Kitchen Garden Forum

Not really a kitchen garden question, I know, but can anyone tell me how to kill a tree stump short of actually digging it up? The tree in question is a weeping birch,about 12 ft. tall. It's in the front garden and there are signs that the roots are starting to cause damage to the pavement beyond.

What's its diameter, Jude? Irrespective of that, you might try finding the offending roots and cutting through them somehow, sort of root-pruning at the wrong end of the root. Another possibility is chopping down vertically through the stump, a bit like slicing a cake, and gradually working your way down to ground level.

All this on the assumption that you don't want to use a poison.

Thanks, Mike. The diameter is about 8-10 inches I guess. I'm not necessarily averse to using poison, but is there one that you can actually get hold of these days?

There used to be a product called Root Out which is very effective in killing root stumps. I used it on an old apple tree and didn't have any regrowth, it also killed A very rampant Golden Ivy.
I know its off the market now but I am sure when I was in our local Range Store before Christmas they had a similar product on their shelf. Might be worth looking for.

Beryl.

http://www.allotment.org.uk/garden-diar ... er-banned/

http://www.garden-products.info/rootout.htm

Looks like the specific use is banned but not the product so you should be able to buy it. As Beryl says, it works but don't tell anyone.

Thats useful to know Geoff thanks.

Beryl.