Unwanted willow

Hello all, I have a unwanted willow growing with amazing vigour. I have chopped it down to 8ft but it always spurts from the bottom. I have drilled all around it and added creosote to the holes but it is still growing. Any ideas would be welcome. [I was going to keep the 8ft piece as a post albeit dead].

 

Yep! :D

 

It is about 12" dia trunk big roots [back later footy]

 

1" dia wood boring bit, drill 3 or 4 holes about 2-3" deep downwards at an angle, fill with RootOut crystals and then bung up the holes with a piece of wood. Should see it off no problem.

RootOut

 

sorry to butt in lol but does the same apply to conifer stumps or is that really hoping?

 

And don't believe the 'dead ' piece is dead either. Willow will root even if put in upside down!

 

It will even root sideways if you leave a branch on the ground!

Pollarded willows are a great source of garden canes, but you really need to make sure they are dead before sticking them in the ground

Sorry Hans - not a lot of use as regards your original query. But for killing trees I've used the hole boring method with paraquat.

[ 17. February 2006, 10:59 PM: Message edited by: Dave W ]

 

Ah, 'Root Out' I didn't get it first time. I had not heard of it before but I will give it a go I will be glad to see the back of it loads of 'catkins' every year = loads of new willows growing everywhere. I have chopped it down every year but it has rergarded this as a kindness and grows back with even more vigour. I do not like chemicals but for once I'm looking to forward to getting some. I have noted Paraquat DaveW.
Thanks all for your help.

 

Be careful you never let Paraquat touch the skin, as it is adsorbed through the skin. I think you can only buy diluted Paraquat - domestically, so it is not really a problem. But apparantly you can be killed just by immersing your hand in concentrated Paraquat. I do not know how long you have to hold it there, - not worth experimenting. :D

 

I'm fairly sure that "Weedol" = Paraquat (plus something else).
Stand to be corrected though. It's nasty stuff if you don't take sensible precautions. But most garden chemicals are pretty nasty if you drink them or rub them in.

Thank goodness for EU regulations for protecting us from doing the idiotic

Oh how I miss my monthly swig of creosote and a dab behind the the ears of turps!

 

Paraquat is absloutely deadly people .I recomend that you use it only as a last resort. People have been killed by inhaling the spray drift. Allways use nitrile gloves( not marigolds ) face and eye protection and a good dust mask . THIS IS NOT OVER REACTION I KNOW PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN KILLED BY THIS STUFF

 

Paraquat

"Zeneca markets paraquat as Gramoxone for agricultural use in formulations ranging between 24-36% active ingredient and for home and garden use under the trade names Weedol and Pathclear in formulations of about 2.5% paraquat."

 

SBK is another tried and teated stump killer, and available everywhere, using the drill method.
instead of bunging the holes with pegs etc, i used silicon mastic to seal the stuff in.

 

Root Out degrades, eventually, to something non toxic. I have some on order. Goodbye willow. And I have noted SBK.