# Best way to kill a tree



## abajoman

So I have tried the copper nail trick and guess what ? 






One nail one kill.


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## RacerX

Details please. :msp_biggrin:


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## abajoman

*Copper Nails*

Next door they have an elm tree that keeps throwing up starts in my yard, Ive tried everything to stop it but heard that copper is deadly to a tree, so copper nail in the root in my yard = dead tree.


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## abajoman

abajoman said:


> Next door they have an elm tree that keeps throwing up starts in my yard, Ive tried everything to stop it but heard that copper is deadly to a tree, so copper nail in the root in my yard = dead tree.


 
If you got something better spill your beans


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## Rookie1

Wow that sounds interesting. There was a member on a while ago that wanted to do away with a treelawn tree that the city owned. I know lots of chemicals were mentioned but no nails.:msp_smile:


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## KD57

I've never even seen a copper nail ??


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## flushcut

Let me see if I got this right, you killed your neighbors tree with a copper nail and posted this on the internet for all to see including lawyers and prosecutors. Good job! If the neighbor wanted the tree dead then fine but if not did you look into root pruning at your property line?


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## audible fart

flushcut said:


> Let me see if I got this right, you killed your neighbors tree with a copper nail and posted this on the internet for all to see including lawyers and prosecutors. Good job! If the neighbor wanted the tree dead then fine but if not did you look into root pruning at your property line?


 
I was wondering when the weasley nature of this thread would be brought up. Reminds me of years ago when a former neighbor of mine told me she'd been talking to other neighbors about having a spruce tree that is fully on my property cut down. It was a strange conversation. It was like trying to explain what private property is to a child with learning disabilities. You start deviously messing with somebody's private property, you deserve what's coming to you. You ought to be ashamed of yourself.


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## bobt

I heard about the copper nail trick about thirty years ago from an old timer I knew. I decided to try it in order to tell if the old codger was just yanking my chain.

I pounded a half dozen copper nails all around the trunk of a small red pine. It was on my property and I didn't care if it lived or died.

Last I saw, the tree was about 12" DBH and looked as healthy as all the other hundreds of trees on that property.

Sure didn't work for me! Haha!

Edit to add,,,,,,The root preventer that you flush down the toiler to prevent roots from entering your sewer pipes is made with copper sulfate though, and it seems to work. Also, the plumbers around here wrap the end of the plastic PVC sewer pipes where they enter the clay sewer mains with copper wire. They say it keeps the roots away. Must be something to it,,,,,,,,,,

Bob


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## abajoman

bobt said:


> I heard about the copper nail trick about thirty years ago from an old timer I knew. I decided to try it in order to tell if the old codger was just yanking my chain.
> 
> I pounded a half dozen copper nails all around the trunk of a small red pine. It was on my property and I didn't care if it lived or died.
> 
> Last I saw, the tree was about 12" DBH and looked as healthy as all the other hundreds of trees on that property.
> 
> Sure didn't work for me! Haha!
> 
> Edit to add,,,,,,The root preventer that you flush down the toiler to prevent roots from entering your sewer pipes is made with copper sulfate though, and it seems to work. Also, the plumbers around here wrap the end of the plastic PVC sewer pipes where they enter the clay sewer mains with copper wire. They say it keeps the roots away. Must be something to it,,,,,,,,,,
> 
> Bob


 
Without giving to much away the composition if the nail is important, copper clad wont do it. And buy the way,this wasn't the first go round for this tree 10 years ago it was cut and the stump ground. He paid over $800 bucks.


