Glyphosate Crossing Through Roots

[monkeybusiness]

Hello

 

Not sure if this should be in tree health or not - if so, sorry in advance.

 

I removed 2 green beech trees either side of a copper beech for a customer (all three are early mature 60-70 foot trees) a month ago, and poisoned the 2 stumps with a 20% Glyphosate mixture via cambium scoring and direct application. The trees were all growing within close proximity of each other (within 5 metres) so are well within each other's root plate area.

 

The retained copper beech now seems to be suffering the effects of Glyphosate poisoning. Is it possible there are sub soil root grafts and the poison has translocated from the stumps into the retained tree, and if so, has anybody experienced this before? I have spoken to the Glyphos manufacturer's technical guy and he has never heard of this, and also went on to say that this type of stump treatment is commony used in forestry where this would be a massive problem if it is the case.

 

I'm at a bit of a loss to come up with other factors - it looks exactly like a herbicide poisoning - and I am facing a potentially very angry customer.

 

Any insight/advice/past experience would be most welcome!!!

 

Cheers

 

Dan

[Johny Walker]

tell them its pining for its lost mates ,like love birds do

[nepia]

Oops. I'd be surprised if the g. had reached the cop. beech as it's supposed to be contact neutralised when reaching soil. A piece of anecdotal evidence in your favour perhaps... We removed one of three trunks of an ash (yes, I know - nothing like a beech) and the owner (a Dip.Hort Kew, knows what he's doing) treated the stump with glyphosate to prevent regrowth. The other two trunks remained completely unaffected. Not the same as your situation I know but this was treatment of the same tree!

There isn't any chance is there that the cop. is suffering the effects of the extra light and that its symptoms are transitory, that it will recover?

[Giles Hill]

What are the symptoms? It might be that the removal of the other two trees has opened the remaining one to increased sunlight - the rootzone as well as the tree itself.

 

As an aside, is it necessary to poision beech stumps when they get to that age? I would have thought they'd more than likely just die?

[monkeybusiness]

The tree has serious dieback affecting whole branches at various locations throughout the crown - other branches are unaffected. There is also a beech hedge that runs behind the 3 trees (almost touching, but not quite!!!) and this has 2 newly dead trees in it as well. It is good dry land with no water courses etc. I was hoping the dieback is because of wind scorch or increased light, and with a bit of luck time will tell, but I am worried!

 

We poisoned because the 2 trees were approx 50cm dbh and vigourous with plenty of growing left in them, and the owner wishes to replant shrubs around but not bother with stump grinding. Belt and braces, but perhaps a step too far in this case.

 

Interesting comments regarding the Ash, I'm not sure I'd be that brave!!! Certainly not with someone elses tree...

 

Cheers for the comments, much appreciated.

[BrendonV]

I almost want to say I've seen exposed Beech tree roots grafted to each other at one point, I'll look next time I'm near the tree I'm thinking (in the back yard). I'm not sure if it's something you are going to pin down 100%, but other factors could be involved. Like said, sun scald and wind.

[combined tree services]

where the other 2 beech diseased at all ie any evidence of fungal fruiting bobbies ?? im not sure wether it is posible for the glyphosate has traveled through mycelium ??? just a thought , hope you get to the bottom of it

[Shansen]

I killed one of my walnut trees with glyphosate once. I sprayed some weeds around it and then irrigated it a couple days later. If I remember right the leaves on the walnut turned a real pale green and kind of curled up.

[Lee Winger]

Hello

 

Not sure if this should be in tree health or not - if so, sorry in advance.

 

I removed 2 green beech trees either side of a copper beech for a customer (all three are early mature 60-70 foot trees) a month ago, and poisoned the 2 stumps with a 20% Glyphosate mixture via cambium scoring and direct application. The trees were all growing within close proximity of each other (within 5 metres) so are well within each other's root plate area.

 

The retained copper beech now seems to be suffering the effects of Glyphosate poisoning. Is it possible there are sub soil root grafts and the poison has translocated from the stumps into the retained tree, and if so, has anybody experienced this before? I have spoken to the Glyphos manufacturer's technical guy and he has never heard of this, and also went on to say that this type of stump treatment is commony used in forestry where this would be a massive problem if it is the case.

 

I'm at a bit of a loss to come up with other factors - it looks exactly like a herbicide poisoning - and I am facing a potentially very angry customer.

 

Any insight/advice/past experience would be most welcome!!!

 

Cheers

 

Dan

 

 

I'd be very suprised if the rooots of all three beech HAD NOT GRAFTED sorry to tell you

[Lee Winger]

 

As an aside, is it necessary to poision beech stumps when they get to that age? I would have thought they'd more than likely just die?

 

Spot on! I doubt very much the stumps would have resprouted..