or potting soil and mulch around the tree with not more than than 3 inches deep of organic mulch (pine straw is good). Remove any burlap or wire from the roots system of the new tree before you plant it in the hole.

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QUESTION: Hi Jim
Can you please recommend something I can use to prevent the tree from sprouting?  How deep should the holes be drilled on the stump to fill with chemicals.  The tree was cut down about a week ago.

Answer
Paint the top of the stump with a herbicide called Roundup. Use an old paint brush and use the Roundup straight from the container. Paint the top especially near the sides of the stump. The living cells are just under the bark and these are the ones that will transport the herbicide to the root system. The woody cell in the center of the stump do not carry the herbicides. Drilling into the stump is sometimes used to try toe speedup the decay of the wood but is not a factor in this case. Depending on how long it has been since the stump was cut and whether the cells are still alive you could get some sprouting. IF so just take a rag and wet it with the Roundup and wipe the leaves of the sprouts and this will kill them. IF you do this make sure you do not get the Roundup on other plants not wanting killed--it will kill any green plant. When you use the rag I wear plastic gloves--not because of any danger but the chemical smells and seems to stay on the hand for a while.