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## beastmaster

Ethics aside. I found drilling a few holes in a root and adding round up does a good job of killing a tree. But then again, why not just remove it and grind the stump. Beats the hell out of a law suit or worse. Beastmaster


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## treeclimber101

Killing someone elses tree is a little scummy and this thread sucks ....:msp_cursing::msp_cursing:


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## Johny Utah

treeclimber101 said:


> Killing someone elses tree is a little scummy and this thread sucks ....:msp_cursing::msp_cursing:



No way, property destruction is always tempting if you don't like the neighbor. LMAO


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## jefflovstrom

I bet your 'fly-swatter' is a 12 gauge. 
Jeff


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## Johny Utah

jefflovstrom said:


> I bet your 'fly-swatter' is a 12 gauge.
> Jeff


 
Na .410 for flies, 30-06 is for the secret knock at the door while I'm watching Big Bang Theory. Nobody distracts me for that half hour.


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## abajoman

beastmaster said:


> Ethics aside. I found drilling a few holes in a root and adding round up does a good job of killing a tree. But then again, why not just remove it and grind the stump. Beats the hell out of a law suit or worse. Beastmaster


 
This tree was cut and ground 10 years ago it was like a weed , and not the good kind.


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## Deereman76

I Coating to Tordon after you cut a tree will keep it from growing back.....


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## jefflovstrom

Deereman76 said:


> I Coating to Tordon after you cut a tree will keep it from growing back.....


 
Not on Brazilian Pepper or Cottonwood.
Jeff


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## lone wolf

if you want to commit arborcide than shoot the tree with a copper coated bullet , oh wait if this is true then all trees shot with one would be dead .I call B.S.


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## Bigus Termitius

Oh the treemanity!!!:msp_ohmy:


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## Macclay

Copper nails do not kill trees, it's an old wives tale


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## treeclimber101

Macclay said:


> Copper nails do not kill trees, it's an old wives tale


 
Actually ones not enough you need a box for a tree that size the copper oxidizes and creates a poison to the tree also it will damage the growth cells of the tree


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## Zale

Copper nails do not kill trees! If this were true, then the thousands of lightning protection systems installed in trees would be killing the trees. I have installed numerous systems without killing one tree. 

If I were to take any type of nail and girdle the trunk with them, its possible the resulting damage could kill the tree. One copper nail killed the tree? BS.


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## Macclay

Zale said:


> Copper nails do not kill trees! If this were true, then the thousands of lightning protection systems installed in trees would be killing the trees. I have installed numerous systems without killing one tree.
> 
> If I were to take any type of nail and girdle the trunk with them, its possible the resulting damage could kill the tree. One copper nail killed the tree? BS.



Ahh, the voice of reason.


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## treeclimber101

Zale said:


> Copper nails do not kill trees! If this were true, then the thousands of lightning protection systems installed in trees would be killing the trees. I have installed numerous systems without killing one tree.
> 
> If I were to take any type of nail and girdle the trunk with them, its possible the resulting damage could kill the tree. One copper nail killed the tree? BS.


 
listen your wrong flat out , they damage in numbers oxidize and poison the tree they need to be installed at a slight angle down towards the roots about on inch apart they will also destroy the growth cells , and if you wanna research before opening your mouth thats a accepted practice here as well .... And its not a wives tale its a wise tale hopefully you already know that ....


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## Zale

Treeclimber101- I am unaware of research that indicates a copper nail will kill a tree. If you have some studies that demonstrate a copper nail will kill a tree, I would be interested in reading them. I had trouble understanding your post. What exactly are you talking about?


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## Corymbia

Zale said:


> Treeclimber101- I am unaware of research that indicates a copper nail will kill a tree. If you have some studies that demonstrate a copper nail will kill a tree, I would be interested in reading them. I had trouble understanding your post. What exactly are you talking about?



Copper nails are moderately phytotoxic and can result in localised narcosis of parenchyma. On the other hand, copper is readily isolated and not translocated or systemic in a tree. I guess if you nailed enough copper nails in circumferentially and close enough to each other in a species of tree that had abundant parenchyma you could cause tree death. However, as has been pointed out above, the occasional copper nail used in lightning protection is seldom a problem.


