How to Kill a Tree without Cutting It Down

Kill a tree the easiest way and with certainty and without having to cut it down. You will also turn a tree that is invasive or unwanted into a "snag" which is great habitat for wildlife. You can even kill a large tree in under 10 minutes. The foam herbicide dispenser described in this video is available from https://www.greenshootsonline.com/

This video answers critical questions such as:
0:14 - Can I leave a standing dead tree? As the video makes clear, standing dead trees ("snags") make great wildlife habitat for woodpeckers and pollinators. However, a dead tree will eventually fall, and you have to be sure it will not fall near property, or worse, on people. Therefore, standing dead trees should not be left in areas of high pedestrian traffic.
0:42 - Should I use herbicide? Herbicide or weed killer will kill a tree faster and with greater ease and certainty. If you prefer not to use herbicide, I recommend our video: How to Kill a Tree without Chemicals,    • Kill Tree No Chemicals   .
1:03 - What time of year? Fall and winter are the best times. Springtime is especially bad because the tree is sending sap to feed growing foliage.
2:21 - how do you use the herbicide? Select the right weed killer such as glyphosate. With glyphosate, mix an herbicide solution with about 20% active ingredients. Use a tool to cut into the bark. This can be a chisel or knife for small trees, a hatchet for bigger trees, and a drill for the larger trees. The objective is to introduce the weed killer into the phloem of the tree which is the liver, inner bark of the tree.
3:41 - So, for example, with a hatchet, cut through the outer bark. (The inner bark typically will be lighter in color.)
4:19 - Then, apply foam herbicide into the slit immediately. Don't wait longer than a couple minutes to apply the foam weed killer because otherwise the tree will quickly seal off the wound.
4:55 - continue cutting slits about an inch apart (and applying herbicide) around the circumference of the tree.
5:18 - Don't disturb the tree for about a year. Or, better yet, leave it standing as a "snag."

The advantage of foam herbicide is that it sticks tenaciously to where it is placed and it dissolves slowing allowing the herbicide to absorb over a period of time.

Don't try old home remedies like pounding copper nails into the tree. These don't work as well. Those copper nails will also make cutting the tree down a lot more problematic.