Ailanthus/Tree of heaven

[foggy1111]

I have applied Tordon to our buckthorn....which is a similar tough to kill plant around here. Seemed to do a good job when painted on small stumps. The label on our Tordon said "RTU".....which means Ready To Use. I also had a quart (same price) and it treated allot of small stumps. After two years of applying to buckthorn....its gone.

Now....if I can just get my neighbors to work on it.

 

[dooleysm]

The forester had a few other names for it, all revolving around the stink he claimed eminated from the leaves and his disdain for the tree in general.

The leaves smelled like leaves to me.

 

[ShenandoahJoe]

Following our forester's advice, I had good luck this past summer with a chainsaw and a bottle of concentrated Roundup. Get the Roundup on the fresh stump within a minute or two, just like they said above.

Good thing it worked, too, because I've got a few dozen more to do next summer.

 

[jd0716]

ShenandoahJoe, how big were the trees you cut to treat the stumps? Did you completely cut through the trees or girdle them.

 

[LBrown59]

Girdling is cutting a ring around the tree, maybe an inch or two deep, about waist high (though I think that's just for convenience). This outer ring of the tree is where the sap is carried and will kill the tree. Not as fast as cutting it down obviously, but very effective, and much safer as far as the bigger trees are concerned. You don't have to worry about a tree falling on you. We then went around the girdle and covered it with the Tordon.

Yeah now we have a much worse dead tree to get down situation!
So what was gained?

 

[Skyco]

The forester had a few other names for it, all revolving around the stink he claimed eminated from the leaves and his disdain for the tree in general.

The leaves smelled like leaves to me.

Then it probably wasn't Tree of Heaven
Tear a leaf and give it a sniff....very nasty, like rotten meat.
I've been battling those things for several years, tough to kill, they even poison the ground to make it difficult for other plants to grow.
The stink also means you can't use them for firewood, at least not a campfire

Tree of Heaven and Poison Ivy- my two main enemies at my NC land, I'm so glad I have neither at my home in SC

 

[ShenandoahJoe]

The ones I took down were two to four inches across. I cut them all the way down, so I wouldn't have to come back later.

 

[dooleysm]

Yeah now we have a much worse dead tree to get down situation!
So what was gained?

Why do I have to cut down the dead tree? Can't I just leave it in the woods to fall on its own when I'm not around? I thought this was obvious...

 

[ToadHill]

Eric has the right answer, the tree has to have leaves and be actively transporting nutrients through the xylem and phloem. In spring when the leaves have filled out is a good time to treat. I've used this system from May until August in the northeast. If your leaves fill out earlier, you can apply the glyphospate earlier than I do.