kill a tree but leave branches?

10 years ago

I saw an old post about killing a tree quickly that seemed to get way off track, so I'm starting a new post. I'm not sure if what I want to do is possible.

We have (had) a japanese privet in the backyard (which folks on the name that plant forum helped me identify. Thank you!). It's non-native, invasive and too close to the house. It's got to go.

When my father-in-law came to visit, he helpfully brought his chainsaw and cut most of it down. But he left the multiple trunks sticking up about three-four feet off the ground. I'm not sure why -- I think maybe he thought we wanted to keep the tree, just shorter?

In any event, the bare multiple trunks actually make a neat architectural-type feature, and I thought I would turn it into a bottle tree. Except the darn thing is so resilient it's now growing all sorts of green shoots from everywhere!

Is it possible to kill the tree but leave the trunks? If I painted it would that prevent growth? Do I need to just cut the whole thing down?

Comments (4)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
the cuts should have been treated with stump killer or round up ...

you could probably repeatedly spray it with diluted RU and kill it also ...

i would have cut it the same way FIL did.. if my ultimate goal was to use the trunks as leverage to dig it up ...

paint will probably not kill the plant ...

i dont know what you mean by bottle tree.. and it sounds silly to me..

but it is your garden.. and you do whatever makes you extremely happy ...

ken
auntieviv
Original Author
10 years ago
Well that makes senses to use the trunk as leverage. Guess I'll have to go back to Plan A and take it out!
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terrene
10 years ago
You could try a basal bark application of herbicide to the trunks to kill the shrub. This involves painting the trunk with a herbicide mixed with an oil carrier of some sort. Google "basal bark treatment" to get more info. Or, if you prefer not to use herbicide, you can continually remove the new green growth until the plant is eventually exhausted of resources.

I say go for it, sounds like a cool project to make a bottle tree. If it doesn't work out as you like, you can always remove the stumps later, or cut them down level to the ground.
cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)
10 years ago
Just make a fresh cut at the top of each branch and paint it with concentrated glyphosate. That should kill the plant and leave it in place.
Just be aware that in time the roots will rot and it will become unstable or break. Can't know how long that will take as it depends on many factors, but if you do put a lot of bottles on it just test the thing from time to time.