Killing tree of heaven?

How does one exactly get rid of this tree? Small lot, 62' x 130', with the tree in the back NW corner. Tree is approximately 35-40 ft tall, circumference approximately 8' (before the split), at 3' ft up it splits into 2 trunks. I girdled it (below the split), painted on Garlon4, and the tree is still thriving. I know it needs to be cut down, but I really wanted it dead before it was cut down, roots and all. Caddy corner from me, one was cut down, stump ground. The yard is full of little trees of heaven, front, back, side yards.....How do I kill the darn thing? Suggestions, experience, appreciated.

Thanks,
Terry

What concentration of chemical did you use?

What date did you apply it?

When are you going to pick off and dispose of the next 10,000 generations currently hanging from the tree in your photo?

Given the size of that tree (and the associated spread of it's root system), count on having to deal with "...little trees of heaven, front, back, side yards....." yourself, too. I doubt you will be able to incorporate enough pesticide through a girdling to totally eliminate the plant's pervasive roots. Killing the top is just the beginning.

Plan to have Glove of Death parties (replete with EQ-style t-shirts) and go around stroking all the emergent children from time to time.

Equil is who supplied me with the "happy juice". I have no idea on the concentration, I did as she instructed. It was early to mid June when applied. The tree is now trying to heal itself.

I can't "pick up and dispose" of the next 10,000 seed pods until they drop, unless you think I can fly. I got what I could last year, I'm sure I'll be out again this year getting more. I pulled up hundreds of little trees today.

Glove of Death. Can you be more specific? My poor blonde head is struggling.......

This is one tree that I haven't seen here and from the sounds of it that's a good thing. What if you drilled holes in it at a downward angle all the way around the tree, and then used something like a turkey baster to fill them up with herbicide?

First of all, the "tree of heaven" name is useless propaganda. Another nickname for Ailanthus altissima is "ghetto palm", presumably because it has palm-like leaves, and it will grow in harsh urban conditions. Now, a tree like that would be nice if that's the only thing that will grow in your urban slum (it was the star of the heartwarming book, "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn"), but that would be like keeping a cockroach for a pet.

Good luck getting rid of it! You are in for a long fight!

This message was edited Aug 15, 2006 3:41 PM

I don't know escambiaguy, but I'm up for anything to be rid of this tree. I think it needs a harsher chemical than I can buy. I'll have to do some calling around.

undercover, I was too lazy to look up the latin name :) Would you believe behind me and caddy corner is a church. And between the church and another business? Yep, a tree of heaven. Then 2 doors down is yet another.......and about 5 blocks down is 2 more......I'm also not urban, I'm in a small rural town. But somebody must of been selling these things, because they're all over. What they should call it is the Denial Tree. I denied what it was for a year now. The poor Asplundh guy.....I almost hit him when he said what it was.

terryr I know how you feel.We do not only have 1 but 3 full grown of these devil trees.Can you believe the previous owners actually purchased and planted them??.We had no idea what they were 6 years ago when we bought the house.Now we too are searching for answers on how to rid our property of them.I am sure it will not be an easy task.Good Luck to you! Cedar

I once got rid of a giant tree privet by cutting it down and then building a mound of charcoal on top of it. I set fire to it and it smoldered red hot for about 5 hours. I'm thinking that it must have heated the roots up enough to kill it because it never resprouted. It is the only Ligustrum stump that I have seen that didn't resprout. What can I say, I was bored that day. lol

This message was edited Aug 15, 2006 7:36 PM

I once got rid of a silver poplar,that hat had root suckers as far as the tree had roots,by waiting til the sap started going down,and reapplying 2-4-5-T.Don't think its still avalible,but I'm told that round-up,is just as good.What I did was made deep chop pockets,at different hights to "baste",with a paint brush,every week,until the brush killer sat in the pockets,and next spring was able to remove every thing.I was very sucessful with that endevor.Mike

Is Agent Orange available?

Scott

Terry,

VV was explaining this to me a while ago and sent me the following link. Scroll down til your see his entry and, in bold, GLOVE OF DEATH PROCESS.

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/576668/

Go old school and try rock salt. Drill some holes angled down, fill with rock salt and add some water. That should do it and get the roots.

Move to beautiful Petersburg!

Thanks for the link and the suggestions everyone....

Scott, ya got any? If so, you come and apply while I go back to AR for awhile.

Ya know, I thought of rock salt. My grandpa killed many a tree in AR using it. He spread it around the base of the trunk though. I have plants near it that cannot be harmed.

Now Guy, why would I want to move to Petersburg? My luck I'd get some house with a mimosa tree. Gawd those things are all over MO and AR.

So...are you rid of the pests?

I applied Roundup on Thursday to Tree of Heaven n' Hell shoots. Other side of wall is a line of trees neighbors planted. What were they thinking?

But I digress..plant shoots are wilting now.

Hope it works!

Yes, I am. I had a tree service come out that fall in '06. They cut it down and ground out the stump. They made a huge hole with the grinding and took all the soil with them. As they were cutting the tree down, they threw it into a chipper. I never had any root suckers at all. I get the seeds that sprout occasionally, but I understand they stay viable for 50 yrs. A female still grows in the church lot behind and a male is still 2 doors down. I keep hoping for a large gust of wind to knock the things over. Ours was almost nothing but rot on the inside, so I'm sure these are the same.

If what you're spraying are only seeds that have sprouted, I've found those extremely easy to pull up. If the soil is hard or compacted, a garden fork works well to get the whole root. If they're suckers, then RU is probably necessary. I wish you luck☺

I cut down a large tree of heaven 3 years ago.
The last 2 summers were a nightmare of pulling suckers from almost everywhere in my yard.
It's simply incredible how far the suckers go.
But this summer, I have very few suckers and they are much less vigorous.
I think success if finally near, but I won't declare victory just yet.

I can imagine, because that tree is so awful! Thankfully, I never had that problem with suckers. I don't know why, I only know I didn't.

terryr, you can probably start planning your victory party now ! LOL

I've seen whole groves of those seedlings take over the embankments of freeways here.

One tree of heaven can makes your life a living hell !

When we bought this old house in Dec. of '04, the last thing on my mind really, was anything in the yard. I had noticed the tree, but it was more that Norway Maple out front that I had to get rid of. And all the work that I had to do inside in order for us to actually live here. The tree in the back, I didn't pay much attention to it and I sure didn't know what it was. When I found out, that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach came. I had heard all the horror stories about the suckering this tree does when it's cut down, but I put my trust into the tree service I had. When he gave me his personal guarantee that the tree would not sprout from any root left, I took that promise and guarantee. I haven't been sorry I did. Learning about the root suckers was only part of it. I also learned about all those seeds. On the flip side of the very invasive tree of heaven, everybody and their brother in our neighborhood has a maple tree that shoots those whirly gig things that all blow here, it would seem☺ The tree of heaven that sprout from seed, are so easy to pull up compared to the millions of maples that sprout from seed! When my husband and I weeded the other day, he came across no tree of heaven sprouts. I found 3. But the maples? Those we had to dig up. I think it was almost 2 dozen. And we have a really small property too! Squirrels "planted" 2 oak trees for me also.

If I take Route 26 down to Peoria, I see whole groves of tree of heaven in the embankments along the highway. Along with a lot of the Japanese shrub honeysuckles. So I go another way and take another highway. I look at corn and bean fields going the other way. Nothing invasive. Easier on my mind that way☺