How to Kill a Fruit Tree & Its Roots

Non-chemical Control

• 1

  Make a series of cuts into the trunk of the fruit tree around the entire circumference of the trunk using a hatchet or ax, a process called girdling or, if the wood and bark at the bottom of the cuts is left intact, frilling. Alternatively, use a saw to make two parallel cuts 2 to 4 inches apart on the trunk. The cuts must cut through the bark and underlying tissue, penetrating at least 1/2 inch on small trees and 1 to 1 1/2 inches on larger trees. For girdling or frilling with a hatchet or ax, make sure the girdled area is at least 1 to 2 inches wide on small-diameter trees and 6 inches wide on larger trees.

• 2

  Inspect the cut area regularly after cutting the girdle or frills. Make sure no callus tissue is growing in the cut area and re-cut it, if needed. Callus is the hard, protective tissue trees produce in response to injury.

• 3

  Monitor the area around the fruit tree's base regularly and cut any new shoots that grow out of the ground near the tree or the tree's trunk below the cut area promptly using a loppers or pruning shears. This will gradually deplete the fruit tree's reserves and starve the tree, although it may take several years, depending on the size, strength and species of tree.

Control With Herbicide

• 4

  Put on safety goggles and chemical-resistant gloves to handle and prepare any herbicide and follow manufacturer recommendations for safe and effective use.

• 5

  Prepare or obtain a water-soluble solution that contains at least 25 percent non-selective herbicide like glyphosate or triclopyr or otherwise follow manufacturer recommendations for dilution for frill, girdle or hack-and-squirt application. Undiluted herbicides are acceptable for this application method.

• 6

  Make a series of overlapping cuts into the tree's bark using a hatchet or ax, cutting at least 1/2 inch into the tree if it is small and 1 to 1 1/2 inches if it is larger and creating an exposed band 2 to 6 inches wide, depending on the diameter of the tree.

• 7

  Spray or brush the prepared herbicide onto the cut surface as quickly as possible after making the cut at a rate of 1 milliliter, or about 3/50 cubic inch, actual herbicide per every 2 to 3 inches of trunk diameter.