Getting rid of trees (conifer or leylandii?)

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Getting rid of trees (conifer or leylandii?)
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TimNeo

Joined: 06 Jul 2006
Posts: 636
Location: Ashingdon, UK

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 11 12:43 pm Post subject: Getting rid of trees (conifer or leylandii?)

I have five trees, I'm guessing they're between 15-30ft high and scraggily with it. They face south at the end of my garden and I'd like rid of them (which I assume may make the neighbours happy as their south facing garden will be suddenly bathed in light.) I will probably need to replace the fence as it's in a poor state of repair.

Then I'd like to plant some fruit trees there. My main question is, if I chop them down I understand that they don't regrow from stumps. Therefore if I dig around the stumps and plant the fruit trees there, will there be problems with this? I'll need to improve the soil around them I'm guessing, but will the trees mind a set of rotting leylandii stumps? I may do the tree removal myself, though it's a bit daunting as they're huge. I've asked a tree "specialist" to pop over and give me a quote for removing them.

I've not spoken to the neighbours at all on this... I know they can't stick a preservation notice on it as leylandii are not covered. They're not overlooked by me as I'm in a bungalow.

The garden is about 30ft wide, I'd like a mixture of fruits. I like victoria plums, braeburn & cooking apples, but I'm open to suggestions... my wife is a keen chutney and jam maker...

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45723
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 11 12:46 pm Post subject:
It'll take yonks for the stumps/roots to rot down, and the soil will be really poor. You need to pull them out if poss and get some extra soil to stick in the holes left before replanting.

TimNeo

Joined: 06 Jul 2006
Posts: 636
Location: Ashingdon, UK

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 11 12:52 pm Post subject:
yeah I had a feeling you'd say that... I may employ the efforts of my scout troop. I'm sure I can figure out a badge for it as well as a cheap fish and chip run...

Green Man

Joined: 23 Jul 2006
Posts: 5272
Location: Rural Scotland.

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 11 2:02 pm Post subject:

Ive taken a group of about 20 Leylandi down about four years ago , and was left with lovely dark humus rich soil so replanted with silver birch. Weeds grew up like billy for the first couple of years but have slowed right down now and the birch are about 10ft tall. The stumps were left and are beginning to rot away now. If I'd wanted it tidy, I would have hired a stump grinder to take them down to soil level.

TimNeo

Joined: 06 Jul 2006
Posts: 636
Location: Ashingdon, UK

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 11 2:07 pm Post subject:
I might consider a single silver birch purely so I can tap the sap in a few years...

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 11 2:34 pm Post subject:
I would be tempted to dig out the main part of the stump. Get the tops cut off, leave 6 foot or so of trunk to enable you to 'rock' the stump as you dig around it and chop through the roots. Be careful as they can suddenly snap a root and topple over, professional help might be useful.

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 11 8:38 am Post subject:
As tree roots go, leylandi don't put that much of a root system down.

gz

Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 9020
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 11 8:42 am Post subject:
Silver Birch will seed everywhere Just like Sycamore... Speak to Hairyloon on this?

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 43773
Location: yes

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 11 2:54 pm Post subject:
i would go for stump removal before planting fruit trees cut em a few feet up and winch the stumps out using the last ones as an anchor add plenty of good soil ps the timber is light ,strong ,springy and flammable but it is a bit soft and tastes nasty

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22790
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 11 3:03 pm Post subject:
What TD and Bodger said. The hardest part is chopping the tree down to a manageable height safely. The roots can usually be wiggled out if you are determined enough! The soil will then need masses and masses of organic matter digging in - it will be horribly depleted.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 43773
Location: yes

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 11 3:10 pm Post subject:
normal felling cuts are very predictable with leylandii,they dont shatter or twist much chainsaw and winch

T.G

Joined: 13 Sep 2009
Posts: 7280
Location: Somewhere you're not

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 11 4:15 pm Post subject: Re: Getting rid of trees (conifer or leylandii?)

fallscrape wrote:

I've not spoken to the neighbours at all on this... I know they can't stick a preservation notice on it as leylandii are not covered.

Don't be so sure.

That's exactly what my OH's boss thought, to his cost, bought a lovely big old house on the outskirts of town, brought down a few trees came outside a few days later to have a man with clipboard very cross to deal with. The rest of the leylandii have little metal identification labels on them now, with a number which is logged, just in case anymore should be brought down

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 43773
Location: yes

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 11 4:18 pm Post subject:
phone the local tree folk to check is easy

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15464
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 11 4:53 pm Post subject:

gz wrote:

Speak to Hairyloon on this?

Did somebody call?

Think you've all beaten me to it though.
The soil under them will be very poor: acidic and nutrient depleted. Easy enough dealt with though: dig in some good stuff.
If there is enough space between them to do that, then I can't really see the stumps being a big problem, but they do take a while to rot.

I'm guessing that it used to be a hedge so they're quite close though.
Stump grinders are horrible, noisy things, so I'd go with the winch idea, and perhaps a gentle application of a mattock... that or dynamite.

If you weren't so far away, I'd drop by and lend a hand, but last I heard, Southern tree surgeons were so dear I could probably make the trip down and still undercut them.

Have fun and be safe.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 43773
Location: yes

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 11 5:37 pm Post subject:
if a tree gets the dynamite treatment from below it tends to shed branches as the middle rises ,bit messy in a garden

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