Elderberry removal? PLEASE HELP!!!

hi guys, i have one relativly large and 2 quite small elderberries in my garden. im sick to death of trimming them down to where it cant be trimmed no more. they grow fast as hell and they really 'do my head in'. can anyone tell me the best way (and hopefully the cheapest!) to get rid of these pesky things forever?

 

Handsaw from a garden centre or B&Q and cut 'em off at the stem. Job done.

 

i do this every summer, the just grow new branches from the stem. any other ideas?

 

Ah, see what you mean. You'll need a good spade, pickaxe or mattock and just try and rip as much of the thing out of the ground as possible. Try smashing open the stem and pouring in a little bit if roundup or similar strong herbicide into it. Then there's always salt and diesel, but you don't really want to poison the earth by going that far... do you?

 

to be honest mate, i will do whatever it takes to get rid of them. the thing is its quite difficult to pick at as its up against next doors fence and i dont wanna put a hole in it haha. but i could saw it right down to a few inches from ground level. would i then bore a hole into it to put the herbicide or whatever into it? im totally new to anything to do with gardening!! thanks

 

Spot on, fella. Drill and pour. Roundup is pretty strong stuff so if you can get a little squirty gun you should have enough ammo to see you right - and it's useful on other stuff that annoys you too. Ahem.

 

cheers mate, great help. oh, one last thing, would i need to cover stump in question with a bag or something to stop things getting at it or rain getting in etc?

 

Not neccesary but can't see it doing any harm if you did.

 

Yes, to prevent any animals getting at it. Forget Roundup, that wont do the job. Get some SBK, or Root Killer. Drill a few holes in the trunk and pour it in.:gnthb:

 

where would be the best and cheapest place to get this stuff? how much does it cost?

 

Try Wilko`s. They are about the cheapest.

 

Why won't Roundup work? I use it commercially and if it's good enough for the National Trust to clear 8,000 hectares of Rhododendron in North Wales then I think it can do the trick for a little elder shrub.

http://www.roundup-garden.com/which_roundup_product/tree_stump__root_killer.aspx

 

Cut down as far as possible, wait for regrowth (4" I'd say) and then spray with Roundup. Again wait for any regrwoth and spray again.

Roundup is absorbed through the leaves.

SBK is also good but again you will need repeated applications.

 

I think some slight clarification is needed here otherwise poor old DenProject is going to end up very confused as well as anyone else who is reading this.

Roundup (or any other similar herbicide) can be applied to the leaves where it then translocates through the vascular system of the plant to the roots. The active ingredient glyphosate interferes with the plants ability to produce essential amino acids, causing it to die.

By drilling holes and applying Roundup into the stem of the plant all that happens is that one bypasses the translocating and introduces the product directly into the vascular system of the plant.

Roundup can be applied to the leaves for ease of use, but it's not vital.

 

DenProject, please read product details carefully before buying.

It states on the box I have for roundup stump and rootkiller.

"..........Freshly cut tree stumps and standing trees should be treated from November to March to avoid the period of active sap flow in spring/early summer."

It states much the same on SBK.

Please go into a good garden centre and take 15mins to read instructions carefully and compare the products and follow the instructions.

early summer I take as being June/July