How to Get Rid of a Cabbage Palm Tree

Cut the tree down to a stump using sharp axe. Make sure that the surface of the stump is level and smooth; this will keep the herbicide from running off it.

Apply a herbicide to the freshly cut surface immediately. Use products containing glyphosate, as recommended by the Washington State University Extension. Glyphosate is a general-use, non-selective herbicide sold under different trade names. The chemical is metabolized by plant tissue then carried through the entire plant, including its roots. If you were not able to treat the stump right away, recut it to expose fresh tissues prior to spraying,

Treat the entire stump surface on trees that are less than 3 inches in diameter. On thicker stumps, treat only the 2 to 3 inches closest to the bark. This is the living tissue that will conduct the chemical to the roots. The tree heartwood already is dead on thicker trees.

Avoid using herbicide when there is chance of rain within six hours of application. The best time for glyphosate treatment is August and September. Also use undiluted, water-soluble herbicides as these are more effective as compared with oil-soluble herbicides referred to as esters, according to the Washington State University Extension.

Remove the dead tree stump by wrapping it with a chain, hooking the chain to a truck or tractor and pulling out entirely. You use a stump grinder to grind the stump to 1 foot below ground level. Grinding is the preferred method of stump removal in urban settings, as recommended by the University of Minnesota Extension.