Tree question - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Skid Row Joe · #16 04-14-2010, 02:38 AM

Yup, these Live Oaks are a whole 'nother oak. Nothin' like 'em. Thanks for the input.

Sev · #17 04-14-2010, 03:55 AM

" Kill off the stump, Smack a few copper nails into it. that will kill it. took care of the oak stumps in front of our house "

i'm currently working on killing my live oak tree using this method. i've read good results on the copper nails method

Emmerich · #18 04-14-2010, 10:45 AM

We had to remove the tree since it was pushing up a patio. When we poured the patio (few years ago), we had tried to cut/remove the roots and it was impossible, they were EVERYWHERE. If we had tried to dig up the root when we cut the tree, I would have needed a big backhoe and since the tree was close to the patio, I imagine we would have cracked that at the very least.

Trees are great in the 10-20 year range.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zeus

So...long story short, to get rid of them you need to remove as much of the pre-existing root mass of your live oak as possible. The stump and the trailing roots. My knowledge of southern species like the live oak is limited, but I am guessing many of the further roots will be within the top 12" of your soil, so you should be able to remove many of them.

Zeus · #19 04-14-2010, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emmerich

We had to remove the tree since it was pushing up a patio. When we poured the patio (few years ago), we had tried to cut/remove the roots and it was impossible, they were EVERYWHERE. If we had tried to dig up the root when we cut the tree, I would have needed a big backhoe and since the tree was close to the patio, I imagine we would have cracked that at the very least.

Trees are great in the 10-20 year range.

It's all about the right tree for the right location - and how they are grown. A tree that grows in a forest canopy will grow very tall and straight, with few branches on the trunk until it reaches the sunlight at the top of the forest canopy. This is because it has to compete with close, neighbouring trees for light. When you see those lovely tall mature trees on people's lawns, it is because there was once a forest there and the developer left that tree standing when the house was built.

When a tree grows in the open without competing with other trees for light, it will generally take advantage of the profuse sunlight and it will grow much shorter overall, but will generally have a significantly wider canopy. Live oaks have a wide, sprawling form to begin with and they'll bring a wide root system with that. Since they are long-lived and robust trees, removing them fully brings that challenge with it. They're inherently designed to be tough survivors, so they aren't going to leave your lawn without a fight!

Personally, I love forest-grown trees in the 100-200 yr range. One can try to mimic this growth with new trees by choosing certain hardwoods and planting them in a cluster instead of alone in the open. The trees will then be able to support each other as buffers during storms and wind, and they will compete with each other for sunlight, which will mean they will grow tall
quickly - each racing upwards for more canopy space and light.

If you have already removed most of the root ball and the larger buttressing roots, the radial roots will eventually die and rot. If you are diligent trimming the suckers, the resources in the buried roots will eventually dry up and the sucker growth will diminish. I would try and sever as many large roots as possible and just keep trimming the suckers. You should see them die off over time.

Then again, I don't have actual experience with live oaks...there is something kinda mystical about them with those long, gnarled limbs and that moss and all...perhaps they have other *help*....

Good luck!

Skid Row Joe · #20 04-14-2010, 01:40 PM

Good stuff, Zeus, thanks for the education on trees - a lot of which I did not know!

Zeus · #21 04-14-2010, 02:17 PM

Np!