To remove a firethorn from the garden

Content

• To remove a firethorn from the garden
• Removal of woody plants
• Chemicals
• Biological rotting
• Remove firmly rooted plants
• Tips & Tricks

To remove a firethorn from the garden

A hedge of firethorn provides almost insurmountable protection against intruders and is also an attractive boundary of the property. In addition, the Firethorn offers birds a safe nesting site and is a valuable contribution to the protection of our feathered friends. But what if the hedge is to give way someday?

Early article The propagation of the firethorn

Removal of woody plants

Since the firethorn forms deep, strong and widely branched roots, it is not easy to completely remove the shrub.

Chemicals

Before using, you need to drill deep holes in the tree pinnacle. The chemical preparations release oxygen under heat, so that the tree stump can burn without external oxygen supply. The materials available in specialist shops are mixed with a fuel such as petroleum or diesel and introduced through the holes in the rhizome. Once inflamed, the stump burns out almost completely. If this first treatment is not enough, it can be repeated.

Biological rotting

In this case too, open the rootstock in several places and cut the wood lattice-shaped and deep. The stump is covered with a thick layer of mature compost, to which they have added compost accelerator. The microgranisms set in motion a natural decomposition process that gradually destroys the stump.

Remove firmly rooted plants

Sometimes it is not possible to dig out a hawthorn hedge that has been able to grow for many years in its original place. The roots have formed a broad network and are strongly grown together. Sitting deep in the ground they can hardly be excavated and difficult to sever. Even the old peasant tactics of putting a rope around the tree stump in order to pull the stump out of the ground with a tractor often fail here. In these cases, it is advisable to call a specialist for help.

Tips & Tricks

Many mushrooms grow on rotting tree trunks. It is worthwhile to inoculate the old rootstock with mushroom cultures from which edible tree fungi grow. This is much more environmentally friendly than chemical agents and just as promising.