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## ArborItaly

i don't agree to killing a tree without a good reason especially if its not yours,
but for anybody who need to get ready of a tree for a reason, i have a good way...
drill a hole on the tree and on the root if you can and put inside a good dose of pure herbicide without mix it with water....the tree is done!
also work gasoline and salt.
copper nail???? won't work.


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## jefflovstrom

ArborItaly said:


> i don't agree to killing a tree without a good reason especially if its not yours,
> but for anybody who need to get ready of a tree for a reason, i have a good way...
> drill a hole on the tree and on the root if you can and put inside a good dose of pure herbicide without mix it with water....the tree is done!
> also work gasoline and salt.
> copper nail???? won't work.



So, you are saying to create a tree hazard requiring removal? Why? 
The best way is a base cut, not create a problem at some one else expense.
Jeff


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## Pelorus

Corymbia said:


> Copper nails are moderately phytotoxic and can result in localised narcosis of parenchyma.



Narcosis might occur if the tree is growing submerged in deep water.


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## Goose IBEW

jefflovstrom said:


> The best way is a base cut,
> Jeff



I have heard that ringing the base with a saw will kill a tree. Haven't tried this on my property nor any neighbors.


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## ArborItaly

jefflovstrom said:


> So, you are saying to create a tree hazard requiring removal? Why?
> The best way is a base cut, not create a problem at some one else expense.
> Jeff



no im not saying that to create a tree hazard removal, im not that kinda of person, and i never did anything like that, in the region im living there's many farm, wine fields, and acres of nut-tree and chestnut tree, so i heard it from an old italian farmer, you know, farmer that fights for the land and stuff like that, since the dude ask whats the best way to kill a tree(except chainsaw)... of course i agree with you the best way to kill a tree its a chainsaw.


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## jefflovstrom

ArborItaly said:


> no im not saying that to create a tree hazard removal, im not that kinda of person, and i never did anything like that, in the region im living there's many farm, wine fields, and acres of nut-tree and chestnut tree, so i heard it from an old italian farmer, you know, farmer that fights for the land and stuff like that, since the dude ask whats the best way to kill a tree(except chainsaw)... of course i agree with you the best way to kill a tree its a chainsaw.



Hi and welcome to AS.
Jeff


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## z50guru

Goose IBEW said:


> I have heard that ringing the base with a saw will kill a tree. Haven't tried this on my property nor any neighbors.



That method works well for dispatching Alanthius or "tree of heaven". On federal property, the technique is preferred as it creates standing dead habitat for forest critters.


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## ArborItaly

jefflovstrom said:


> Hi and welcome to AS.
> Jeff



thx man  (salute) cheers in italian


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## B Harrison

Johny Utah said:


> Na .410 for flies, 30-06 is for the secret knock at the door while I'm watching Big Bang Theory. Nobody distracts me for that half hour.



Yeah, she is cute!


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## treeclimber101

Corymbia said:


> Copper nails are moderately phytotoxic and can result in localised narcosis of parenchyma. On the other hand, copper is readily isolated and not translocated or systemic in a tree. I guess if you nailed enough copper nails in circumferentially and close enough to each other in a species of tree that had abundant parenchyma you could cause tree death. However, as has been pointed out above, the occasional copper nail used in lightning protection is seldom a problem.



Localized :hmm3grin2orange:


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## Corymbia

treeclimber101 said:


> Localized :hmm3grin2orange:



Sure! Necrosis may extend from a few millimetres to a 50 mm or so resulting in the death of the adjacent cambium and phloem.


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## Woody912

many of the aquatic herbicides are compounds of quarternary copper (+4 valence), the effectiveness might be related to what chemicals are available to react with the copper, also I would think you would want to leave some of it exposed


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## derwoodii

copper nails did not work on a willful attempt by other on a gum tree down here. When need arise, I use various methods of drilling or just saw bar plunge adding various brews as different trees respond in different chemicals in ways.

more often my ways work thou sometime a stubborn tree will push on regardless of my efforts got to admire that


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## hannontree1

root prune upper roots then bring in some fill dirt to raise ground level a little this should take care of your problem with out killing tree:msp_biggrin:


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## hannontree1

oh and the best way to kill a tree is to cut it down im sure the neighbor will understand


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## ggoodman

wow I think I may have just waisted 10min. of my life.


