Best Way to Kill a Tree?

[stephanietx]

The previous owners planted some kind of holly trees (Savannah Holly, I think) around the house, but they planted them way too close to the foundation, as in 1 foot from the foundation, so they are wreaking havoc now since they don't have the appropriate room to grow. What's the best way of getting rid of them? We were thinking of just cutting them down to the ground, then drilling holes in the stump and pouring some kind of vinegar/orange oil solution on them. Will this work? Moving them is out of the question as we don't have an appropriate place to plant them.

Stephanie

[khwoz]

I'm assuming that you can't dig them out. Drill the holes & fill with molasses (liquid or dry) or any other sugars. Cover the stump with something like a can (anything that will fit) & it will rot quickly. Ck it once in awhile to see if it needs more molasses. Keeping the stump moist will hasten the process. Any suckers you can cut off & use the 10% vinegar if you want. Howard mentioned a few times that using chemical fertilizers (that you need to get rid of) in the stump holes would also work.
Here is a link from the home page that explains it better:

http://www.dirtdoctor.com/view_question.php?id=50