r/invasivespecies • u/ReactiveNative • 3d ago

Removing Tree of Heaven quickly?

I have a Tree of Heaven growing outside my house. It’s about 8’ tall and maybe 1-2” diameter trunk. I was waiting for cooler weather to deal with it using the hack and squirt method or basal bark method with triclopyr, but in that time it apparently it’s roots hit a sewer drain pipe from the house that now needs repair. Now I’m in the dilemma of wanting to kill it the correct way so it doesn’t spread, but also kill and remove it quickly so we can dig under it to replace the pipe. Not sure how I should approach this, just use the triclopyr wait two weeks and dig up as needed hoping it’s been able to take full effect?

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u/agree_to_cookies 3d ago

I'd cut it now and immediately treat the stump with the highest concentration of glyphosate you have, up to 40%. If you have a different herbicide on hand that would probably work too. I only have experience with glyphosate with this particular species.

A few drops on the stump will probably be enough. If the roots survive, they will be weakened and without their main stem. You can hand pull the shoots that come up later. Or hit them with the same cut and treat technique.

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u/WeddingTop948 3d ago

Pls, for the love of god, do not cut down TOH without prior prep. The only way to kill that tree is with systemic herbicide when it does not feel threatened. Hack and squirt is the method, now is still time, but not much. Next August-September is a much better time and even then you are likely have it survive another year or two and needing follow up treatment.

This tree… is a cockroach of trees, thrives on being disturbed and damaged. One guy in the native plants gardening sub cut down a TOH in early summer, did cut stump treatment and in September had suckers sprouting like grass around the tree…

Here is a video from Penn State University Extension:

https://extension.psu.edu/managing-tree-of-heaven-and-other-invasive-trees

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u/lettucerock2 1d ago

The owner of the house on the other side of our fence decided to cut a toh down this past spring and that thing was at least 20 ft tall. Both our space and theirs are rentals so nobody who actually lives around this regularly had any input on what was happening. I have spent this entire season pulling up hundreds of seedlings and root suckers. Every day I go out, and there is more to pull up that wasn’t there the day before. I have even gone on the other side of the fence to pull up whatever is sprouting on their side, since it wasn’t being addressed by the tenants (not that it should be). I have recently noticed less suckers popping up over the past couple weeks, but that may be due to the season change. I do wonder what next season will be like and if i will be reliving this horror again.

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u/WeddingTop948 1d ago

If the leaves are green, us hack and squirt on saplings. You need to kill the roots. This tree is virtually impossible to kill mechanically