Tree Stump Query

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967]

Tree stump question:

 

So, Ms Helen Brimstone had a huge Ornamental Pear tree removed from her back yard a few months ago.  It was healthy, but the roots were beginning to damage her flagstone patio.  Anyway, there was a gorgeous stump left that she's using as a base for a piece of statuary.  But there's a problem....

 

That danged thing is sending up a literal forest of shoots from the roots!  Might anyone have any suggestions on preventing those shoots while hopefully preserving the stump itself - at least for a while?

 

Thankee! 

 

 

[PaleWolf Brunelle, #2495L]

Similar to these surrounding an apple tree stump?

 

Contact your  County Agricultural Commissioner for legal/approved methods.

I let my OR consultant license expire upon retirement (2017)...regulations are considerably more strict in CA.

[Alpo]

The last time I cut a tree down and left the stump and didn't want it to grow back, I took a 1 inch wood bit and drilled a hole in the center of the stump about 3 4 inches deep, and filled the hole up with table salt.

 

Killed that stump dead.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

23 minutes ago, Alpo said:

The last time I cut a tree down and left the stump and didn't want it to grow back, I took a 1 inch wood bit and drilled a hole in the center of the stump about 3 4 inches deep, and filled the hole up with table salt.

 

Killed that stump dead.

What was the diameter of the stump? And the drill bit? It might be important.

Edited November 8 by Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984

[Alpo]

Well as I said originally, a 1-inch drill bit.

 

The stump was about 10 inches.

 

And looking at my original post I decided to clarify.

 

That's three or four inches deep. Not 3/4 of an inch.

 

If it had been a really big tree I would have drilled several holes.

[Pat Riot]

2 hours ago, Alpo said:

The last time I cut a tree down and left the stump and didn't want it to grow back, I took a 1 inch wood bit and drilled a hole in the center of the stump about 3 4 inches deep, and filled the hole up with table salt.

 

Killed that stump dead.

 

1 hour ago, Alpo said:

Well as I said originally, a 1-inch drill bit.

 

The stump was about 10 inches.

 

And looking at my original post I decided to clarify.

 

That's three or four inches deep. Not 3/4 of an inch.

 

If it had been a really big tree I would have drilled several holes.

I did this to a lemon tree. The stump was 5”. It tried to grow back so I salted it. I drilled two 1/2” holes about 4” deep.

This tree didn’t have root shoots though. I am not sure salting the trunk would fix that. 

[Old Man Graybeard]

A product called TORDON. It has to be applied to a fresh cut...but paint the stump blue with TORDON and that usually kills the roots

[Texas Joker]

Copper sulfate kills trees. Had a couple elms that liked the lateral line. Sulfate kept the roots back.

 

Drive a couple pieces of 1/2'' copper pipe into the stump, the verdigris will kill it

[CASS, Singing Hills Ranch]

Garlon 4 or Triclopyr 4. Spray per label directions directly on shoots. 
1qt concentrate is sufficient.  
https://www.amazon.com/Triclopyr-Compare-Garlon-Remedy-Quart/dp/B00M8C4YNM

 

[Sedalia Dave]

10 hours ago, Old Man Graybeard said:

A product called TORDON. It has to be applied to a fresh cut...but paint the stump blue with TORDON and that usually kills the roots

 

Tordon will definitely kill the stump. However if there are any trees near by it may kill them as well. Tordon is some pretty powerful stuff.

 

I cut down some Crepe Myrtles.  Tried 2-4-D and Roundup Poison Ivy mix. Neither would stop the roots from putting up new growth. Some of the new growth was over 20 feew away from the stump. Bought some Remedy, mixed it with oil and after cutting back the new growth, I gave the cut end a good painting. Stopped 99% with the first application. Going to apply again soon as I noticed about 6 new sprouts well away from the trunk.

 

In didn't go with Tordon as I didn't want to chance killing my Pecan trees.

 

As stated above call, the county Ag Extension office and see what's approved for use in the PRoK.

[Sedalia Dave]

Tordon is highly toxic to most woody plants through root absorption. It also has a long residual activity in the soil, possibly a year or more based on the amount applied (application rate). It is not intended or labeled for use near desirable landscape vegetation. There is no "antidote" for Tordon injury and affected plants may eventually die. At this point, irrigating the plants during periods of prolonged dry may aid recovery. Irrigation will prevent moisture stress from compounding the effects of the herbicide.

 

https://www.bartlett.com/faqs/tordon-application#:~:text=Tordon is highly toxic to,use near desirable landscape vegetation.

