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Elder Tree Removal

Keith Butler2Keith Butler2 Posts: 53
in Problem solving

I have a problem with Elder Trees growing in a Hawthorn hedge outside of my house and would like to get rid of the Elder’s, I have purchased Rosate 36 Concentrate and would like to use it on the Elder’s, any advice on how to use it on the Elder's? The Elder Trees are well established and would like to just kill them off and leave the structure till I can plant more Hawthorn in the gaps left

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  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I wouldn't use Rosate 360 on anything in a mixed hedge.
    I do use it on occasion and it is very strong.
    It is only absorbed via the leaves and when you're spraying you're bound to get some on your hawthorns which would kill them too.
    I'd consider a different method.
    If there a just a few, cut them off at the base - they will re-grow but if you keep cutting back every 6 months they'll eventually give up the struggle

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • Keith Butler2Keith Butler2 Posts: 53
    pansyface said:
    You don’t need to use toxic chemicals, just remove the bark around the trunk near ground level. Sorted.
    The problem is it is very difficult to get in and around the full circumference of the Elder
  • Keith Butler2Keith Butler2 Posts: 53
    Pete.8 said:
    I wouldn't use Rosate 360 on anything in a mixed hedge.
    I do use it on occasion and it is very strong.
    It is only absorbed via the leaves and when you're spraying you're bound to get some on your hawthorns which would kill them too.
    I'd consider a different method.
    If there a just a few, cut them off at the base - they will re-grow but if you keep cutting back every 6 months they'll eventually give up the struggle
    Anther problem is I cannot do it from March to September due to the birds nesting situation
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited January 2022
    Saw it off at the base as  @Pete.8  describes ... you don't need access to get all around it.  If it's got low branches getting in your way cut them off first. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    edited January 2022
    Rosate (glyphosate) is ONLY absorbed by the leaves when plants are actively growing, so you'd need to use it between March-Sept.
    It does not affect the soil.
    I'd go with the suggestion given by Dove and myself

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • SkandiSkandi Posts: 1,723
    I would use a brushwood killer, cut the elder down as low as possible and brush on the killer.  Don't use in freezing weather or spring when the sap is running but you can use it at any other time.
    You can do the same with glyphosate but the plant needs to be growing when you do it.
  • Keith Butler2Keith Butler2 Posts: 53
    Skandi said:
    I would use a brushwood killer, cut the elder down as low as possible and brush on the killer.  Don't use in freezing weather or spring when the sap is running but you can use it at any other time.
    You can do the same with glyphosate but the plant needs to be growing when you do it.
    So the Brushwood Killer goes on the freshly cut Elder trunk or can it go on a trunk that was cut last year? and can be done any time of year except freezing conditions and when there is a possibility of sap, so I could poss. do it at the end of Feb or even now, as long as there is no risk if frost
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    It works better if the trunk/branches are freshly cut, old cuts will have calloused over by now.
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Doff Stump killer is formulated to work on stumps. It can be bought from most garden centres as well as from various online suppliers. 

    SBK stump killer is another very effective one in my experience. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    Keith Butler2 said:
    Skandi said:
    I would use a brushwood killer, cut the elder down as low as possible and brush on the killer.  Don't use in freezing weather or spring when the sap is running but you can use it at any other time.
    You can do the same with glyphosate but the plant needs to be growing when you do it.
    So the Brushwood Killer goes on the freshly cut Elder trunk or can it go on a trunk that was cut last year? and can be done any time of year except freezing conditions and when there is a possibility of sap, so I could poss. do it at the end of Feb or even now, as long as there is no risk if frost

    You only apply it to freshly cut surfaces, usually using a paintbrush.  Using it elsewhere on the bark would have no effect, so would just be a waste.  However, it would be best to cut the trunks at ground level and paint it (or any of the stump killers) on the top and sides of the remaining stump.  I've killed stumps of young Ash trees using a single dose, in places where I couldn't dig the roots out, and Ash saplings are extremely vigorous.
    If you intend cutting off branches higher up first, I'm not sure how well these chemicals would work.  They'll certainly stop any new growth from around the cut, but I expect the tree will start to grow shoots from elsewhere, so you'll eventually have to cut to ground level and treat the stump at some point.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
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