How to Kill Trees

There are many reasons why you might want to remove plants from your yard, such as an invasive, unsightly tree or simply wanting to make room for other plants. Usually it will cost you a lot of money to hire a professional to do this, but there are many ways to help you get rid of the annoying tree and remove the tree when it is dead.

Table of Contents

Peel the bark

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Peel off the outer shell. This is a method of killing trees by cutting off the flow of sap from the roots to the top. You can peel off the bark and use an herbicide to speed up the process, or you can use no medicine at all. Peeling is the easiest and most common way to kill woody plants without the use of chemicals or herbicides, but it can take months for the tree to die. Start by peeling off the loose parts of the bark to make it easier to access the trunk. ^{[1] X Research Source} It is recommended to peel off a ring of bark about 10-13 cm wide.

You can peel the bark at any height, so choose a level where you feel comfortable moving around the trunk.

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Wear protective clothing. You have many options when it comes to cutting bark, such as using a circular saw, ax, or even a wood chisel to cut thin bark. ^{[2] X Source of Research} You need to take safety precautions when using cutting tools, including safety glasses.

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Cut a loop around the stem. The depth of the cut depends on the thickness of the tree. For very thin trees, you can cut to about 1.3 cm deep, but for large and hard trees, the cut should be 2.5 -4 cm deep. Move around the tree and peel off a strip of bark as evenly as possible.

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Cut a second loop around the stem. To effectively peel the bark, you need to cut one more ring. These two rings should be about 5-10 cm apart. The second round should have the same depth as the first.

If you use an ax, it will be difficult to make precise cross cuts, so notches can be substituted. To make notches, you’ll make one cut at a downward angle, then one upward at where the two cuts meet in the middle. For small trees, the notch may only need to be about 5 cm wide, but large trees need to be slit about 15-20 cm wide. You should cut notches of equal depth, similar to cutting two rings of bark.

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Spray herbicide. If you choose to use an herbicide, you will spray the cuttings within 5-10 minutes of cutting, before the cut part dries out and hardens. ^{[3] X Research Source} By adding pesticides, you can kill the plant in about 6 weeks, much faster than the period of several months without chemicals. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Common and effective herbicides include glyphosate (Roundup or Killzall) and triclopyr (Garlon or Brush B Gon). ^{[5] X Research Sources}
Mix the herbicide according to the instructions on the specific label and spray it on the cuttings of the plant. ^{[6] X Research Sources}
You should prepare the medicine to spray on the bark cuts as soon as possible.
Read the herbicide label carefully before mixing or using it.
Wear safety glasses, long pants, long-sleeved shirts, gloves, and closed-toe shoes when working with herbicides.

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Wait for the tree to die. Now that the sap flow in the tree has been cut off and the herbicide has probably entered the root system, you just have to wait for the plant to die.

Use the chop and spray method

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Find an ax. If you’re going to use herbicides, the chopping and spraying method is just as effective as peeling the bark, with even less effort. This method uses precise cuts and herbicide sprays instead of having to peel off the entire bark. Start by finding an ax. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

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Mix the herbicide in a spray bottle. With the chopping and spraying method, you’ll need less cutting than the bark method, but still need to use herbicide. You need to pre-mix the herbicide in a spray bottle before you start chopping.

Common and effective herbicides include glyphosate (Roundup or Killzall) and triclopyr (Garlon or Brush B). ^{[8] X Research Sources}
Wear protective clothing such as eyeglasses, long sleeves and gloves before working with herbicides.

READ More: Debi Thomas

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Make a single cut into the trunk of the tree in the downward direction. Use an ax to cut down a tree trunk, about 5 cm long. The cut needs to be as deep as the light sapwood on the trunk for the herbicide to be effective.

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Spray herbicide on the cut. Once you’ve cut into the tree, pull the ax head to the edge of the cut instead of pulling it out completely, then spray the herbicide down the ax head to allow the medicine to flow into the sapwood of the cut. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Remember to spray before the soft wood in the cut has a chance to dry and harden.
On the herbicide label of each specific brand will have instructions on how much medicine to spray into each cut.
There are also spray nozzles specially designed for this purpose on the market if you need to deal with a lot of plants.

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Repeat the above process with other cuts as directed. Each specific brand will have guidelines for the number of cuts needed based on the trunk circumference. Usually, you will need to cut more cuts about 2.5 – 7.5 cm apart from the edge of each cut.

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Continue spraying the herbicide on each cut. As recommended by each brand of herbicide, you will need to apply the correct amount of spray to each cut. Continue using the spray nozzle or the flat side of the ax to spray the herbicide onto each cut until every cut is sprayed.

Tree removal and stump treatment

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Take all precautions. Unlike other methods that leave the tree standing, this method requires cutting down the tree, so this is the best way to deal with trees that block your view or for some reason you want the tree to disappear. right away. Since you will have to cut trees, start by taking precautions when using a band saw and stay safe in the area where the tree will fall.

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Apply herbicide. Similar to other methods of herbicide application, you will need to spray glyphosate or triclopyr into the cuts immediately after cutting the tree. Read the instructions on the medicine label and mix it in a spray bottle before chopping down the tree.

Wear goggles, gloves, and long sleeves before working with herbicides.

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Cut down the tree. With small trees, the area where the tree falls will be narrower and much easier to handle. But with large trees, you’ll need to be extra careful when cutting them down. For detailed information on how to cut trees safely, read the article “How to cut trees safely”.

With large trees, you should consider hiring a professional to cut the tree.

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Apply a layer of herbicide to the cut side of the remaining stump. Many people don’t know that just cutting down a tree will not destroy the root system. Usually, the roots will help the plant to sprout new shoots. By applying a layer of herbicide to the open sapwood on the base of the tree, you can treat and control the entire root system. ^{[10] X Research Source}

With small trees, you can apply a layer of herbicide to the cut side of the stump. With large trees, the hardened center of the plant won’t absorb the herbicide, so you can simply sweep the herbicide around the outermost ring, where you can still see the light sapwood. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Advice

Dead plants are more likely to fall after the root system weakens. Even if invasive roots are no longer a threat, you should still cut the tree down for safety.
Other methods such as excessive pruning can lead to the same results as felling the tree without properly treating the stump – i.e. the roots will help the tree to sprout new shoots.
Whether it’s dealing with a stump or cutting it down after it’s dead, you’ll probably still need to remove the stump just to be safe. You can find more information on how to remove tree stumps at: How to remove stumps.

Steps

Peel the bark

Use the chop and spray method

Tree removal and stump treatment

Advice

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