Killing tree stumps - Glyphosate or Sodium Chlorate?

[john9159]

We have finally cut down all the trees in the hedge at our allotments and I don't want them to regrow ever as they are ruining the cottoneaster.
I believe the solution is either Sodium Chlorate or Glyphosate; I have used the latter in the past in crystal form with some success.
I can buy either Gallup 360 Concentrated Glyphosate 5L or Industrial Strength Sodium Chlorate 5L from Ebay/Amazon.
I need to know from an expert which is the most effective for long term eradication.

Thanks

[bearded bloke]

Why not just knock a few copper nails into it, quick & easy & cheap then plunge cut the heartwood & keep filling with water to rot the stump in the ground.

If you really want/need to use chemicals then probably the most effective would be Grazon 90 mixed 50/50 with white spirit poured into holes bored in the stump (after pouring use bricks or similarly heavy stones to prevent people or wildlife from trying to drink the mixture), I will caution you that if any other plants have their roots intermingled & touching the poisoned roots those plants will most probably die as well, so probably best to use the first method if the cottoneaster is in close proximity.

[clod]

You can buy proprietary stump killer - I think SBK make it for one,- and it's easy to use. Different products have different instructions. I find stapling a double layer of polythene over the treated stump keeps pets, etc safe. I wouldn't try glyphosate - you'd end up using a lot of it and it doesn't work very well.

personally I'd much ratherbuy a made up product than buy 5 kg of something powerful and end up having to prepare it for use - stump killer is often in an oil mix to stop it washing away- and you only need a little anyway - what will you do with the left over 3 litres?!

I know it's common wisdom to use copper nails, but in 15 years of tree surgery I never ONCE saw it work - you do get to see all manner of surprising attempts at allsorts of tree care that haven't worked when doing that job. I've seen trees and stumps bristling with dozens of copper nails, and growing quite happily. Must be a right mess to try to saw up as well.

Hire or borrow a stump grinder?

How about digging them out? then you have ground you can use instead of a row of poisoned rotting stumps.

Best of luck whatever you try

[roitelet]

Beware of sodium chlorate it can spontaneously combust and leaches into the ground killing everything it touches.

[veggiechicken]

We have finally cut down all the trees in the hedge at our allotments and I don't want them to regrow ever as they are ruining the cottoneaster.
I believe the solution is either Sodium Chlorate or Glyphosate; I have used the latter in the past in crystal form with some success.
I can buy either Gallup 360 Concentrated Glyphosate 5L or Industrial Strength Sodium Chlorate 5L from Ebay/Amazon.
I need to know from an expert which is the most effective for long term eradication.

Thanks

If you've cut down the trees how can you use :-

Gallup 360 is a foliar-applied translocated herbicide for the control of emerged weeds in industrial situations, forestry and aquatic areas. Non-selective and non residual, It offers complete weed control in a wide range of conditions.
It is a contact only herbicide controlling weeds present at the time of application and not subsequent germination of weeds.


Don't you need foliage for it to work?

[the plumber]

i killed 2 stumps in my garden at home . drill a hole down and keep filling it with diesel or sump oil. it works. good luck

[Mr Bones]

If the stumps are readily accessible you could keep knocking the leaves and sprouts off. Eventually they'll give up and you won't feel bad about leaving a load of chemicals in the ground.

[Guest]

What types of tree are/were they. I have stumps in the front garden of conifer type plants and none of them have considered regrowing. I have ash and forsythia stumps that I put copper nails in and when new shoots have appeared I just pull/cut them off or spray with glyphosate, it has taken a couple of years but they have pretty much given up.

[Bill HH]

A little flippant perhaps, but in my experience the best way to kill any plant is to really want it to grow, smother it with love and care and you will soon be looking at a withering husk.

The glyphosate route is unlikely to work as has been said, it relies on growing leaves to ingest and transport the poison to the roots.

Drilling holes and filling with diesel or engine oil sounds a better bet.

[Thelma Sanders]

Ammonium Sulphamate is, sorry was, a fantastic stump/brushwood killer, it got banned by the EU because the owner refused to do more testing on animals; he thought enough animal testing had been done. They do allow it to be sold as a compost activator

Doesn't make sense to me - but it's all explained here....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonium_sulfamate

[Bill HH]

Well the answer would seem to be, buy the product for compost acceleration but accidentally put it on the tree stump.

[Thelma Sanders]

I couldn't possibly encourage anybody to break the law, could I?

I was only saying..................................

[john9159]

Hi,
Thanks for all the advice, didn't realise there were so many answers as the email reminders stopped coming.
The trees are sycamore and ash and have a notorious habit of regrowing even after having been cut down. I've cut down sycamore before only to see it regrow with yet more side shoots such that one tree becomes five, six or more trees!
I was going to drill holes in the stumps and fill with killer (whichever it would have been) but may now try the diesel or engine oil option.

[Scarlet]

I've four ash trees that were cut to ground, they will give wood continuously. Brill fire wood, every year, just keep chopping.

Creosote is good to pour in drilled holes too...