Horse Chestnut or Aesculus Hippocastanum trees are native to the South East region of Europe but have been successfully planted in almost all of the temperate regions in the world. They can grow up to 140 feet tall and are usually used for ornamental purposes in parks, sidewalks, and city streets. They have a spectacular spring-flowering which adds to their popularity.
Let’s take a look at how to kill Horse Chestnut trees as well as their roots system.
How to Kill Horse Chestnut Trees?
Some of the most popular methods for killing trees, including Horse Chestnut, 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
If you wish to learn more about these methods, I would like to refer back to my other article about killing trees in general.
One more thing to keep in mind is that most of the above methods will only end up killing the tree. Depending on the location, you will still have to remove them once dead from your property.
The best way to kill a small Horse Chestnut tree
Small Aesculus Hippocastanum is considered to be less than 10 feet tall. There are two methods you can use to kill a tree this size.
Either simply cut down the tree and treat the stump with a herbicide like Tordon RTU to make sure it doesn’t grow back again. This will not be as tricky as cutting down a large tree and you can even do it yourself, but make sure to take all of the safety precautions.
More on how to remove a small tree in this article.
Or use the Foliar Spray method if you do not have the tools for cutting or you are dealing with a huge number of Horse Chestnut trees.
Foliar Spray Technique
The other method would be the Foliar Spray technique. Because of the wide leaves of this species, this method would be very suitable here.
You will need a backpack sprayer and a herbicide to go along with it.
- Make sure there is no wind or rain during this as the herbicide can get carried away.
- Use a strong concentrated herbicide like Roundup, Ortho or Triclopyr. 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.
- Spray the foliage or the leaves of the tree with the herbicide.
- The herbicide will be absorbed by the leaves and transported to the roots, effectively killing the Horse Chestnut tree and its root system over time.
You can go for the ‘Triclopyr’ which you can find on Amazon for both of the above methods (affiliate link).
The best way to kill a large Horse Chestnut tree
Large Aesculus Hippocastanum can grow up to 140 feet tall. The best method here would be girdling as it is an easy and fast method to carry out. Girdling will stop the nutrient flow from the roots to the leaves, killing the tree over a long period of time.
- You will need to either get a hatchet, hammer and chisel or chainsaw for this method.
- Simply remove a ring of bark around the entire tree, about 4-8 inches wide.
- To speed up tre process, spray some consentrated herbicide along the exposed bark. This from Amazon is a good option.
Alternative Method
One more method you can use with this species is by over-watering the tree over a period of time. Aesculus Hippocastanum is sensitive to the water content in the soil, even when they are mature. If you keep over-watering the soil, they will eventually die. Keep in mind that this method can be slower when compared to others, but it can be used undetected.
On the other hand, you can simply cut down the tree and treat the stump with a herbicide, just like with the small Aesculus Hippocastanum.
What’s the best time to kill Horse Chestnut?
The best time to kill an Aesculus hippocastanum would be before spring as the tree starts flowering during spring. During this time, the tree will require the most nutrients, and killing the tree by ringbarking or girdling just before spring will speed up the killing process.
Should you hire a professional tree removal service?
If your Aesculus Hippocastanum is young and small, you can manage to get it killed and removed by yourself. On the other hand, if the tree is big, it can get quite tricky.
From killing the tree to getting it cut down and transported, there are a lot of factors to take into account.
In most cases, the money spent on the right equipment and the time spent on removing a single tree on your own turn out to be more expensive than hiring a professional.
If you are interested in how much a tree removal service costs, read my article about it here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you kill a Horse Chestnut without cutting it down?
Yes, the preferred methods for killing a Horse Chestnut without cutting it down would be using Ringbarking for larger trees and the Foliar Spray technique on smaller ones.
Are Aesculus Hippocastanum protected?
This species is under the ‘threatened’ category of trees in some regions, so you might have to take permission from the local authorities before killing or cutting it down.
Is Horse Chestnut sensitive to Leaf mines?
Leaf mines are a type of insect that lives within the leaves and slowly kills the leaves. Aesculus Hippocastanum is prone to leaf mines but it is very rare that they will die because of them.
Conclusion
You can use the Foliar Spray technique for killing smaller Horse Chestnut Trees. While for bigger trees the easiest method to carry out would be Ringbarking. Alternatively, you can simply cut down the tree and treat the stump with a concentrated 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.
