Have I killed my pin oak?

3 years ago

I'm worried. Yesterday I was in fever pitch weeding and cleaning up our property. When I came to a pin oak tree there was a small, but stiff stalk growing near the base of the trunk. The leaves were NOT like pin oak. They were more ovate. Anyway, I cut it and applied some Fertilome stump killer and went on with my clean up. This morning I woke up in a panic, wondering if that might have been a shoot from the tree and would the stump killer kill the tree. I've gone out to look for it, thinking I'd try to trim it deeper if possible, but can't find it. Would anyone have good insight on what I've just done or should be doing? Thanks.

Featured Answer

BillMN-z4a

3 years ago

I wouldn't be too concerned with such a large tree. Even if the shoot was from the pin oak, each root shoot is fed by one partial area of the roots and although I don't recommend doing that, it probably isn't going to cause noticeable or lasting damage to the tree.

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Comments (6)

bengz6westmd
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
If the "sprout" wasn't from the pin oak, then there prb'ly isn't a problem. If it was, I'm not sure.
BillMN-z4a
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
How big was the pin oak?

The larger the tree, the more stump killer it would take to make the tree sick and the better chances it would have to 'shrug it off' over time.

A drop of stump killer on a smaller shoot wouldn't necessarily transfer any amount to a different tree unless they were somehow root grafted together in the ground. Spilling any real amount of liquid SK onto exposed or very shallow roots maybe another matter.
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ksmetamaid
Original Author
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
BillMN-z-2-3-4, it's an old established pin oak. Big. The trunk is 2' in diameter, I suppose and I'm terrible at estimating height. I was hoping what you said would be true. -That it would take a lof of stump killer to kill the whole tree. I only applied enough to cover that stem/stalk.
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
3 years ago
I urge you to read the directions on your stump killer. If you don’t have the directions any longer, find them on line. Stump killers are different than other herbicides.
BillMN-z4a
3 years ago
Fertilome stump killer is applied to fresh cut stumps undiluted.