[eneville]

As I'm quiet lazy, and the weather is getting cold, I'd like to let a tree die over the winter. What's the absolute simplest way to do it? I've heard that you can drive copper nails into the trunk and that'd kill it, is this true? If so, would regular nails do too?

[mumofstig]

How big is the tree? It makes a lot of difference.....

I killed a small one by drilling holes, down towards the roots, around the trunk and filled them regularly with glyphosate.

[Sparkyrog]

As I'm quiet lazy, and the weather is getting cold, I'd like to let a tree die over the winter. What's the absolute simplest way to do it? I've heard that you can drive copper nails into the trunk and that'd kill it, is this true? If so, would regular nails do too?

regular nails will not do no 

[diospyros]

You can remove the bark in a ring round the base of the trunk which should kill it.  But I have seen a tree completely ringbarked by sheep and still very much alive so not sure it always works!

[Kristen]

As I'm quiet lazy, and the weather is getting cold, I'd like to let a tree die over the winter.

What's going to happen then? Wait until it rots and the wind blows it over - in an unpredictable direction?

Wouldn't it be better to cut it down - hopefully in a controlled fashion!

[eneville]

As I'm quiet lazy, and the weather is getting cold, I'd like to let a tree die over the winter.

What's going to happen then? Wait until it rots and the wind blows it over - in an unpredictable direction?

Wouldn't it be better to cut it down - hopefully in a controlled fashion!

You raise a very sensible question. I /think/ its a willow, and tied itself to everything else around it. I was hoping it to get to the point where I can deal with it with ease and just force it apart and not have to go to lengths of doing the hard stuff... Done quite a few trees already this year and it's not fun. Call me lazy, I deserve it...

[Sparkyrog]

Just be aware that willow is very brittle and WILL SPLIT BACK ON YOU  it is a nasty tree to cut down if you don't know what your doing 

[cbv8]

I did the same as Mumofstig but drilled holes at an upward angle then poked an empty silcone tube with nozzle into hole filled the tube with weedkileer and let it dribble into tree over a few weeks job done 

[Caretaker]

4 sticks of dynamite on November the 5th.

[superpete]

just how big is the diameter low down? You say you're lazy but if you want the job done and it's not too big... I dug out quite a few in my younger days (mostly 30 - 40 foot conifers, which generally don't have a tap root I must admit) - take the top off to leave a three foot stump then dig a trench around, wide enough for you to get into comfortably - sever the laterals as you go round and then go underneath  - as you know modern petrol head gardeners use stump grinders which still leave the stump base just below soil level. Alternatively you could hire a Tifor winch