Weed/shrub removal-questions

Dig it out comes to mind.

But your mention of plans I fine interesting. I've been planting for awhile and never had any plans. I had a plan I guess like this will be the year for Kerrie Japonicas or Azaleas . I sort of look about see what is doing good and encourage and look about for ailing and try to remedy it. Still a lagging question I have is perhaps the plants I said will not prosper was a mistake on my part.

Bill who would purchase great varieties but only one and then propagate.

Maddock or pic axe, shovel, heavy gloves. Only you can decide what flowers to plant, there are so many.

Me, I'm lazy. I like a come-along and something sturdy to which to to attach it.

My brother in-law never cut down a tree. Just dug it out. I'm a come-along owner but he just dug and used the weight to act as a lever and popped it out. I thought a lot of work but no stump and it does not have to be done the same day. If I look at the lack of a chain saw, fuel, maintenance etc it sort of makes sense, This on about 30 trees over 20 years. Slow and steady won the cheapness race. Granted not everyone has the time but still a viable option in you have a vision of what you would like in the future. The word is envision and the scale can be grandiose or subtle.

Bill Waxing

"Bill" wrote

I can't imagine if they could be dug out and weren't first cut down to a stump they were much of a tree.

I doubt a come-along would pull out a standard, mature tree but on shrubs and dwarf trees, it saves a lot of sweat. For a mature tree, that your not in a hurry to remove your brother in laws technique sounds intriguing. If he could roll in a fulcrum, it might be even better. How does he deal with the final stage, when he is digging and the tree is almost ready to go. When I'm cutting, I like to have a QUICK escape exit. Oh, potatoes are in (German Butter Ball).

It is a slow drop with a couple of pushes. Axed at points that appear and asked to be cut. Kind of weird but the roots do expose them selves. This on trees up to about 15 inches in diameter. The fulcrum provided by the depth of the hole. Tree¹s like maple have a shallow hole wear as oaks provide more leverage. Once the tree is tilted it can be pruned on the way down. Guess I do not have to point out never be below a possible drop and kinetic energy can be stored in living things. Still this can be done with a shovel and a bow saw.

Bill of course if the drop is in any direction it is a picnic.

I've taken down more trees than I can count and I don't believe you. A tree with a 15" diam. trunk, say a typical maple, will be humongous... 30'-40' tall with a spread to match. If someone is down in a hole nibbling away at the roots and the tree starts to fall the weight of the crown will cause it to come crashing all the way, a person would get no warning, even if someone yelled they couldn't move quickly enough, they'd likely get killed, or very seriously hurt... even on the lee side a root can snap between a mans legs like a whip slicing him in two. Only a total moron would attempt such a stupid feat (30 times no less), or expect anyone to believe such BS.

You are becoming an irritating little person. Who cares what you believe? Perhaps you meant to say, "I find it hard to believe", instead of calling a person a liar.

Swab yourself with calamine lotion.

Obviously you do.

Perhaps people shouldn't lie... you're obviously used to associating with liars.

Darren wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@f37g2000vbf.googlegroups. com:

first thing to do is make sure it's not poison ivy... lee

snipped-for-privacy@f37g2000vbf.googlegroups.

I agree - you need to identify the 'weed' in question before you know the best way to remove it. Although your description is not exact, the tall and 'woody, tough stalks" sounds suspiciously like Japanese knotweed, which is a major invasive weed problem in many parts of the country. Do some Googling to see if this is what you have. If so, eradication is difficult and will take time and effort.

I may be old fashioned, but IMO manual removal of weeds is the most efficient and thorough method of control outside of using some sort of herbicide. And once the weed is correctly identified, I wouldn't necessarily eliminate them totally from consideration - most are relatively benign as far as the environment and persistence in the garden is concerned but they are not always highly effective on all weeds (like the knotweed, for example) and there are issues with getting them on other plants and causing damage.

We were dealing with pin oaks up in North Jersey. Maybe I should have said 8 inch diameter. Feel better? No one was in a hole digging as shovel reach would do it.

As to being a liar I try not to as it is all to easy to be caught in a lie.

"I know you are, but what am I?"

-Pee-Wee

Bill whose feelings are hurt .....Yea right

There are a number of hand tools for removing weeds, small and large, including brush clearing tools, even tree removing tools. A good outline of all types of weeding hand tools is presented (by me) at

Yes you can: Remove large weeds without chemicals!