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## ropensaddle

SPIKE nuff said


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## KENN

TO UNDERSTAND the potential impact of embedding a poece of copper in a tree trunk on the long term health of the tree, some basic plant physiology and chemistry needs to be considered. In order to kill a tree, a toxin must interfere with cell division in the regions from which a tree grows - root and shoot tips and the cambium, a ring of dividing cells inthe stem and roots. In addition, inhibition of a vital process such as photosynthesis will have a similar deleterious effect. Implanting a piece of copper in a tree trunk will only affect such vital processes if the copper is transported from the implant to the roots and shoots. There are two routes that copper could take. The first is in the xylem, the woody tissue that forms the bulk of the tree trunk (wood) but also forms the main transport route for water from the soil, via the roots to the leaves. Movement here is controlled by the rate of water loss from the leaf and this process is regulated by stomata on the under surface of the leaf. Materials move passively with the flow of water, although those with a positive charge will fix to negative charged sites in the walls of the xylem tissues. The phloem tissue (bark) is highly specialised and is responsible for transport of products of photosynthesis from leaves to shoots and roots. It can rapidly seal off any injured tissues. Copper from an implant would need to dissolve before it could move to roots or shoots and affect plant vitality. The pH of the phloem and xylem sap is slightly acidic (pH 5 - 6) so some copper would slowly dissolve. Copper binds preferentially to the xylem tissue and shows limited mobility as a cation. It readily forms stable organic complexes with small molecules such as amino acids and appears to move through the xylem in this form. These complexes are very stable and may not dissociate at the end of the transport pathway. If so, these will not easily pass across biological membranes and inhibit metabolic activity. Copper movement from leaves, via the phloem is very slow so the redistribution via this tissue from an implant would also be slow. The slow rate of copper release from a metallic implant would be unlikely to cause significant problems for a healthy tree. As the main route to living tissue would be via the xylem, the patterns of water movement within a tree would also be important in the subsequent transport of copper. These vary with tree species - in some water ascends straight up whilst in others, water movement occurs in a spiral of verying pitch. Several implants would be required to make certain that all parts of the tree crown were reached by copper. In conclusion, I would consider it unlikely that a single copper implant would prove fatal to a healthy tree; an old or already debilitated tree may prove to be more susceptible. 


(Professor) Nicholas W Lepp, Professor of Plant Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool ([email protected])


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## KENN

The Best way to Kill a Tree is to Cut the Bark away 2in. all he way around the trunk of the tree. The Tree will Die.


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## skindaddy

dissolved rock salt pour around base= dead.
copper does work, why do you think its in septic treatment for roots, and they now put it in irrigation tubing to prevent roots from penetrating the tubing.


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## ArtB

I once drove somethng thru the roots of a hemlock and the hemlock died. The something was a JD440 dozer.

Is that the same a driving a Cu nail thru one root? Probably not, eh? 

As for nails, when little, the kids built lots of treehouses in the back in hemlock, D.Fir, alder, and bigleaf maple. They used everything from regular vinyl sinkers to Cu and Al roofing nails and galvanized nails, whatever their little hands grabbed first out of the storage shed.

That was 30+ years ago, all the trees that had tree houses are still healthy. 

A few 'non-tree house' hemlock have died however and many alder tops have died over the years.


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## treesmith

Thermo-nuclear device


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## stltreedr

I haven't been around here in awile. This was the first post I read upon my return. Glad to see we have a few new "experts" around...


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## cus_deluxe

Boron


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## treesmith

Used engine oil and a few burning tyres


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## cus_deluxe

treesmith said:


> Used engine oil and a few burning tyres


very inconspicuous.....


