Question
Dear Mr. Hyland:

I have a Home I wish to purchase.  This house has Three Bald Cypress Trees in its yard. The roots are everywhere. The plan is to rebuild a new home on this lot. What is the best way to eliminate the tree and its roots. Should I dig up the roots and grind up the stump , after putting Round up on the stump ?

Thank you in advance for all your help.

Sincerely,


Jared Palmer

Answer
Cut the trees and the knees off and paint the cuts with Roundup. Use a cheap brush and paint the Roundup on as soon as you can after the cutting. Let the Roundup be absorbed into the trees root system for a week then you can grind the stumps below ground level. If you are planning excavate the site during the digging of the foundation for the house you can use the machines to dig the stump and roots instead of grinding them. Grinding will get the stump below the ground surface but not completely remove the stump. IF you have time before you plan to build you can take an hatchet and cut into the wood  all the way around the tree trunk (a two inch gap of bark should be cut all the way around the trunk) and paint Roundup into the cuts and the tree will absorb the Roundup and be killed. Then you can cut the dead trees and knees later.