table of contents
- How do chlorine compounds work?
- Allowed or Forbidden?
- frequently asked Questions
One reads from over and over again Alternatives to the Cases unwanted trees. But what does it actually look like from a legal point of view? Is chlorine allowed to kill a tree?
In a nutshell
- Use of chlorine products as herbicides is generally not permitted
- In addition to damaging the tree, chlorides also damage the soil, other plants and soil dwellers
- In principle, the following applies: You must not simply cut down every tree or let it die
How do chlorine compounds work?
Basically, chlorine in a wide variety of organic components is absolutely essential for many plant growth processes. On the other hand, it becomes critical as soon as the required or at least tolerable dose of chlorine is exceeded, for example to cause a tree to die. Then sooner or later the following disorders of the plant organism occur:
- reduced formation of organic acids
- disturbed synthesis of sugar, starch and protein
- Accumulation of water in the tissue
- generally disturbed water and electrolyte balance
- reduced growth performance and resilience
Note: Which chlorine concentration is critical depends on the individual plant or tree species. Some species love chlorine, others are much more sensitive.
Allowed or Forbidden?
Regardless of why you add chlorine to the ground, there are strict limits under the Federal Soil Protection Act. It may only be poured or otherwise used when diluted with water up to a maximum content of 0.05 milligrams per liter. For your plan to kill a tree with chlorine, this clearly means: Since the dose required for the death of a tree is much higher, the use of the substance with the chemical formula Cl for this purpose is clearly prohibited.
Applying chlorine - injections & Co.
In addition to watering with chlorine solution, other methods of administration to the tree are available, first and foremost injection. However, you should also exercise caution here because:
- Chlorides can only be absorbed very slowly by the tree substance
- Some of the substance from the injection site is very likely to get into the soil
- in this case, the upper limits described apply again
In addition, a single injection of chlorine is barely enough to kill an entire tree. As a result, the risk of penetration into the ground increases with each puncture.
Note: Due to the close contact with chlorine compounds, there is also the risk of chemical burns to the skin or mucous membranes. Both direct contact and vapors from high-dose chlorine solutions are therefore a real danger for the user.
frequently asked Questions
In principle, the statutory felling prohibitions apply to every way of clearing a tree. In practice, however, it is rather difficult to time the lengthy process with the use of chlorine or other substances so precisely.
Although it is forbidden, chlorine is used time and again to kill a tree. The volatile substance can no longer be detected in the long term. If a high-dose chlorine solution is used, chemical burns may still be recognized on the wood or the bark for a long time.
Depending on the dosage, chlorine preparations are quite capable of causing even a strong and large tree to die. Often, however, complete success is not achieved, so that the plant sprouts again after winter or at least individual shoots remain alive.