A gardening Question

[Gill]

Hi Mark,

I wonder if you can help me with a gardening problem?

I have a very fast growing tree thats growing in the 18inch gap between the walls of mine and my neighbours house. We can't get in to dig the root up, so I want to know if I can buy something here to paint onto the stump so that it will kill the roots.

At the moment we have to cut the branches off about every 3 months and the trunk is now about 4" across.

I've asked my Thai neighbours but no one knows what I'm on about. In the UK I would just buy a tin of something from a garden centre and it would do the job.

Your help would be very much appreciated,
Kind Regards,
Gilly

[Dokmai Garden]

Dear Mark and Gilly,

This is a special situation where I would use a non-ecofriendly
solution:

Cut the tree down as deep as you can. Drill several broad holes in
the stump as deep as you can, but not so deep that you make a tunnel.
Fill these holes with Roundup (Thai brandnames are different. Look
for the active compound glyphosate. It is very common.). If new
shoots still emerge, spray them with roundup.

A more eco-friendly solution would be to plug the holes with mycelium
of a wood degrading fungus. This is a slower process and the response
depends on the tree's strength. Some plants simply wall in the fungus
and keep growing, while others succumb. Getting hold of suitable
fungi may not be easy. Another option is to simply pee on the stump.
The urea will make many natural fungal spores thrive. Only pee once
or you will have a terrible ammonia smell. Another eco-friendly
option is to drown the roots. That means that you somehow need to
wall in water and keep it standing there for at least 24 hours. Not
so easy or good near a house. Some plants are totally indifferent to
drowning.

Since this is a one time treatment and since the tree endangeres
buildings and neighbour friendship, I should go for Roundup.

Good luck!

Eric

Hi Mark,

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[Jacob Kraaijenhagen]

Hi Gilly,
Received a copy of your mail - 'how to kill a nasty tree'???????
No problem, by doing the following:
- Drill a few wholes in the lower stem of the tree (not tunnels) and
cut as many roots as possible;
- Peel off the bark;
- Fill the wholes with Carbit and "Kaimofet (in Thai) 48;
and nature will do the rest. Good luck.
Regards,
Pen Biangsawade
www.pensparadise.com

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[Don Cox]

Hey Gilly, I'm Don in San Francisco, former CM resident and friend of CM Gardeners.  I saw your question. I'd rather be giving advise on saving trees, but removals are necessary sometimes for various reasons.
 
Without seeing the situation first hand, this is how I might handle the small tree removal between homes. 
 
A 4 inch stem diameter tree sounds small, but I know from experience that a tree that size can have quite a large and heavy crown; maybe tall too.  But if you can get to the top of the tree from the roof with a pole-saw, or even hire a climber to cut it down piece by piece from the top, just small pieces that you can handle safely or lower with a rope.  Work it down piece by piece to the ground and cut off the stump just above soil grade. 
 
Have some 'Round Up' herbicide on hand (glyphosate active ingredient).  You can buy generic 'glyphosate', usually formulated at 48% . Available from most any super store, Home Pro, Carrefour, Lotus or at Kamtieng plant market or local ag supply.  
 
Mix a quarter cup with equal part of water, so you have 24% glyphosate. (Don't use the Round Up that has already been diluted to 2% for use as grass killer, it won't work to kill the stump.)  I use a plastic ironing spray bottle.  Spray the glyphosate solution liberally on the entire surface of the fresh cut stump, the sooner the better after making the final cut.  The herbicide will be taken in to the stump and translocated throughout the root system for a complete kill with no resprouting (most species). If you keep the application to the cut surface of the stump, there will be very little environmental contamination.  No need to drill holes, cut surface application will do the job. 
 
18" between neighbor's roofs?  That's close, too bad there is no room for a tree.  How about bamboo for greenery and screening; enough sun?  don

[Don Cox]

Gardeners,  I should have mentioned, in using roundup/glyphosate for cut stump treatment, there is one big precaution.  This systemic herbicide can translocate through root grafts to the same species growing nearby.  It can transfer to an unintended target. So if you want to kill one stump, and there is anther tree of the same species anywhere near enough to possible have intermingled root systems, don't use glyphsosate.  In that case use another herbicide choice. Or use digging tools and manpower.  don

[Dokmai Garden]

Thanks Don - a very important remark!

Roundup is often used in Thailand as a substitute for manpower/
mowing. Even along the canal road you see sections of the canal with
sudden plant death, a long strip of brown vegetation, and then a
green stretch again, although in the middle of the rainy season.
Glyphosate is very toxic to water organisms, so extensive spraying
along the canal may cause damage to the Ping river. It is sad to see
Thais repeat the same mistakes as the western countries.

Eric