Dogwood or Cornus trees belong to the Cornaceae family of deciduous trees. Very few varieties of this species are considered to be evergreen. Dogwood timber is known for its hardy nature and is regularly used for making furniture. They very rarely grow more than 30-35 feet tall and can be usually be found as shrubs.
Let’s take a look at how to kill Dogwood trees and their root system.
How to Kill Dogwood Trees?
Some of the most popular methods for killing Cornus are:
- Foliar Spray
- Cutting the tree down and treating the stump with Herbicides
- Gridling or ring barking
- Basal Bark treatment
- Injecting the tree with killing chemicals
- Cut surface treatment
All of the above methods have their own pros and cons, if you want to learn more about tree-killing methods make sure to click on the previous link.
The best way to kill a small Dogwood tree
A small Cornus tree will only grow up to 10-15 feet tall and can also be found as a shrub. There are a couple of methods you can use on trees on the smaller side.
The first method is to simply cut down the tree using an ax or a chainsaw, treat the remaining stump with an herbicide like Tordon RTU (Amazon affiliate link) and then uproot it. Using a herbicide will ensure that the tree and its root system die.
Cutting down a smaller tree and removing its stump should not be an issue, especially with Cornus trees. In most cases, you can do it yourself. But if you don’t want to cut down the tree, there is another option.
Foliar Spray Method
The other method you can go for is the Foliar Spray method. This is only applicable if the Foliage of the tree is small and reachable by the sprayer.
For this method, you will need a backpack sprayer and a herbicide to go along with it.
Make sure there is no wind during this as the herbicide will get carried away. Make sure the leaves of the tree are not wet, it will prevent the chemicals from being absorbed.
- Use an effective herbicide like Roundup, Ortho, or Triclopyr which you can find here. It is also recommended that you add some type of a dye to the herbicide to mark the trees which have been treated. This will come in handy if you have to kill multiple trees. (allready included on the recommended herbicide)
- Spray the foliage of the Cornus with the herbicide. It can take multiple coatings to kill the tree, so make sure you spray the leaves at least twice after the first layer has been absorbed. It is especially crucial if the tree is on a larger side.
- The herbicide will be absorbed by the leaves and transported to the roots, killing the tree over time. You should see the signs of the leaves drying out in a couple of weeks.
The best way to kill a large Dogwood tree
A large Cornus can grow up to 30-35 feet tall.
Because of their small size, cutting the tree down would be the easiest and fastest method here. You can use an ax or a chainsaw to cut down the tree and treat the stump with a herbicide.
If you don’t want to cut down the tree, you can also go for the chemical injection method.
Chemical Injection Method
Make sure to take all of the safety precautions like wearing gloves and eye protection before handling chemicals. Always follow manufactures instructions!
- You will need a drill and a herbicide for this method.
- Simply drill holes, 2-3 inches deep along the circumference of the Corpus, about 2-3 feet above the ground. It is important to make the angle of the holes downward.
- Inject a strong herbicide like Roundup or Tordon RTU into these holes and let it absorb. (Amazon Affiliate link)
- After a few hours, inject more herbicide into these holes to increase the efficiency of this method.
- For this variety, make sure you drill holes and apply herbicide to each of the separate trunks.
What’s the best time to kill Dogwood?
Corpus trees shed their leaves during fall and they start growing flowers by spring. The ideal time to kill them would be during the winter season. A tree needs the most amount of nutrients during the beginning of the spring season to grow new leaves and flowers. Killing or cutting down the Dogwood tree during winter will make sure that there is no nutrient supply to grow new leaves or saplings and this will speed up the entire killing process.
Should you hire a professional tree removal service?
Because most Corpus trees are small in size, you can manage to get them killed by yourself. Even cutting the tree down and transporting it should not be an issue.
On the other hand, if you have to kill a large number of trees or shrubs, then it can be a bit of a nuisance. Killing the trees, cutting them down, and transporting them can take a lot of time. Hiring a professional will take care of most of these problems.
On top of this, the cost factor also plays an important role. Figuring out all logistical details can turn out to be quite costly.
Here is my article about how much a tree removal service would cost you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you kill a Dogwood without cutting it down?
Yes, it Dogwood tree can be killed using the Foliar Spray method for smaller trees and chemical injection method for the larger trees.
Can Corpus trees be killed using vinegar?
Undistilled vinegar can be used to kill small Dogwood trees but it won’t be as effective on larger trees.
Are Corpus trees sensitive to fire?
Yes, Corpus trees, both mature and young can be killed using fire. Because of their large foliage, the fire can spread rapidly, and thus it is not recommended method for killing trees.
Conclusion
Dogwoods or Corpus trees smaller than 10 feet can be killed using the foliar spray method. For the larger trees, you can use the chemical injection method. Alternatively, you can also simply cut down the tree and treat the stump with a herbicide.
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I am the guy behind Theyardable.com. I grew up on a homestead and I am here to share the knowledge I have and things I learn while living in the countryside.
