Conifers - To Spray Or Not To Spray

[Bucks&Ducks]

I have planted trees for a road screen in timothy grass for 3 years now. The first year I planted bareroot and sprayed. The second year I planted plugs and did not spray. That year I ended up replacing a fair number of trees although it was a bit difficult to tell. This year I had to replace a huge number (up to 75%). I will say the trees near closer to shade seemed to do better.

So my question is should I spray? Originally I thought the lack of competition would help, then I thought the grasses would help insulate them from the cold and sun. However, too many variables to say it was simply this or that (winter temp, snow cover water, bareroot vs. plugs, weed cover, etc).

If I spray, should I use gly or cleth?

If these fail I think I will be trying the black fabric and make it in to a few year project.

 

[Daydreamer]

I'll be curious of the responses as well. I'm debating as well. I've left mine within the surrounding grasses similar to you in years past. Last year I started to mow circles around them and this year I'm thinking about spraying as I've noticed more growth after mowing...

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

My seedling conifers seemed to do better when the weeds and grass are left alone. I think mowing and spraying can cause more harm than good, so I'd leave them alone.

 

[Bucks&Ducks]

I was leaning towards leaving them but the poor results so far made me wonder if the grasses were causing a problem.

Is there a height where less competition would outweigh the protection from cold and sun?

If this fails would using black fabric help?

Trying to stay the course but definitely have been frustrated with the results.

 

[Bucks&Ducks]

White, colorado blue and norway spruce along with white and austrian pine. The white pine seem to be doing the best but that may they are planted in less exposed areas as well. The white pine also get browsed here.

I am not 100% sure the reason behind losing them. I think winter burn definitely has had an effect however we have had some bad stretches the last few years so dry conditions could also be a problem. They were doing fine last august but this is around our main field/food plot so I try to avoid walking around in the fall.

 

[tooln]

I planted over 1k bare root spruce 3 years ago. No prep, no spray the only thing I did was use root jell. I'm guessing I have well over 95% survival rate. They are competing with weeds and grass's but once they get above them they will really take off.

 

[Bucks&Ducks]

Tough for me to say what to do without knowing what the cause(s) of failure may be.

I know Stu, that is kind of what I am struggling with myself. I think it is mostly from winter burn but I am not 100% sure. They are all brown this spring. Most looked alright last August. My fall and winter are pretty busy so I did not get a chance to check them as much as I would have liked.

 

[Bucks&Ducks]

I did on the bare roots. not on the plugs.

 

[Bucks&Ducks]

I guess I will just keep throwing plugs down until they stick. Hard not to feel like you are doing something wrong when you get poor results.

 

[SD51555]

I've used black landscape fabric on scotch pine in the past. I think it kicked out way too much heat because all the needles close the fabric burned off. Then the canary grass swallowed them anyway.

 

[nwmn]

I've considered planting winter rye in areas where I plant to plant plugs the following spring. might get browsed but I think offering some protection will help with the winter kill which I've noticed on many of the Norway spruce the past two years.

 

[West Branch]

A bunch of the trees that looked like they had no chance a couple weeks ago now have small green buds. Think these will make it? Anybody else seeing that?

This is a Norway spruce 77 plug planted last year.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I see the same as in your pic WB. Not very often though. I don't think we get as much steady wind as you guys in the Midwest do, and certainly not as cold either. IME, spruce are pretty tough. If I saw green buds such as in your pic, I'd throw down a little 10-10-10 and water them. My soil here is clayish loam, so it holds water longer than a sandy soil would. I've noticed that spruce planted in areas with less exposure to wind seem to do better from the get-go. If you're in open ag land, would snow fence be an option for some protection in winter ??

I have some spruce planted in a grassy field and I didn't mow around them until year 3 when they had established themselves. They DID take off that year, but I can't say it was from lack of grass competition or just being better established with more roots. I also sprinkle 10-10-10 around my spruce starting in yr. 2 or 3, so that helps. But getting them to yr. 2, then 3 is the toughest part. Our biggest probs. here are deer nipping the seedlings and dry spells.

 

[sandbur]

I like to plant conifers on the north or northeast side of a clump of brush for winter shade, or just spray on the north side of the trees and leave weeds on the south, or plow a furrow and tip the sod to the south, plant in the furrow.

A clean area around conifers just does not work well for me when the trees are little. I have seen good growth with fabric on heavy soil and about 50 miles south of me. It does not work on my light soils in most years.