How to get rid of Ficus Trees?

Ficus or Ficus Benjamin belongs to the flowering plants of the Moraceae family. They are native to Asia and Australia and are also considered to be the official trees of Bangkok. Ficus usually grows up to 100 feet tall while their foliage cover can become extremely wide, up to 30 feet in diameter. Their root systems are also known to be extremely invasive.

Let’s take a look at how to kill Ficus trees and their root system.

How to Kill Ficus Trees?

Some of the most common methods for killing Ficus Benjamin are:

1. Foliar Spray
2. Cutting the tree down and treating the stump with Herbicides
3. Gridling or ring barking
4. Basal Bark treatment
5. Injecting the tree with killing chemicals
6. Cut surface treatment

Read this article to learn more about these tree-killing methods

The best way to kill a small Ficus tree

A small Ficus Benjamin is considered to be 10 feet tall with wide foliage. In this size, they already have a very invasive root system and can destroy pavements, water lines, gas pipelines, and house foundations so you have to act fast.

The first option is to simply cut down the tree using a chainsaw or an ax and treat the stump with a herbicide like Tordon RTU, Relegate, etc. Using a herbicide will ensure that the entire root system dies with the tree. You can follow the steps in this article I published.

Cutting down a small tree should not be an issue and you can get it done without any professional help.

If you don’t want to cut down the tree, there is an alternative method you can use.

Foliar Spray Technique

The second method is the Foliar Spray technique. This is only applicable if the Foliage of the tree is reachable by the sprayer.

Make sure you are wearing protective gear while using this method.

For this method, you will need a backpack sprayer and a strong herbicide.

Make sure there is no wind during this as the herbicide can get carried away. The leaves of the tree should be dry before spraying the herbicide for maximizing absorption.

1. Use an effective herbicide like Roundup, Triclopyr, or Orthon which you can find here.
2. Spray the foliage or the leaves of the Ficus tree with the herbicide. With this species, it will take multiple coatings of the herbicide to get the job done.
3. The herbicide will be absorbed by the Ficus leaves and transported to the roots, effectively killing the tree over time.

The best way to kill a large Ficus tree

A mature Ficus Benjamin can grow up to 100 feet tall.

You can use two methods together to speed up the process- Ringbarking and the Chemical Injection method.

Ringbarking

Ringbarking would be the easiest and the most efficient method for killing a large Ficus Benjamin as it will stop the nutrient flow from the roots to the stems and the leaves. Without proper nutrient flow, the tree will dry out within a couple of years.

1. You will need to either get a hatchet, ax or a chainsaw for this method.
2. Simply remove a ring of bark around the entire tree, about 4-8 inches wide. The wider the area, the better.
3. For extra measure, spray concentrated herbicide along the exposed bark.

Chemical Injection

1. You will need a drill and a herbicide for this method.
2. Simply drill holes, 2-3 inches deep along the circumference of the Ficus Benjamin, about 2-3 feet above the ground. The angle of the holes has to be downward.
3. Inject a strong herbicide like Roundup or Tordon RTU into these holes and let it absorb.
4. After about an hour, inject more herbicide into the holes to increase the efficiency of this method.

What’s the best time to kill Ficus?

You should kill Ficus Benjamin before the fruiting season. Some varieties produce fruits during summer while some produce fruit during the fall. During the fruiting season, the nutrient demand of the tree is very high, cutting off this nutrient supply by killing them before this season will speed up the process.

Should you hire a professional tree removal service?

If the Ficus Benjamin is small, you can manage to get kill it by yourself. On the other hand, if the tree is big the process gets more complicated. Especially if you need the tree cut down, transported, and the stump ground.

There are a lot of factors to consider and hiring a professional will take care of most of these problems. A professional can also check for any possible damage due to the invasive roots.

On top of this, the cost factor also plays an important role. Figuring out all of these separate logistical details on your own can turn out to be costly.

Here is an article about how much tree removal service usually costs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you kill a Ficus without cutting it down?

Although it is not recommended, Ficus can be killed without cutting it down. The recommended methods would be Girdling and Chemical Injection method for both smaller and larger trees.

Will Roundup be able to kill Ficus Benjamin?

Glyphosate works wonderfully as a chemical against Ficus Benjamin and it is also one of the main ingredients of Roundup and Ortho. This makes them a suitable choice to be used on Ficus trees.

Can you kill Ficus Benjamin using salt?

While salt can be used to kill smaller trees and plants, it won’t be effective on large and mature Ficus trees.

What is the preferred method for killing Ficus Benjamin?

Because of their invasive root structure, it is advised to kill Ficus as fast as possible. Cutting down the tree and treating the stump with a concentrated herbicide would be the fastest and the best method to kill Ficus.

Conclusion

A small Ficus Benjamin, smaller than 10 feet, can be killed using the Foliar Spray method. For bigger trees, you can use girdling and chemical injection or both together to speed up the process. Alternatively, you can also cut down the tree and treat the stump with herbicide.

Recommended reading:

• How to kill a Mimosa tree