poisoning weed-like squirrel-planted YOUNG-trees after scythe-ing stalks

[David Combs]

SUBJECT: How to poison weed-like squirrel-planted YOUNG-trees after scythe-ing off the stalks.

In the back yard we have this large patch of pakasandra (sp?), which each year turns into a jungle of thus-far-juvenile trees. (Each year they get planted via squirrels burring nuts, some of which they clearly don't locate later on.)

Anyway, this year I got this (home-depot) serrated-edge scythe and went out there and chopped them all, shortening them from maybe 5 to 8 feet tall to 2 or 3 foot-high truncated stalks.

How to get rid of these things -- so at least *this* batch doesn't grow back?

I was thinking that since I want to preserve the *desired* plants (eg pakasandra(sp?)), I'd want to be super-careful with any poison.

Obviously (I think) I wouldn't want to spray anything over the entire area.

So, I was thinking that maybe I could carefully "paint" some poison directly on the chopped cross-section of each of those remaining stalks?

(At this point, there's no leaves left, just the roughly-chopped stalks.)

QUESTION: does this make any sense?

If so, what *kind* of poison -- that would hopefully be just enough to kill *that* attempting-to-be-a-tree stalk (and roots?), but that wouldn't propagate out to roots of *other* plants.

Ideas?

Thanks!

David

[Goedjn]

Next time, pull them up, don't chop them off.

[PipeDown]

Keep chopping or mowing them down and the lack of nutrients due to the lack of leaves will eventually wear them out. Water the Packy' sparingly (drip emittor at the base only) to further stress the unwanted sprouts. In other words, make them feel unwelcome.

What kind of ground cover is there, can you just cover it with some planks to smother the plants you don't want. You can do that over mulch but it would kill grass and other plants.

Get a dog and let him run in the yard, the squirrels will vacate promptly. I hear dog and human hair spread on the ground will also discourage the critters from using your territory.

[BobK207]

I have had great succes killing perenials (flowers, trees, shrubs) using RoundUp.

Any substantial plant has energy stored in the root system & will continue to generate leaves until this energy is exhausted.

As PipeDown suggested you can continue to harass the little trees until they run out of steam.

Alternatively I would chop them all the way down (remove as much woody material above the soil as possible)

I would then water & fertilize lightly tthis will encourage a new leafy structure to develop.

When it established (about a foot or two) I did hose it down with RoundUp

Us the super concentrate 42% ? 50% ? at a 3oz per gallon dilution.

They'll all be dead in few weeks. :)

cheers Bob

[HeyBub]

For trash trees, I cut them down and cover the "stump" with a coffee can. Fortunately, I use the new Folgers decafinated coffee that comes in a green plastic container. Works well and blends in.

[David Combs]

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions!

Now, about this one, using coffee-cans:

I guess they keep the treelets from sprouting again out of the stumps. Sounds good.

Now, I have a *bunch* of these stumps out there, maybe

50 or so. That's a lot of coffee we've got to drink!

Any other similar suggestion?

Thanks,

David