How to Kill a Bush or Tree
- 1). Cut grooves around the diameter of the bush or shrub 3 to 5 feet from ground level with a hatchet girdling the plant. Gardeners killing bushes must make grooves that go one-half inch into the wood or 1 1/2 inches deep into trees. Grooves on bushes must be 1 to 2 inches wide or 6 to 8 inches wide on trees. By cutting into the bark, you disrupt the plant's ability to transport water and nutrients to the top growth.
- 2). Spray cut grooves with herbicide that contains glyphosate. Thoroughly spray the grooves without allowing the herbicide drip and kill grass. Repeat the herbicide application in 10 days or until you notice signs of the bush or tree dying. Signs that the plant is dying include leaf discoloration, wilting and defoliation.
- 3). Remove the bush by cutting the trunk’s base with a chainsaw. Trees are removed by making 45-degree downward cuts into one-third the diameter with the chainsaw. Make a second cut that is 45-degrees upward and meets the point of the first cut. Walk over the other side of the tree and make a back cut that goes through the diameter of the tree above the notch created by the first two cuts.
- 4). Cut up the wood with a hatchet chainsaw for burning, composting or throwing away.
- 5). Cover the stump with 6 inches of dirt. Stumps take six months to a year to naturally decompose when covered with dirt. Watering the dirt encourages the decomposition process.
