Leylandii-how to get rid of please?

Tinky · 23-07-2007, 08:00

Out hedge has grown out of control. The cost of having it removed professionally would be financially prohibitive. Is there some chemical/product we can pour into the roots, or something we can paint on the trunk. Or some other way to kill it?

**Graham M** · 23-07-2007, 08:15

Surely the best way would be to get an Axe or Hatchet and remove it just above the roots and then dig the rest up, it's probably what a "professional" would do anyway.

TheDaddy · 23-07-2007, 09:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zeph

Surely the best way would be to get an Axe or Hatchet and remove it just above the roots and then dig the rest up, it's probably what a "professional" would do anyway.

I really wouldn't want to dig it up by hand

---------- Post added at 09:06 ---------- Previous post was at 09:00 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tinky

Out hedge has grown out of control. The cost of having it removed professionally would be financially prohibitive. Is there some chemical/product we can pour into the roots, or something we can paint on the trunk. Or some other way to kill it?

You could always try one of these:

1. Drill a 1cm hole and fill with Ammonium Sulphonamte. Seal with a cork.

2. Water regularly with Sodium Chlorate or strong bleach

3. Copper. Copper poisons the sap killing the tree. you can either hammer long copper panel pins all the way up the trunk, about one every 8 inches, sinking them in with a dot punch, or for remote destruction buy copper hunting pellets for an air rifle, and shoot he tree at a safe distance. One pellet per foot of height should do. They sink in and the bark grows over, making this almost undetectable.

23-07-2007, 09:15

or drill the hole pour petrol in and torch it lol old engine oil also kills them same way drill holes and pour it in

Wicked_and_Crazy · 23-07-2007, 09:19

Chainsaw them to about 2 inches above the ground.

Drill the stump with loads of holes and fill them with a root rotter.

If you want to dig them out buy a matock which is like a pick axe and is very good at cutting the roots near the trunk. Digging them out is hard work ( i know i removed 12 from my garden) but gives the best results by far. IF your planning in digging them out first cut the trunk down to about 5 foot tool so that you leave a stump with a lot of leverage.

Tinky · 23-07-2007, 10:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zeph

Surely the best way would be to get an Axe or Hatchet and remove it just above the roots and then dig the rest up, it's probably what a "professional" would do anyway.

This is a very old hedge, some of the tree trunks are over 2ft in circumference, if we used an axe we would be dead before the trees were.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

I really wouldn't want to dig it up by hand

No, bad for the nails lol!

---------- Post added at 09:06 ---------- Previous post was at 09:00 ----------

You could always try one of these:

1. Drill a 1cm hole and fill with Ammonium Sulphonamte. Seal with a cork.

2. Water regularly with Sodium Chlorate or strong bleach

3. Copper. Copper poisons the sap killing the tree. you can either hammer long copper panel pins all the way up the trunk, about one every 8 inches, sinking them in with a dot punch, or for remote destruction buy copper hunting pellets for an air rifle, and shoot he tree at a safe distance. One pellet per foot of height should do. They sink in and the bark grows over, making this almost undetectable.

This is more like the type of solution we are after, thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by zinglebarb

or drill the hole pour petrol in and torch it lol old engine oil also kills them same way drill holes and pour it in

Can't torch it Zing, people next door have a wooden fence. Someone did suggest diesel poured around the base (of the tree that is) lol, but sounds a bit dangerous to me.

superbiatch · 23-07-2007, 10:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by zinglebarb

or drill the hole pour petrol in and torch it lol old engine oil also kills them same way drill holes and pour it in

Just putting petrol in is enough, i did it a few years ago. Just remember not to light up near to them for a while

**Rob** · 23-07-2007, 10:35

I'd advise against pouring anything like oil around the hedging. You don't want to be left with a load of contaminated soil.

Remember that if you poison the hedging without cutting it down first it's going to get rather brown and ugly, before it eventually starts to decay and becomes unsafe. Sooner or later you'll have to bite the bullet and chop it down. You might as well do that now and then poision the roots to prevent any regrowth.

Tinky · 23-07-2007, 10:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by superbiatch

Just putting petrol in is enough, i did it a few years ago. Just remember not to light up near to them for a while

I'd have to have a chat with my neighbour, and ask her not to do it in the garden (smoke that is) lol.

How long did it take for them to die off?

lauzjp · 23-07-2007, 10:40

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4595727.stm

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http://freespace.virgin.net/clare.h/ http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1127777 http://home.clara.net/tmac/urgring/faqleyld.htm

superbiatch · 23-07-2007, 10:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tinky

I'd have to have a chat with my neighbour, and ask her not to do it in the garden (smoke that is) lol.

How long did it take for them to die off?

Not long at all, approx 2 weeks for them to shrivel up from what i can remember

Tinky · 23-07-2007, 10:53

I guess there is no easy answer. We don't have a couple of thousand to spare on it, and we are not in a position to do the work ourselves. Luckily the hedge is not cutting out light, as it's far enough away from the houses.

danielf · 23-07-2007, 10:56

How high are they?

Tinky · 23-07-2007, 10:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by superbiatch

Not long at all, approx 2 weeks for them to shrivel up from what i can remember

That might be the answer then, at the moment some of them are 8ft wide. It's all this darn rain that's made them so lush. However if that's all I've got to bother about, why worry?

---------- Post added at 10:58 ---------- Previous post was at 10:56 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by danielf

How high are they?

About 12 to 14 ft I'd guess.

TheDaddy · 23-07-2007, 11:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tinky

I guess there is no easy answer. We don't have a couple of thousand to spare on it, and we are not in a position to do the work ourselves. Luckily the hedge is not cutting out light, as it's far enough away from the houses.

The easy answer is to cut the growth right back and buy a hormonal growth retardant from your garden centre