 

Tordon will travel down the roots of the tree you use it on. Then leach out of the dead roots where other trees can adsorb it.

 

BTW Grazon uses the same active ingredient (Picloram) and has the same toxicity issues.

[PaleWolf Brunelle, #2495L]

Whatever you decide to use, read the label and follow the instructions...particularly regarding PPE (Personal Protective Equipment).

[Cholla]

Some states are outlawing the sale of these ornamental pears as they can cross-pollinate and cause issues with other fruit trees.

 

Have you heard? Bradford pear trees are now banned in Ohio. Residents of this state can no longer purchase, sell, or plant these ornamental trees as of January 1st, 2023. Many states are following suit with their own Bradford pear tree ban. Will your state be next?

Bradford Pear Tree Problems

Native to Asia, Bradford pears (Pyrus calleryana) were introduced into the U.S. in the early 20th century and became popular as ornamentals. At the time, it was not well known that these fast growing trees were prone to breakage in wind, ice, and rainstorms. To prevent this from happening, annual pruning to keep the canopy strong became a necessity.

 

Additionally, these trees frequently grow quite large and are relatively short lived, with most having a lifespan of less than 25 years. Yet, Bradford pear trees have a distinctive problem that many homeowners soon discovered.

Each spring, Bradford pears burst out with an abundance of beautiful white blossoms. Although they are considered beautiful landscape specimens, the flowers produced what many came to know as the Bradford pear tree smell. Best described as “fishy,” Bradford pears emit an unpleasant aroma when in bloom.

 

Are Bradford Pear Trees an Invasive Species

Naturally, it takes more than stinky flowers to get a tree banned. Once thought to be a sterile cultivar of the Callery pear species, Bradford pear trees are now considered invasive. While the flowers are not capable of self-pollination, Bradford pear trees can cross-pollinate with other Pyrus calleryana cultivars and produce viable seeds.

The fruit, which is considered inedible by human standards, is consumed by a number of birds and small animals. The seeds are then dispersed to other areas. Unlike the Bradford pear cultivar, which is propagated by cloning, the resultant trees which grow from the cross-pollinated seeds have large thorns which damage equipment and injure livestock.

Sometimes referred to as Callery pears, the offspring of Bradford pear trees are extremely hardy and well adapted to many ecosystems. Callery trees have invaded forests, roadsides, and open fields.

Edited November 9 by Cholla

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

Try copper nails.

They worked for me.

[watab kid]

just mother nature sayin it wasnt that ones time yet - just keep cutting them off ...or spray it with some maddog weed killer .........dont get and on the surounding lawn tho , it will take over a year to come back at all 

[ORNERY OAF]

40 minutes ago, Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474 said:

Try copper nails.

They worked for me.

I was gonna say this to see if anyone ever heard about it.....

[ORNERY OAF]

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

9 hours ago, ORNERY OAF said:

With the value of copper, it might be worth trying to reclaim them someday if there’s anything left.

[Eyesa Horg]

I once used a large spruce to hang a target for sighting in my hunting rifle. Half a dozen shots and a year later the tree was stone dead.

[Cholla]

7 minutes ago, Eyesa Horg said:

I once used a large spruce to hang a target for sighting in my hunting rifle. Half a dozen shots and a year later the tree was stone dead.

Copper-jacketed bullets?

[Eyesa Horg]

5 minutes ago, Cholla said:

Copper-jacketed bullets?

Yup!!

[Pat Riot]

1 hour ago, Eyesa Horg said:

I once used a large spruce to hang a target for sighting in my hunting rifle. Half a dozen shots and a year later the tree was stone dead.

7 or 8 years ago there was a patch of pine trees that people were tacking targets to and shooting pistols at the targets. A cop showed up and told them not to shoot there. They needed to be up river a mile or so. 
Anyway a couple years later I was riding my motorcycle in that area and there were about a dozen pretty girls walking around those trees with note pads and tape measure and other equipment I had never seen before. 
I pulled over to see what they were up to. 
They were from the university and were studying various tree growths and they were trying to figure out why that patch of trees were dying or dead. 
I told them about the guys shooting up the trees that the cop ran off. Boy, were they mad. I thought they were mad at the shooters, but they were mad at their instructor for discounting their theory that copper jacketed bullets killing the trees. They were looking for evidence of the trees being shot up. 

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Would roundup work?

[ORNERY OAF]

4 hours ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

Would roundup work?

Round up is horribly poisonsess,  kills every thing around it including animals,