$50 off

We’ve just posted a discount code on OzBargains for $50 off tree removal. You can get $50 off your final invoice if you quote the code that is found at OzBargains. It is only valid for June and July 2018.

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Birds in the Garden

If you want to encourage native bird life in your garden, hanging a birdseed bell or leaving out food scraps for them to eat is not the way to do it. You need to create a garden which is bird-friendly, and will encourage birds to not just come for a feed, but to nest and make your garden their home.

In order to attract native birds, you should plant native flora. Grevilleas, Banksias and Acacias are excellent sources of nectar, insects and shelter for many native species. Larger species require larger trees for their habitat – Kookaburras, Currawong and Parrots all require native trees of substantial size to feel at home in your garden. Smaller species like Honeyeaters, will be encouraged to visit if you plant nectar producing bushes and trees.

If you are unsure of the type of bird visiting your garden, you can search using descriptives such as size and colouring to find the name of the bird, and read about its habitat, feeding and breeding practices on the Birds in Backyards website.

As well as providing native flora for bird life, a small pond, fountain or bird bath will also encourage winged visitors – especially on a hot day. If your pond has fish in it, you will want to cover the pond with chicken-wire or something similar, because many birds enjoy freshwater seafood! Bird baths should be placed in dappled shade and perched high enough for the birds to feel safe and comfortable. It should also be close to shrubs or trees so that the bird can escape if frightened. Birds drink and bathe in the same water, so the water will need to be refreshed quite frequently. A shallow pond with a fountain and various levels and depths would be perfect.

Providing nest boxes is another great way to attract bird life. Natural hollows in the trunks of old trees used to provide a nesting place for kookaburras and parrots, however in the suburban landscape, old trees are removed and so this natural habitat for nesting is not so freely available. If you are serious about encouraging birds to make your garden their home, then consider a few nesting boxes carefully placed at a safe height and in the shelter of a healthy tree.
The key to creating a bird friendly garden is to create structural diversity with a good mix of native plants. Plants should include a range of shrubs of varying heights, grasses and ground covers and some nice tall trees. Using mulch around garden beds encourages insects, which in turn encourages birds to visit and feed.

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Best way to kill a tree stump

Poisoning a tree stump*

After a tree is removed, often the stump will continues to grow and there will be sprouts of growth on the stump in the few weeks after it is lopped. If left untreated then the stump could potentially regrow into another near full sized and slightly disfigured tree. Removing the tree stump is the only way to prevent the tree stump from regrowing if poisoning and kill the stump is an unacceptable option.
The first thing that needs to be done is the tree must be cut to ground level, or the lowest level permitted by the terrain. Within 30 seconds of causing an injury to the stump or its roots a generous application of tree poison needs to be applied. Any delay in applying the poison may allow the tree’s cells to close up and the stump won’t accept the poison as readily. Use a chainsaw to cut grooves in the stump and roots and quickly apply the poison using an applicator or spray bottle. Drilling holes into the tree’s stump and roots is an equally effective option.

There are many products on the market that would be suitable to poison a tree stump. Glyphosate based liquid poisons are highly effective (such as Round-up, glypho 450, zero, etc) when applied in this manner. Make sure they are applied in dilute form and in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Wait around 6 weeks and then reapply in the same manner – making grooves in the timber before a quick application. If the poison is undiluted it will damage the cell membranes of the stump but not be absorbed by the plant which how they cause the stumps to die.

A common concern with glyphosate based poison is that it is considered a nasty toxic herbicide. In fact, it is one of the least toxic herbicides and it is not soil residual. This means that in 14 days from application it would be impossible to detect in the soil as it leaves without a trace. There is zero chance that glyphosate would poison plants that it was not applied to. So don’t get over zealous with your application and accidently exposed the other plants when you were applying it. There is the risk if it rained within 6 hours of application the poison could spread – so check the weather before applying. Also, in winter trees can have greater resistance to herbicides as the tree’s growth slows during this time.

For stumps that just refuse to die there are some serious heavy duty poisons available. Tordon has an injection poison, which is injected into tree stumps roots and causes rapid death. Graslan and Tordon have pellets which require drilling into the tree stump and inserting the pellets that get slowly absorbed. There are basal bark forms from Access, Garlon 600, and Starane which are also highly effective for those hard to kill stumps. We suggest using a glyphosate poison, but if it isn’t working then try the cut stump method with any product from Access, Garlon 600, Tardon, and Starane – they are guaranteed to do the trick.

If you can’t be bothered with poisoning your stump you could always get a professional arborist to come around and poison or remove the stump for you. Try the crew at Sydney Tree Removals as they are highly affordable and have an excellent reputation.

*The drill holes in the picture are incorrect, the ideal place to drill is just into the cambium layer which is just inside the bark.

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