Killing a tree is not advisable but sometimes you just have to do it. But what if you don’t want others to find out that you are deliberately killing your tree. there can be a lot of reasons behind this, maybe your local community does not allow it or maybe your children or partner don’t want to kill a tree. Let’s take a look at some of the methods of killing a tree secretly.
The best way to secretly poison a tree would be injecting Tordon into the roots, or the base of the tree to kill it. Alternatively, you can also use Foliar Spray Method, copper nails, salt, muriatic acid and even overwatering to kill the tree without anyone knowing.
How Can You Kill A Tree Without Anyone Knowing?
A lot of the methods for killing trees make a very noticeable spectacle around it. Cutting down a tree, of course, is the most noticeable one. But even some of the other methods can make it obvious that you are trying to kill the tree, basal bark treatment, cut surface treatment, or even girdling are some examples.
Anyway, if the tree is located on your own property (as it should), and you decide to remove the tree right off the bat, use our tree removal service page to get estimates for the project.
Some of the best methods through which you can kill a tree without anyone noticing include:
Foliar Spray method
The foliar Spray method is one of the most effective methods for killing small trees and shrubs. You can read more about it by clicking the previous link.
The only part of this method that can garner some attention towards you is the spraying part. You can use herbicides such as Roundup, Grazon, Ortho brush killer, or Triclopyr from Amazon. (affiliate links)
Spray the leaves and the foliage of the tree with the herbicides and let it get absorbed, which should not take more than 30 minutes. And that’s it! All you have to do is wait for the results to start showing.
If you pick a day when your neighbors or your family members are out, you can easily perform this method within a period of 30 minutes.
Overwatering
This method is pretty much self-explanatory. It won’t leave any trace other than wet soil. But if you think about it, how many people actually check the moisture content of their soil every day?
Every tree requires water to stay alive and grow, but when you start overwatering them, they can also die because of it. Overwatering the soil dilutes or washes away a lot of the nutrients as well.
Salt or Epsom salt
Using Salt or Epsom salt can also be an efficient method of getting rid of a tree, especially if you are dealing with a smaller tree. Excess salt stops the flow of potassium and magnesium within the tree which are essential nutrients for proper growth.
Salt can also be easily found in your household, so you don’t have to partake in any suspicious shopping. There are two methods of going about it.
Either drill holes into the trunk or roots of the tree and fill them up with salt, followed with some water to soften the salt and ease its absorption.
On the other hand, you can also dig a moat around the base of the tree and fill it up with salt and water. This will increase the concentration of salt in the soil which will be absorbed by the roots.
More on using salt or Epsom salt for killing trees here.
Copper nails
Using copper to kill trees is very easy. All you need to do is hammer the nails into the trunk, base, roots, or stump the tree. But the downside here is that it can take a really long time for the trees to die, on top of this, there is not a guarantee that the tree will die.
You might also need to use a lot of copper nails if you are dealing with bigger trees which can become suspicious. One trick here is to mask the copper nails with some soil, or other decorations.
Muriatic Acid
Muriatic Acid is very toxic and when poured near the base of the tree, can kill a tree over time. Keep in mind that you will have to pour the acid once every week for it to be efficient. One more factor to remember is that muriatic acid’s fumes can be very harmful, so make sure you are not standing downwind while pouring it.
Although this method is effective, buying and storing the acid can be suspicious, especially if your partner finds out. Its fumes might also be difficult to cover.
How to Poison A Tree Secretly?
You can use a variety of chemicals, including both commercial herbicides and domestic products to poison a tree.
You can use herbicides such as Roundup, Garlon 4 Ultra, Relegate, Forestry Garlon XRT, Aligare Trycloper. Many of the mentioned herbicides are really effective, but unavailable to regular homeowners in various states. So I would recommend using Tordon RTU. (All of my recommended herbicides are on this page)
The best way to kill a tree undetected using one of the herbicides mentioned would be to inject them straight into the roots. That will help to avoid contaminating the surrounding soil, as well as hide the areas injected afterward.
The best way to go about it would be to find an exposed root or dig one out, drill a couple of holes, and then pour Tordon into them. Next, cover the holes with a rug and put the soil back on.
If you can make some gashes into the trunk of the tree and conceal it using mud and soil, then spraying the herbicides into these gashes directly would be the easiest method of poisoning the tree.
How Can You Hide Some of The Methods for Killing Trees?
Some of the methods that I went through above might leave a trace behind, for example, hammering the copper nails or drilling holes for salt can be clearly visible. But there are some tricks which you can use to mask these.
If you want to make any cuts, holes, or slashes look natural, the best way is to mask them with some mud and twigs. It wouldn’t seem odd from a distance and can hide any cuts or holes long enough for the effects to start showing up.
You can also go for a more creative route and decorate the tree, maybe make it an activity with your kids or your partner. Through this method, you can mask any deformities in a much more apparent way. But it might just work.
To mask any smell of herbicides or chemicals, spread some manure or mulch near the tree. You can just blame the smell on the manure.
Conclusion
You can use Foliar Spray Method, Muriatic Acid, Copper Nails, and salt to kill a tree without anyone finding out about it. Alternatively, you can also use Girdling, Cut Surface treatment, or chemical injection method but you will have to be extra careful in hiding some of the marks which can be left on the tree.
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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.
