How to Kill Trees & Bushes

• 1

  Cut the tree down to a stump and make the cut as smooth and level as possible. This will keep the herbicide from running off after application.

• 2

  Apply the herbicide immediately to the freshly cut surface. Thoroughly drench the layer right next to the bark. This is the conducting tissue that will carry the chemical to the roots. You only need to treat the outer 2 to 3 inches of the stump because the internal heartwood of the tree is dead wood.

• 3

  Cover the entire cut stump surface if tree trunk diameter is 3 inches or less. If you cannot apply the herbicide immediately to the fresh-cut surface, recut surface again to expose fresh wood prior to chemical application.

• 4

  Grind the dead tree stump as deep as 12 inches in the ground or pull it out entirely by wrapping a chain around it and then hooking to a truck. Grinding is the preferred method of getting rid of stumps in urban areas, as indicated by the University of Minnesota Extension.

Bushes

• 5

  Kill bushes up to 15 feet in height by spraying the foliage of the target plants. Avoid use of herbicide during very warm weather as this reduces efficacy of chemicals.

• 6

  Spray only enough to cover the leaves. Do not saturate the plant to the point of run off. Avoid using on drought stressed plants.

• 7

  Dig out the smaller dead shrubs and discard. Grind or pull stumps of larger bushes just as tree stumps.