How to replace trees with Lilly Pillies?

[HodHod]

Hi there

I would like to cut old trees in our back yard and plant lilly pilly bakyard.

Do i need to poison the existing trees if so what type of poison needed? Perhaps safest.

how long after poisoning Lilly pilly can be planted?

there are some mock orange might be over 20 years old should I remove them or keep it and plant the lilly pilly around  it, 

how long it takes for lilly pilly to grow to full as this is going to be our privacy fence. 

Thanks 

Hoda

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @HodHod 

You  can  cut the old trees  back and they will be stumps they will start to regrow sprouts later  it is simple to prune them back with out poison.

If you leave the mock orange  and  not cut them and plant lilly pilly between them the mock orange will give you coverage  while the lilly pilly grows up.

But with  poision drill a  large 13mm hole into the top of the stump and  fill with poision to the top use a funnel to help, use round up or similar. Do use  gloves as it  is reported as cancer causing.  The  new safer herbicide slasher just dosnt seam to work as well is my observation.

Plant lilly pilly straight away as poision is inside the tree next  to it and wont escape.

A small lilly pilly  bush 600mm tall will take approx 1 to two years to get to 1.8 meter some  lilly pilly grow to 3m so that would take and extra year approx.  Results  will vary on cultivar and  growing conditions.

Enjoy  your new lilly pillys 

[EricL]

Hello @HodHod 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about cutting your trees and planting lilly pilly's.

Cutting down your trees and stopping it from regrowing is definitely possible. I suggest having a quick look at our best advice - How do you stop a tree stump regrowing? My only worry is that the tree roots might be very large and occupying such a large amount of space that it will interfere with the roots of the lilly pilly as it is developing. If the roots of the lilly pilly are held back or blocked in some manner it will stunt the growth of the plant and prevent it from reaching its full potential. 

I propose doing a bit more investigation and trying to find out how far do the tree roots extend to, and will they interfere with the lilly pilly's roots when they start to grow. To give our members a better idea of the trees and spacing that you have, would it be possible for you to post a few photos of the area? We can then make recommendations on how to proceed.

In regards to the mock oranges, I propose leaving them in to provide variety.  How quickly do Lilly Pilly's grow? For example, a 60cm tree when planted in the ground can reach 2-3metres tall in 12-18 months. Making the effort to provide the right conditions, water and nutrients will determine how fast your lilly pilly's grow.

Let me call on our experienced members @Noelle and @mich1972 for their recommendations.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[mich1972]

Hi there @HodHod  I agree with @EricL . Depending on what the trees are and how thick the established roots will be, it may be difficult to grow anything in that space. 

[HodHod]

Hi Eric

Thanks for your response. All trees there are over 20 years old there are some Lilly Pilly mock orange bottle wash almost 3 meter tall Please see the photo. What can we do with the roots? We really want to have a nice and tidy back yard with perfectly trimmed lilliy pilly around it 

[EricL]

Hello @HodHod 

I suggest engaging the services of a tree stump and root removal specialist. It's very likely that they will use a digger to remove the stump and roots of the tree. This will then allow you to plant your lilly pilly without having to worry about its roots. 

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric