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We have a three storey tall Mango tree in our backyard. As it's always covered in shadows it has become fruitless. I wish to kill it but keep it planted and preserve for decoration like how it is in photo and hang some lanterns from it. How do I do that? enter image description here

Bence Kaulics
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lockhrt
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2 Answers2

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I have heard that copper nails will kill a tree, but I have never seen copper nails. So drilling appropriate size holes and pushing in bare copper wire should do it. You can strip something near 10 gauge copper wire or buy bare copper wire up to about 000 size (roughly 2 mm diameter - I use this wire for hanging basket extension/hooks).

Bence Kaulics
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blacksmith37
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The idea that copper nails will kill a tree is basically a myth, and even if it works in some cases it will take a long time (i.e. years). Copper is an effective fungicide and bactericide, but trees are not fungi or bacteria. In fact one of the active ingredients of "Bordeaux mixture" which is used commercially to spray fruit trees to kill diseases is copper sulphate, which does not harm the trees themselves.

The most "environmentally friendly" method is to strip a ring of bark right round the trunk. There is a chance that the tree will regrow from the roots, but if you cut off any new growth as soon as it appears, the roots will eventually die. Dig down to find where it grew from the tree roots, if possible. The important thing is to make sure the new growth never produces any leaves which can keep the tree alive.

Another method is to dig around the base of the trunk to expose the main roots, drill holes in them, and fill the holes with a herbicide like glyphosate or something sold as "brushwood killer". Wear protective clothing, and avoid the herbicide contacting any other plants that you don't want to kill!

alephzero
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  • I searched more about ring-barking and it seems very doable. Thanks. But as the tree dies, is there something I can do to stop the tree from rotting? – lockhrt Jan 25 '21 at 12:12
  • Update after a year: Your method of gridling didn't work however it solved the problem. Instead of killing the tree, it made the tree very fruitful. Before, it was hardly giving us 5 mangos per year. Now, this year it looks like it'll bear a few hundred mangos. So obviously we are keeping the tree. – lockhrt Feb 01 '22 at 13:53
  • I spoke too soon. Tree is dead. So I'll say it works. But may give fruits one last time. – lockhrt May 20 '22 at 08:29
  • I'd like to add another update, my original purpose of preserving the wood as a show piece wasn't fruitful because beetles started boring into the wood as soon as it was dead. So the tree had to be cut. – lockhrt Jun 17 '22 at 16:45