Expert: Jim Hyland - 10/19/2009

Question
How can you kill an evergreen tree?  I don't want to pay to have it taken down.

Answer
Conifer evergreen tree can be killed by girdling the trunk and cutting into the bark into the wood all the way around the trunk. Cut a "trench" around the trunk bark about two inches wide. This will cut off the flow of minerals and water to the foliage and kill the tree. For hardwood evergreen trees you will need to spray a herbicide into the fresh cut-- Roundup straight from the container will work. Of Course you will still have a dead tree when you get through to have taken down, unless it is in an area the if it dies and falls it will not hit anything then you could just let it die and fall on its own. Check with your local nursery for Roundup.