Question 1

How is this product applied?

Accepted Answer

apply a circle where the bark meets the wood.  That is where all the life in a trees trunk is.  the vast majority of a trunk is hard wood and is used only for structure so to do more is a waste.  I am a forester and have used gallons of tordon it is a very good product.

Question 2

Would this work by drilling holes in the tree with out cutting it down?

Accepted Answer

The Short answer is Yes/No. I have a hill on my property that is full of cottonwood, and no other chemical worked as good as this one. The cottonwood is extremely tough to kill, took a few tries to figure out the best way to use it. I drilled 3/8" holes around each tree at its root ball, drilled as deep as I can that button out the drill bit and fill the hole with this stuff, for large trees, it may take a few months to show signs of dying, just be patient, it will work. I hope this helps.

Question 3

does the tree have to be cut down first?

Accepted Answer

This is the most powerful tree/scrub/vine killer I have found. A large gum tree was cut down and several trees grew back to medium size. I just took a couple of bottles out and poured it at the base of the trees and it took them out. It just soaks into the ground into the roots. I had a very large crepe myrtle that was essentially a tree. After we cut it down I put it on the stump and I doubt if it will ever come back.

I think I have used too much. My yard had become overrun with vines.  When I treated the crepe myrtle it killed 1 holly below it and harm the 2 hollies next to it. I was treating some vines in a holly hedge and it hit the hollies hard. They are still alive and I hope they come back. In a different area we we treating vines in a camellia hedge and it took out a few of them.

My lesson learned is less is better if there are other plants around that you want to keep. Anyone know how long this stuff lasts before it breaks down?

Question 4

I have well water, would this be harmful to use?

Accepted Answer

It should not be if you don't get it directly into the well and surface water can't reach  your well.  It does stay in the soil close to the plant you treat for a while but it doesn't migrate far.   If your well has a steel casing and is deeper than 25 or so feet it should be OK.  
 safe.  See url below for label warnings.

https://assets.greenbook.net/L8081.pdf

ASIN	B008QYMNU2
Active Ingredients	Herbicide
Best Sellers Rank	#4,640 in Patio, Lawn & Garden ( See Top 100 in Patio, Lawn & Garden ) #77 in Weed Killers
Brand	Dow AgroSciences
Brand Name	Dow AgroSciences
Coverage	approximately 50-100 cut stumps, depending on the size of the stumps and application rate
Customer Reviews	4.6 out of 5 stars 4,301 Reviews
Item Form	Liquid
Item Type Name	Tordon RTU Herbicide QT Size
Item Weight	2.4 Pounds
Liquid Volume	1 Quarts
Manufacturer	DOW
Model Number	RTU548
Part Number	Tordon RTU qt
UPC	662974049142
Unit Count	32.0 Ounce

Dow AgroSciences RTU548 Tordon RTU Herbicide QT Size 32_Ounce

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