Leylandii out of control

We have recently purchased a house that has very large Leylandii close to the boundaries and intend to remove them. Can anybody recommend a suitable liquid killer that will expedite this for us before we tackle the felling of them?

 

Welcome to the site Pilchards1980. You would be much better off felling the trees first, then treating the stumps with a root killer.

 

Or better still...

 

Melinda, that would certainly do the trick.Wave

 

Felling is not an option at present unfortunately as too much to do to the house first and formost. Just would like to get the dam things on there way out to be going on with...

 

To be honest, if they have to stay for now, surely it is better to have a bit of greenery rather than a row of dead trees? Also, anything you use to try and kill the trees will wipe out a lot of the other plantlife in the garden, PLUS, it will contaminate the soil for months afterwards,

 

You need to fell them, you can't kill them in situ. Leave them be until you are able to fell them. Cut the lower branches back if that helps create space / light?

 

As Dai says you would best just fell them now , as apart from the contamination caused ,it will be a much harder job felling dead conifers than live ones . Easier to move green branches than dead .
Dave

 

Hello and welcome Pilchards.
Sorry, but if you want rid of those trees the only way is felling.
There is nothing legal that is going to kill them.
As Kristen says you can cut the branches you can reach to your hearts content if that improves the situation for you.
They grow about 1m a year so the longer you delay the bigger they will be and more expensive it will be to have them felled.
I think I would move them up the priority list.

 

This will work -
Bore 4 or 5 holes about 15mm to 20mm diameter in the trunk. Slope the holes downwards at about 45 degrees and bore in at least 50mm. Fill each hole with liquid glyphosate (Roundup will do) and occasionally top up.
I used this method to kill a large fir that I wanted dead but left in situ.

 

Dave, if the trees can`t come down straight away, surely it is better to have a row of live trees than dead trees?

 

Not only that but Glyphosate only works through green material, ie, leaves.

 

Dai - Well my interpretation of the question was that the trees were wanted rid of and couldn't at present be cut down. Killing would at least reduce the foliage. And next year if the trees are felled, on-site burning would produce a lot less smoke.

Glyphosate as has been rightly pointed out is absorbed by green material - usually the leaves of a plant, and being systemic it is then transported via the phloem (the thin layer on the inner side of the bark). Boring holes through the phloem and filling them with glyphosate is a bit akin to injecting rather than swallowing in the case of a human. It gets the drug - in the case of glyphosate, a protein inhibitor, into the 'blood stream' PDQ.

Shiney, I'm really surprised you'd no success at killing the willow with glyphosate. I topped one about 4 feet up and left the stump as I wanted it for a climber but I bored it and 'injected' and killed with no problems. I've another willow that I had to kill last autumn so this time I've just done a deep ring-bark on it and I'm presently waiting to see what happens. There are some signs of buds but they may expire as the demands for nutrients increase, but if they don't I'll be out with the drill!