[deepinthewoods]

ive heard that a copper nail will kill a tree, does this work?
ive a load of laurel hedging that  needs to come down, if i copper nailed it all, and left it for a year would that be feasible?

[bazzais]

If it did youd still have to chop it down eventually - why not just bite the bullet and cut it down now?

[bloomer]

If it did youd still have to chop it down eventually - why not just bite the bullet and cut it down now?

cutting laurel down is a waste of time unless you can destroy or remove the roots it regrows too fast!!! there are some chemicals that will kill the stumps but they are quite nasty...

i don't know about copper nails in laurels i have heard of the trick but don't know if it works or not!!!

[deepinthewoods]

If it did youd still have to chop it down eventually - why not just bite the bullet and cut it down now?

cutting laurel down is a waste of time unless you can destroy or remove the roots it regrows too fast!!! there are some chemicals that will kill the stumps but they are quite nasty...

i don't know about copper nails in laurels i have heard of the trick but don't know if it works or not!!!

yep, this isnt just one tree, its hundreds!!.
if the copper trick works , i can kill the lot off and grub it up bit by bit over the next year.

[Berkshire Boy]

A man with a JCB will clear it in no time. I started clearing one of our fields and it took ages just to do a few metres so my mate came with his digger 1 day they were all gone and just a pile of ash to show for it.

[deepinthewoods]

i couldnt get a jcb in!!! not a hope.

would the copper nails work?? pleeeeease!

[robert waddell]

it must be some location when a jcb cant access it      what about a winch to pull them out
spray it with roundup 

[deepinthewoods]

yep its my garden!!! not having a jcb trashing it. would round up permanantly kill it?

[robert waddell]

you can try the double sure method spray the green leafs   and bore a bole in each trunk at a downwards angle and inject straight roundup into it      it has to be the original roundup not the watered down urine that garden centers sell

[arwelcoed]

Roundup will kill lauded but you must keep spraying it twice a year till it stops putting out new growth. Best way to kill any stump is salt! First cut the stump as low to the ground as possible then bore holes around the top of it (not in the middle) with an inch or so gap and about 2inches deep. Then fill and pack all the holes with salt then cover the stump with a plastic bag (to make water proof) or cut a disk from the stump you cut and nail down you can use copper nails if you want at this point!

[Sylvia]

Yes, copper nails will kill it but it will take time. If you need them down now then cut them down, then use a very nasty shrub killer or flex those muscles and dig them out

[FiB]

Are they big enough that ringing (taking off a large ring of bark) would work?  That does take a full growing season to work though, so youd have to wait the fell.  Not heard of copper nail - interesting thanks.

[Mel]

How large are these Laurels?What a shame,I wish for a Laurel hedge at the front of my plot!

[deepinthewoods]

how does 40ft high sound??

thats what they were when i got here, now most of its 4ft high. some of the trunks are a foot thick.
dont plant laurel, its toxic to animals, gives off cyanide when its burnt and totally invasive!

[Bramblecot]

how does 40ft high sound??

thats what they were when i got here, now most of its 4ft high. some of the trunks are a foot thick.
dont plant laurel, its toxic to animals, gives off cyanide when its burnt and totally invasive!

Totally agree.  I'm still fighting ours after 5 years, and the seedlings are a nuisance.  The sheep keep trying to eat it, it's a nightmare keeping them away from the stuff.  So many nicer things to plant in the country.