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## TheShanks

I've heard of the copper nail trick but I'd hate to be the guy who doesn't know or forgot about it when it comes time to chain saw the tree down. If I found a nail that way I'd be a bit pissed. Round up also works great injected into a big root or low on the trunk I'm told. You can also use vinegar as it does the same thing. Spray vinegar on anything growing out of the ground and it will turn brown quickly. I use it on bits of stray grass growing out of the patio. Just dont accidentally get it near anything in the garden.

The best way I've seen it done is on trees that can only be partially removed because they're growing through a chain link fence and for whatever reason the owner wants it dead for good is stripping the bark back or using your saw and cutting all the way around the base of the tree will kill it dead . Cut 10% or so depth. 

A home owner a few houses down from me has been trying to kill his Pine tree for a while. Its already unhealthy from root damage from the construction going on years ago but every now and then you see him hammer a few nails into it. I'm pretty sure its had the top blown out of it by lightning before too. The municipality wont let him remove it because eagles have been known to nest at the top.


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## Romavictor

Just bought a pound of copper nails from Amazon. Planning on murdering a damn pepper tree on my propertayyyyyy......I chopped the bastard down to the ground about a year or two ago but it keeps coming back stronger and even wilder!!! we shall see if this so called "ole wive's tale" works or not. 
I hope it does.


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## dumbarky

We had a stray sycamore here. Ammonia pipeline runs across my property for 3/8 of a mile. They cut it down only to return the next year to cut it down again. This went on for probably 5-6 years. Left alone it would be back the next year or so. I grew tired of them coming in and out of the property, especially in wet weather and tracking up my field. So drove the backhoe over to the stump and dug it up and laid the stump on a flat rock where i put the prickly pears. The damn thing made someone a pay check for the day for few years, but it caused me to have to drag truck tracks out of the field. Never understood why the didn't spray the damn stump after they cut it. Maybe they did and it didn't work, who knows.


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## Rascal

lone wolf said:


> if you want to commit arborcide than shoot the tree with a copper coated bullet , oh wait if this is true then all trees shot with one would be dead .I call B.S.


I shot a 180gr Federal 357 copper jacketed round into a large oak tree at a friends house. Two years later, dead, had to be cut down.


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## Mustang71

Rascal said:


> I shot a 180gr Federal 357 copper jacketed round into a large oak tree at a friends house. Two years later, dead, had to be cut down.




Because you shot it obviously.

Figured I'd chime in.


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## jomoco

I've had good results killin off Ailanthus by girdling them, wrapping the wound with Roundup poison ivy plus drenched cotton balls.

The hardest to kill's poplars, hands down, even Garlon drenched cotton balls just chased them around the complex for five fuggin years! Sprouts comin up in the middle of ponds!

Jomoco


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## Mustang71

Seems like I look at ash trees and they die.


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## ATH

jomoco said:


> I've had good results killin off Ailanthus by girdling them, wrapping the wound with Roundup poison ivy plus drenched cotton balls.
> 
> The hardest to kill's poplars, hands down, even Garlon drenched cotton balls just chased them around the complex for five fuggin years! Sprouts comin up in the middle of ponds!
> 
> Jomoco


Haven't heard of that...good idea to keep the herbicide in there. What are you wrapping it with? If you are successful killing Ailanthus, you are doing something right!


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## jomoco

Any kinda burlap, torn sheet strips, any fabric that'll keep the cotton balls in the trench.

I'm about to murderlize some of the highly feared Schinus terebenthifolia using the same method and poison ivy plus.

Jomoco


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## old guy

I have a volunteer elm that came up about 3 years ago, I wasn't sure I wanted it or not but let it grow.
Last year to test the copper nail theory I drove a copper penny in about about 4'' off the ground, that fall the tree was still healthy and larger so I drove in a 2 1/2'' piece of 3/16 copper wire, well this fall the tree is about 6'' dia. & quite healthy.


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## Jason Douglas

Pentrabark and strong rate of glyphosate.


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