Best way to kill roots - shrubs and woody plants?

[Ali]

Do any of you know the best way to kill the roots/stub of say a shrub or other types of wiry woody plants?

I small area of land to clear where I want to install a outdoor timber storage structure, but there is a lot going on with some really wiry shrubs. From experience I'm not sure I'll be able to clear out all the roots physically and so wondering is there a chemical or other type of intervention I can do?

 

[Jonzjob]

I killed off some smal-ish pyrocanther stumps using some vinegar with some salt mixed in it. That worked after several other 'chemicals' didn't. I don't like using big pharma rubbish and that's a natural and effective solution.

The other way would be to caver it with some of that membrane that lets water through but not the plants upwards..

 

[treeturner123]

Hi

My father used to drill holes in the stumps, fill nearly to the top with sodium chlorate and then put a bit of doweling in the 'seal' it. Took a year or so, but was very effective. I'm not sure if you can buy sodium chlorate now!

Phil

 

[Sgian Dubh]

Do any of you know the best way to kill the roots/stub of say a shrub or other types of wiry woody plants?

If you're dealing just with the stumps after removing the trunk, branches, etc you could bore a 18 - 25 mm diameter hole or holes in the top and pour in concentrated glyphosate. Roundup is one brand available at most DIY sheds. Slainte.

 

[Jonzjob]

If you use roundup then you had better get it before it's banned? Pig awful stuff and about as good for the earth as an atomic bomb!! They say it becoms inert once it hits the soil but they tell us porkies, it doesn't.

 

[n0legs]

I've had really good results with bleach mixed with salt as advised on here.
Worked a treat on mare's tail.

 

[beech1948]

Me too. Bleach mixed with salt against Mare's Tale.......works well.

BUT.....the bleach becomes diluted and is neutralised by the soil which is great but the salt can sterilise the soil for quite some time depending upon the amounts used. I have a patch of Mare's tail which is maybe 8ft square which is now gone but only after 10Kg of salt and 5 gallons of vinegar. Now not much will grow there for maybe 2 yrs......I hope.

 

[marcros]

leave my wife in charge of it for a few days whilst you are travelling for work. pretty much 90% of my plants have met with their maker in this way. :-(

 

[Kadushu]

They were flogging off stump killer cheap in B&Q yesterday.

 

[DrPhill]

I have heard that some people have accidentally killed shrubby plants by spilling amonium sulphamate solution while walking to their composting area. I cannot recommend this as a shrub remover as it is against the EU regs to use amonium sulphamate in the garden except as a compost accelerant.
amonium sulphamate used to be sold as 'root out', and was even investigated by HDRA (Organic gardening association) though it is not now sanctioned as part of organic standards. In the soil amonimu sulphamate breaks down into amonium sulphate, which is a component of some agricultural fetilizers.

To quote wikipedia
"The pesticides review by the European Union led to herbicides containing ammonium sulfamate becoming unlicensed, and therefore effectively banned, from 2008.[8] This situation arose as the Irish Rapporteur refused to review the data supplied unless it contained details of animal testing on dogs.[citation needed] As there was already substantial animal data within the package supplied the data pack holder felt further tests without substantiation would cause unnecessary animal suffering. Its licence was not withdrawn on grounds of safety or efficacy.[citation needed]

Its availability and use as a compost accelerator is unaffected by the EU's pesticide legislation."

Thanks for reminding me.... I have some composting to accelerate this year.

 

[DrPhill]

Hi

My father used to drill holes in the stumps, fill nearly to the top with sodium chlorate and then put a bit of doweling in the 'seal' it. Took a year or so, but was very effective. I'm not sure if you can buy sodium chlorate now!

Phil

We used a mixture of sodium chlorate and sugar. Drill a hole in the stump, put the mixture in. Do not plug. Touch flame to mixture. Removes stumps and takes (significantly) less than a year. (significantly less than a minute under ideal circumstances). The kill-joys then started adding flame retardent, but IIRC it made little difference (except to the price).

 

[Jonzjob]

When we lived in Stroud, before moving here, we had a lot of ground elder in the garden. We tried all sorts to get rid of it until we found out that you can eat it. Just like spinach and just as good for you, so no problem after all 8) 8)

I think that you will find that mairs tail is edible too and contains a lot of silica and a goodie

https://recipesfromthewild.wordpress.co ... orse-tail/

 

[MrDavidRoberts]

ok not the fastest way to do it, but it still works if you do it frequently enough

 

[Farmer Giles]

Another for ammonia sulphamate, works a treat and far safer than glyphosate etc.

 

[Jonzjob]

Now, if you were to use lions pee it would also keep cats out of your garden 8) 8)

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I killed off ivy that was probably decades old (4" - 5" trunks) just by painting the stumps with (proper) creosote.

 

[Cordy]

If there are not too many shrubs you could try Cordy's tried and tested

Cut shrub down to about 12 inches high

Place plastic bag over shrub and tape it up

After a month or so the plant will be as dead as a Dodo

 

[Jonzjob]

That would also work with m-i-ls too me-thinks :twisted: :twisted:

 

[Jacob]

Chop it down to ground level will probably be enough but if it's going to sprout shoots then just hack them off. If not enough then cover with dense black polythene - or anything- concrete slab etc to keep the light out.