something different

[izzy]

I know this is not the normal type of question you usually get in here BUT thought there might be someone out there that might be able to help.
I have a very large tree at the bottom of the garden, it's actually net doors just, as it's trunk stands only 6 inchs away from my fence, so when i moved into our house i hadn't had much experience at growing anything so when we sorted out the garden we arranged that my new veg patch would be at the bottom of the garden, not thinking the tree would be a problem. The first year i double dug the whole thing fed the soil by adding lots of compost and came accross a few roots which i dug out and things did grow well that year. I did the same this year and thing didn't grow well at all. By the end of june everything i was trying to grow was struggling and i had a huge problem with black fly. By then the tree was over hanging our garden by appox 20 foot. by the end of august i finaly gave up the fight and dug everything out and the roots of the tree were everywere. I went round to the naubours and asked if i could cut the overhanging branches, they themselves are very old and said if we wanted to we could take down the whole tree, GREAT but when the tree is down to the ground,
HOW DO I KILL OF THE ROOTS ?
we will only really have one chance to apply anything so we need something that is going to work.

[Hazel at the Hill]

Suggest that when you have the tree taken down, you get a stump grinder chappy to get rid of as much of the root as possible, then just dig out any other roots as you come across them.

Sound like hard work, tho' - good luck with it.

[Flummery]

I think there's a product for doing this job -no doubt someone with a memory less challenged than mine will remember the name of it!
Maybe if you googled the name of a garden centre chain and looked at the products you could find it - or visit a big garden centre.

[Hazel at the Hill]

There IS something that you can rot the roots with - as I recall from the dim and distant when we had a whacking great sycamore taken down when I was about 10 - dad drilled holes in the stump as deep as poss and applied (whatever it was called) which was supposed to rot the roots away.

We were there for about 10 years afterwards and I don't think it did anything at all. Mind you, might just have been my dad.

[shirlthegirl43]

I used 'Root Out' on leylandii roots that I couldn't dig out - 5 years on the stumps are still there!! However, the roots do get easier to dig out when they are dead and not swollen with moisture. Just make sure the tree is totally dead - if it is Ash it will re-sprout

[muckdiva]

I'd heard somewhere that if you hammer a length of copper pipe into the stump that will rot it down eventually. I have no idea if it works but planning to try it with a small tree we cut down earlier in the year. Has anyone else heard of this

[Hazel at the Hill]

Not heard of that, MD (although I guess the copper would poison the root?)It's the 'eventually' bit that would put me off, tho' - are we talking continental drift here....??

[Snadger]

Just tip a bag of rocksalt over the stump........the kind they put on the roads at winter, this will stop any new growth and the roots will rot away!

Just thinking out loud............ and wonder what kind of tree it is and whether it has a tree preservation order on it? Also, can you not re-site the veg patch and use the area under the tree canopy as a lawn?

[Birdie Wife]

You can also get stump-cutting chainsaws that will cut roots underground, you'd have to get someone who knows what they're doing but a normal chainsaw would clog up with all manner of muck if you tried the same thing with one of those.

[izzy]

My neighbours said they planted the tree about four years ago, (so it seems to be doing well) it was a cutting he had taken from there tree on the other side of there garden and he just let it grow. I don't know what the trees called althought it's very common around these parts IN PARKS! i have seen many and they are all huge, they would put an old oak or horse chestnut to shame in the size stakes, so if this little baby is left in it's going to be a monster in another few years. as for re-siting the veg patch, our options are very limited as the gardens not that big.and the rest of it is my partners pond a patio and a small lawn (which spends most it's time in shade) and a shed, so the only other thing to do would be to get rid of my much loved patch.